WASHINGTON (February 8, 2024) – Today, Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) announced the filing of a petition for writ of certiorari with the United States Supreme Court in Bianchi v. Brown, its lawsuit challenging Maryland’s ban on so-called “assault weapons.” The Petition asks the Supreme Court to grant review in the case and to agree to hear the merits of FPC’s challenge. The petition can be viewed at FPCLegal.org.

“Nearly sixteen years after Heller, the time is ripe for this Court to establish what should have been clear the day that decision was released: bans on firearms commonly possessed by law-abiding citizens are simply ‘off the table,’” argues the Petition. “The application of that principle to this case is plain. Modern semiautomatic rifles such as the AR-15 ‘traditionally have been widely accepted as lawful possessions,’ and today are owned in the tens of millions by law-abiding Americans for self-defense and other lawful purposes. Such arms simply cannot be banned.”

“When justice is delayed, justice is denied–this is precisely the issue with what is happening in FPC’s challenge to Maryland’s ban on so-called ‘assault weapons,’” said Cody J. Wisniewski, FPC Action Foundation’s Vice President and General Counsel, and counsel for FPC. “After sitting on this case for over a year, the Fourth Circuit took the extraordinary step of pushing this case to the full Circuit without any party asking it to do so. Worse, the Circuit took this step after the case was already argued before a three-judge panel but before that panel could issue an opinion. This extraordinary action further delaying justice demonstrates that now–not later–is the time for the Supreme Court to step in.”

FPC is joined in the litigation by three FPC members, a Maryland firearm retailer, the Second Amendment Foundation, and the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.

Individuals who would like to join the FPC Grassroots Army and support important pro-rights lawsuits and programs like these can sign up at JoinFPC.org. Individuals and organizations wanting to support charitable efforts in support of the restoration of Second Amendment and other natural rights can also make a tax-deductible donation to the FPC Action Foundation. For more on FPC’s lawsuits and other pro-Second Amendment initiatives, visit FPCLegal.org and follow FPC on Instagram, X (Twitter), Facebook, YouTube.

Firearms Policy Coalition (firearmspolicy.org), a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization, exists to create a world of maximal human liberty, defend constitutional rights, advance individual liberty, and restore freedom. FPC’s efforts are focused on the Right to Keep and Bear Arms and adjacent issues including freedom of speech, due process, unlawful searches and seizures, separation of powers, asset forfeitures, privacy, encryption, and limited government. The FPC team are next-generation advocates working to achieve the Organization’s strategic objectives through litigation, research, scholarly publications, amicus briefing, legislative and regulatory action, grassroots activism, education, outreach, and other programs.

FPC Law (FPCLaw.org) is the nation’s first and largest public interest legal team focused on the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, and the leader in the Second Amendment litigation and research space.

FPC Action Foundation (FPCActionFoundation.org), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, exists to create a world of maximal human liberty through charitable legal action, public policy, education, and research programs.