FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024

Contact: Tony Mangan, Communications Director, 605-773-6878

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley has joined a coalition of 29 Attorneys General in filing an amicus brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) to consider a Maryland case where the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a Maryland law banning hundreds of styles of firearms.

“This ruling is an infringement on our Second Amendment rights,” said Attorney General Jackley. “Law-abiding citizens have a guaranteed, individual right to firearms, including for sport and self-defense, under the United States Constitution.”

The Fourth Circuit of Appeals bans hundreds of styles of firearms, including the AR-15. The Attorneys General argue that the Appeals Court ruling conflicts with recent SCOTUS decisions which clearly defined “bearable arms” as any weapon possessed or carried for offensive or defensive action in a case of conflict. 

Other Attorneys General who have joined the brief are from: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming, as well as the Arizona and Wisconsin Legislatures.

-30-