Anne Arundel County can make gun shops display suicide prevention leaflets, court says

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, Md. - Anne Arundel County can require gun shop owners to display leaflets on suicide prevention and peaceful conflict resolution, according a unanimous federal appeals court.

Anne Arundel County declared a public health crisis in 2022 after finding that suicides had increased for five years. In response to the crisis, the county issued an ordinance requiring the Department of Health to create and distribute suicide-prevention pamphlets to "all establishments that sell guns or ammunition."

Four gun shop owners along with Maryland Shall Issue, a gun rights group, sued the County arguing that the ordinance violated their First Amendment right to be free from compelled speech. Under the ordinance, they face a $500 fine for the first violation and $1000 fine for every subsequent violation.

In March, Federal District Court Judge Stephanie Gallagher ruled that the ordinance was constitutional. On Tuesday, January 23, a unanimous three-judge panel from the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed her decision. The court reasoned that the ordinance is narrowly tailored to the county’s interest in reducing the number of suicides.

Mark Pennak, president of Maryland Shall Issue, vowed to appeal the decision.

Read the full decision below.