Orthodox synagogue sues Montgomery County over 100-yard gun ban near worship sites

Silver Springs Jewish Center, one of Maryland’s oldest Orthodox synagogues, sued Montgomery County after the council approved a measure on July 21 that bars firearms within 100 yards of any place of worship. The synagogue, represented by attorney Jacob Huebert of the National Civil Liberties Alliance, contends the ban violates the First Amendment’s free-exercise clause, the Second Amendment’s right to bear arms, and the Fourteenth Amendment’s equal-protection guarantee.

It argues that Jewish law obliges congregants to provide personal security, a duty heightened after the Oct. 7, 2023 Israel attacks and recent anti-Semitic incidents targeting the community. The county’s regulation was enacted to comply with a Maryland Supreme Court ruling that restricts local gun ordinances, though the court upheld similar bans near parks, schools and other public venues. The lawsuit also references recent Fourth Circuit and U.S. Supreme Court decisions on gun-carrying restrictions, asserting the county’s rule is overly restrictive. National Civil Liberties Alliance President Mark Chenoweth criticized the ban as an unconstitutional intrusion into religious self-governance.