Early 1990s
- Early 1990s Created to support 2A Rights & Awareness
- all volunteer, non-partisan
- President – Mark Pennak
- 2,000+ members
Maryland Shall Issue
9613 Harford Rd
Ste C #1015
Baltimore, MD 21234-2150
410-849-9197
https://www.marylandshallissue.org/
The Daily Bullet – Mark Pennak – Maryland Shall Issue
Dec 29, 2020
About Maryland Shall Issue
Maryland Shall Issue (MSI) is an all-volunteer, non-partisan Second Amendment organization dedicated to preserving and advancing gun rights in Maryland. Its president, Mark Pennak, leads the group’s legislative and court work, and MSI publishes legislative updates for Maryland gun owners. Its best-known case challenged the state’s Handgun Qualification License (HQL), created by the Firearm Safety Act of 2013, which requires buyers to complete four hours of safety training, submit fingerprints and pass a background check before they can purchase a handgun.
MSI filed that lawsuit in 2016. On November 21, 2023, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled 2-1 that the HQL requirement was unconstitutional, a decision Pennak called “a big win for common sense and the rule of law.” The full Fourth Circuit then reheard the case and upheld the law, and on January 13, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear MSI’s appeal, leaving the HQL in place. The case drew national attention as a test of permit-to-purchase laws after the Supreme Court’s 2022 Bruen decision.
Key Facts
- 2013: Maryland enacts the Firearm Safety Act, creating the HQL
- 2016: Maryland Shall Issue files suit challenging the HQL
- November 21, 2023: Fourth Circuit panel rules 2-1 that the HQL is unconstitutional
- January 2024: Full Fourth Circuit agrees to rehear the case and later upholds the law
- January 13, 2025: U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear the case
Sources
- WTOP: Maryland’s Handgun Licensing Law Struck Down by Federal Appeals Court
- Maryland Matters: Full Federal Appeals Court Will Hear Maryland Handgun Case
- FOX 5 DC: Maryland’s Handgun Safety Rules Survive Supreme Court Challenge
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