Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul joined District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb today in leading a coalition of 18 attorneys general that filed an amicus brief in support of the state of Maryland in Kipke v. Moore and Novotny v. Moore, two consolidated challenges to Maryland’s restrictions on carrying firearms in various sensitive places.
Raoul’s brief urges the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit to uphold the constitutionality of Maryland’s Gun Safety Act of 2023 and other firearms regulations, noting that the Supreme Court has consistently recognized that the Second Amendment does not preclude states from enacting reasonable regulations to protect communities from gun violence.
“States have the right to enact reasonable restrictions on where firearms can and cannot be carried in public spaces,” Raoul said. “I will continue to advocate with my fellow attorneys general for commonsense solutions that address the scourge of gun violence that has become common in too many communities around Illinois and across the nation.”
Maryland law prohibits people from carrying firearms at certain locations, including museums, healthcare facilities, state parks and forests, mass transit facilities, schools and school grounds, government buildings, stadiums, racetracks, amusement parks, casinos and locations selling alcohol for on-site consumption. Individuals are also prohibited from carrying guns on private property without the owner’s consent, and within 1,000 feet of a public demonstration. The law includes several exemptions, such as for active or retired law enforcement; private property owners; authorized security guards; and those transporting a firearm in a car, as long as they either have a public-carry permit or lock the firearm in a container.
Raoul’s brief explains that Maryland’s sensitive-place restrictions are consistent with historical and current laws from states across the country that limit firearm possession in especially dangerous spaces, around vulnerable populations and where individuals are exercising other constitutionally protected rights. Additionally, the private-property provision protects property owners’ rights by allowing them to make an informed decision about whether and how firearms are brought on their property.
The brief is the most recent step in Attorney General Raoul’s work to address gun violence throughout Illinois and across the nation. The Attorney General’s office created a state-of-the-art crime-gun tracing database for Illinois law enforcement called Crime Gun Connect. Raoul’s office also collaborates with local law enforcement to combat gun trafficking and has used the office’s jurisdiction to prosecute multi-county gun trafficking offenses. Additionally, the Attorney General’s office works with law enforcement agencies and prosecutors to increase awareness of Illinois’ red flag law and to address gaps in Illinois’ firearms licensing system. The office also prosecutes individuals who lie on FOID card applications.
The Attorney General’s office partners with the U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) to try to avert violence by hosting trainings for law enforcement officers, educators, religious leaders and other community members that are designed to prevent targeted acts of violence.
Attorney General Raoul has persistently advocated at the federal and state levels to strengthen regulation of 3D-printed guns and ghost guns. Illinois law now prohibits ghost guns, but the office continues to fight in federal court to help defend a recent rule closing the federal loophole. Meanwhile, the Attorney General’s office also defends cases pending in courts across the Illinois challenging the state’s regulations of firearms. Nationally, Attorney General Raoul filed and successfully resolved a lawsuit to get the federal firearms license of an unscrupulous arms manufacturer revoked.
In addition to supporting law enforcement, the Attorney General’s office supports victims service providers around Illinois that offer trauma-informed services for crime victims and their families. Raoul’s Crime Victim Services Division administers a host of programs and services to assist survivors of violent crime. More information is available on the Attorney General's website.
Attorneys General Raoul and Schwalb filed the brief with the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.
