Appeals Court Orders Judge To Reconsider Md. Gun Law Ruling

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- A federal appeals court has ordered a judge to reconsider her decision upholding Maryland's assault weapons ban.

A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Thursday that the law implicates the Second Amendment's core protection of citizens' right to use firearms to defend their homes.

Maryland lawmakers passed the sweeping Firearms Safety Act after the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre. Gun-rights advocates challenged the provision banning 45 assault weapons, and the 10-round limit on gun magazines.

The appeals court ruled that U.S. District Judge Catherine Blake applied the wrong judicial standard when she upheld the provision. The court sent the case back and told Blake to apply a higher standard of review that essentially makes it harder to prove the law passes constitutional muster.