Montgomery County Maryland gun ban challenged by synagogue and DOJ

Montgomery County, Maryland enacted Expedited Bill 23‑26 on July 27, 2026, prohibiting firearms in or within 100 yards of houses of worship, schools, parks, libraries and other public assembly sites, with limited exceptions for police and hired security guards. The Silver Spring Jewish Center and its rabbi, J. Menashe Shapiro, filed a federal lawsuit on July 30, arguing the ordinance violates the First, Second and Fourteenth Amendments by preventing congregants from exercising self‑defense amid recent antisemitic threats. The synagogue’s volunteer security team was formed after the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, and the plaintiffs cite an October 2024 assault on a Jewish congregant and a June 9 attempted intrusion as evidence of ongoing danger.

On August 3, the U.S. Department of Justice filed its own suit seeking a preliminary and permanent injunction against the county’s enforcement, contending the ban imposes an “unsupportable burden” on the right to bear arms and effectively criminalizes ordinary travel across more than 10,000 parcels, about 26% of the county. Both lawsuits request that the court block the ordinance while the cases proceed, highlighting broader constitutional implications for gun‑free zones nationwide.