August 6, 2014: Three amicus briefs were filed in the Second Circuit yesterday in support of upholding the constitutionality of the NY Safe Act. In one of the briefs, the Maryland Attorney General’s Office, joined by eight other states (CA, CT, DE, HI, IL, IA, MA, OR) and the District of Columbia, argued that public safety is a compelling governmental interest that should be considered in applying traditional constitutional analysis to the right to keep and bear arms. The filing of this brief creates added importance to the decision facing the Second Circuit, as 23 other states have joined in filing a brief seeking to declare the Safe Act unconstitutional based on the argument that law-abiding citizens should be able to use semi-automatic firearms for lawful purposes. The other two briefs filed yesterday were filed by the Brady Law Center and the Major Cities Chiefs Police Association, both of which support the argument that the constitutionality of the NY Safe Act should be upheld. A copy of the State of Maryland’s (and eight other states’) brief can be found here. A copy of the Brady Center brief can be found here. A copy of the Major Cities Chiefs Police Association brief can be found here.
