Synagogue Volunteers Defy Montgomery County’s New 100-Yard Gun Ban Amid Lawsuits

In July, Montgomery County, Maryland passed Bill 23-26, reinstating a 100-yard firearms exclusion zone around schools, parks, libraries, polling places, houses of worship and legislative assemblies. The measure, championed by Councilmember Dawn Luedtke, updates a 2022 ban that the Maryland Supreme Court had previously struck down as overbroad. The Justice Department filed a suit on August 3 claiming the law infringes the Second Amendment, while the New Civil Liberties Alliance, on behalf of the Silver Spring Jewish Center and Rabbi J. Menashe Shapiro, argues it also breaches the First Amendment’s free-exercise and establishment clauses and the Fourteenth Amendment’s equal-protection guarantee.

The synagogue’s security plan relies on armed volunteer members, a practice it says is rooted in religious tradition and necessary after a rise in antisemitic incidents; the county’s ban would require hiring professional armed guards, which the congregation deems prohibitively expensive. Despite the legal challenges, some volunteer guards continue to carry firearms into services, asserting their right to self-defense. County officials point to a $6.5 million nonprofit security grant program as an alternative support mechanism, though critics argue it does not replace the congregation’s preferred security model.