A Jewish rabbi, J. Manashe Shapiro, along with the Silver Spring Jewish Center, has filed a lawsuit against Montgomery County, Maryland, challenging the county’s new gun‑control ordinance that bans concealed carry permit holders from carrying a firearm within 100 feet of any “public assembly,” a category that includes places of worship.
The lawsuit argues that the law unconstitutionally restricts the synagogue’s ability to protect its congregants and interferes with its right to worship freely. It cites rising threats against Jewish communities, including the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, as evidence of the need for armed security.
Shapiro says he walks to synagogue on the Sabbath and serves on the volunteer security team. His route passes multiple locations designated as “public assemblies,” including parks, schools and other places of worship, making it illegal for him to carry a firearm for self‑defense under the new law.
Although Shapiro holds a valid Maryland concealed carry permit, the new restrictions have effectively eliminated his ability to carry a firearm for personal or communal protection.
Shapiro is represented by the New Civil Liberties Alliance, which is asking the court to block enforcement of the law while the case proceeds.
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