Amicus Brief Filed to Defend Firearms Safety Act of 2013
February 14, 2014
For Immediate Release
Contact: Vincent DeMarco, 410-591-9162
Marylanders to Prevent Gun Violence Files Amicus Brief to Defend Life-Saving Firearms Safety Act of 2013
On Friday, February 14, 2014, Marylanders to Prevent Gun Violence will file an Amicus brief in the United States District Court in Baltimore, in defense of the stateÃÂÃÂÃÂâÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs landmark Firearms Safety Act of 2013. We commend the Office of Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler, which has been highly effective in defending the Act from a challenge filed by the gun lobby, attempting to overturn certain important provisions of the new law.
Marylanders to Prevent Gun Violence will seek leave of court to make additional factual points to supplement the constitutional arguments advanced by the state.
ÃÂÃÂÃÂâÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂWe are pleased to provide support to the Maryland Attorney GeneralÃÂÃÂÃÂâÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Office in defending MarylandÃÂÃÂÃÂâÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs life-saving Firearms Safety Act of 2013,ÃÂÃÂÃÂâÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂàsaid Vincent DeMarco, the organizationÃÂÃÂÃÂâÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs president. ÃÂÃÂÃÂâÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂOur Amicus brief demonstrates that assault weapons are not in fact protected by the Second Amendment. They are nearly identical in firepower to machine guns, which have been strictly controlled in the United States since the 1930s, and have been banned for manufacture for private sales since the 1980s.ÃÂÃÂÃÂâÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ
ÃÂÃÂÃÂâÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂMarylandÃÂÃÂÃÂâÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs civic leadership believes that the federal courts, including the Supreme Court of the United States, will uphold our ban on these firearms,ÃÂÃÂÃÂâÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂàDeMarco stated. ÃÂÃÂÃÂâÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂThere is no Second Amendment right to weapons of mass destruction ÃÂâÃÂÃÂÃÂàlike the kind used to murder twenty 6- and 7-year- old children and six adults in the Newtown massacre of December 2013.ÃÂÃÂÃÂâÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ
###