I’ve been hearing rumors that this was going to happen. In 2009, Raymond Woollard was denied renewal of his CCW permit in Maryland because he couldn’t prove that a threat against him existed outside of his home even after he tussled with a burglar in his home in 2002. So he took it to court. I’ve also heard that he has named the state police in his lawsuit because they denied his application for renewal;<\/p>\n
In an opinion filed Monday, U.S. District Judge Benson Everett Legg says a requirement that residents show a \u201cgood and substantial reason\u201d to carry a handgun infringes their Second Amendment right to bear arms. He says it isn\u2019t sufficiently tailored to the state\u2019s public safety interests.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
I never owned a handgun while I lived in Maryland, so I can’t speak with authority, just repeat what I’ve heard – in order to get a CCW license you have to prove imminent harm will befall you if you don’t have a weapon outside your home. The police require some sort of proof. It seems to me that living in Baltimore is proof enough, but not according to state authorities. <\/p>\n
The range I use is in Maryland and I have the tightest sphincter you’ve ever seen while I make the trip. I don’t drive too fast or too slow, hands at 10 and 2 on the steering wheel. Maryland doesn’t fool around with guns. Even having a loaded magazine is like carrying a loaded weapon in the eyes of Maryland law, whether you have a gun that fits the magazine or not. And the range is like a free-fire zone, Marylanders shoot like they drive. Probably because everyone else is reluctant to train properly with the weapon, too.<\/p>\n
So I’m glad to see this judge take a whack at a measure of fairness for gun owners in Maryland.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"