In a resounding victory for Second Amendment rights, a three-judge panel of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals just dismantled Maryland’s sweeping ban on concealed carry in private properties like restaurants, theaters, and stores. This isn’t some minor tweak—it’s a direct smackdown of the state’s attempt to carve out massive sensitive places exceptions that effectively neutered permit holders’ ability to exercise their core right to self-defense. The ruling, handed down on Tuesday, builds on the Supreme Court’s Bruen decision, which demanded that gun laws be rooted in historical tradition rather than modern bureaucratic whims. Maryland’s law, like similar restrictions in other blue states, pretended that private businesses were akin to sensitive places warranting total disarmament, ignoring the fact that property owners can already post signs or call the cops if they want no guns on site.

What’s clever here is how the panel exposed the hypocrisy: governments can’t delegate their power to infringe rights to private entities while claiming it’s not really a ban. This mirrors the post-Bruen chaos where states like New York and California have littered their maps with gun-free zones, turning the right to bear arms into a patchwork of permissions. Historically, as the court noted, 19th-century laws rarely banned carry in private spaces open to the public—think saloons and shops where folks packed heat without issue. Maryland’s overreach failed the Bruen test spectacularly, forcing a reevaluation of how private property gets weaponized against the Constitution.

For the 2A community, this is rocket fuel. It pressures other circuits to fall in line, potentially toppling similar bans in places like New Jersey and Hawaii, and sets the stage for Supreme Court review if states appeal. Gun owners in Maryland can breathe easier knowing their permits now mean something beyond government buildings, but the real win is the precedent: no more pretending public accommodations are off-limits for self-defense. This panel just reminded everyone that the Second Amendment isn’t a suggestion—it’s the law of the land, and tyrants in Annapolis are on notice. Stay vigilant, carry on, and watch the dominoes fall.