Federal appeals court grants petition for full court to consider Maryland gun law

BALTIMORE (AP) — The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has granted Maryland’s petition for the full court to consider the state’s handgun licensing law that was struck down in November by a three-judge panel. The three-judge panel ruled 2-1 that Maryland’s law requiring most citizens to obtain a license before acquiring a handgun was unconstitutional. Attorney General Anthony Brown’s office requested the hearing last month. The November ruling found it was unconstitutionally restrictive for Maryland to require people to obtain a license before purchasing a handgun. The process of obtaining a license can take up to 30 days.