BREAKING: Judge shields Maryland synagogue from gun restrictions in time for High Holidays

A federal judge in Maryland temporarily blocked Montgomery County from enforcing its handgun restrictions against the Silver Spring Jewish Center, effective immediately for the High Holidays. Senior Judge Deborah Chasanow granted a preliminary injunction, allowing licensed members of the synagogue's volunteer security team to carry firearms within the building. Rabbi J. Menashe Shapiro, the plaintiff, stated, "We now have the ability to ensure the protection of our institution as we go into this critical time." The ruling, which applies only to the Silver Spring Jewish Center, found that the county's prohibition on firearms within 100 yards of places of public assembly likely violates Second Amendment and free exercise rights, as the county failed to demonstrate a historical tradition of such prohibitions in houses of worship.