Bianchi v. Brown is one of the major modern court decisions shaping firearm regulation, prohibited-person law, Second Amendment analysis, or federal firearm sentencing.
| Court | U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, en banc |
|---|---|
| Decision date | August 6, 2024 |
| Citation | 111 F.4th 438 (4th Cir. 2024) |
| Main issue | Maryland ban on specified semiautomatic assault-style rifles |
| Current status | Binding in the Fourth Circuit unless superseded by later Supreme Court review or legislation. |
What the court held
The en banc Fourth Circuit upheld Maryland’s prohibition on specified military-style semiautomatic rifles, concluding that the challenged weapons fell outside the Second Amendment’s protection and that the law also fit a historical tradition of regulating especially dangerous weapons.
Why Bianchi v. Brown matters
Bianchi is a leading post-Bruen appellate decision sustaining a state assault-weapon prohibition.
What the case does not automatically mean
A major firearm decision should not be reduced to “all gun laws are invalid” or “every person with a felony may possess a gun.” Constitutional challenges are often facial or as-applied, statutory decisions can be narrower than constitutional decisions, and lower-court holdings are binding only within their jurisdiction. Always identify the exact statute and court before applying the holding.
Felony gun charge and restoration impact
For a person researching a felony gun charge, the practical question is whether this case changes the elements, constitutional validity, sentencing exposure, or interpretation of the relevant firearm statute. Restoration remains a separate question. Review the gun-rights restoration guide, the state law page, and the § 922(g) guide.
How this fits into the current court split
Since Bruen and Rahimi, courts have produced a large body of new firearm decisions involving felony convictions, controlled-substance users, domestic-violence orders, age limits, carry restrictions, ghost guns, and ACCA sentencing. Compare this case with the full 25 major gun-law court cases library before drawing a nationwide conclusion.