Federal Judge Blocks Montgomery County Gun Ban at Silver Spring Synagogue Ahead of Rosh Hashanah

Senior Judge Deborah Chasanow of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland issued a preliminary injunction that temporarily halts Montgomery County's handgun restriction around the Silver Spring Jewish Center. The county law prohibits firearms within 100 yards of any public assembly, which the synagogue's volunteer security team argued barred licensed members from carrying weapons on the premises. The injunction is limited to this Orthodox congregation in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood and does not extend to other synagogues.

In a 72-page memorandum, the judge concluded the plaintiffs are likely to prevail on both Second Amendment and free-exercise grounds, finding the county lacked a longstanding tradition of banning guns in houses of worship and that the law treats such venues differently from comparable private properties. The ruling comes just before Rosh Hashanah, which begins on the night of Sept. 11, allowing the community to enforce its own security arrangements during the holiday.