In a decisive blow to gun-grabbers on the East Coast, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals has just torched Maryland’s so-called Vampire Rule—a sneaky post-Bruen regulation that effectively banned concealed carry permits for anyone who didn’t prove they were in constant, imminent danger of fangs or fangs-like threats. For the uninitiated, this wasn’t some gothic Halloween gimmick; it was Maryland’s hand-wringing good and substantial reason requirement for concealed carry, demanding applicants demonstrate a specific threat to their life before exercising their fundamental right. The court ruled it unconstitutional under the Supreme Court’s Bruen framework, which demands that modern gun laws align with our nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation—not bureaucratic fever dreams. This comes hot on the heels of the Supreme Court’s ongoing Rahimi deliberations, signaling that lower courts are done tiptoeing around Heller, McDonald, and Bruen.
What’s clever about this ruling? It’s a masterclass in Bruen’s text, history, and tradition test applied with surgical precision. Maryland’s Attorney General tried to peddle the idea that concealed carry was a 20th-century privilege, not a right rooted in the Founding era—but the Fourth Circuit wasn’t buying it. They pointed to historical analogs like 19th-century surety statutes, which required bonds for those deemed dangerous, not blanket denials for law-abiding citizens. No evidence of widespread may-issue regimes at the founding or ratification; instead, the court highlighted how open carry was the norm, and concealed carry bans were outliers struck down for being arbitrary. This isn’t just a win for Marylanders—it’s a blueprint for challenging similar discretion abuse in New York, New Jersey, and California, where permitting officials play God with Second Amendment rights.
For the 2A community, the implications are electric: expect a flood of challenges to red-flag-style permitting hurdles, with shall-issue becoming the new floor. As SCOTUS mulls Rahimi’s domestic-violence disarmament nuances, this affirms that sensitive places and shall-issue with strings are tolerable only if they hew strictly to history—no more vampire hunts for permits. Gun owners in the Fourth Circuit (Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Carolinas, for the map nerds) can breathe easier, and activists should rally to defend this on appeal. Maryland’s likely headed to the en banc circus or SCOTUS, but momentum is ours—time to celebrate and strategize for the next battlefield. Stay vigilant, patriots; the right to bear arms isn’t negotiable.
