Judge Rejects Synagogue's Bid to Block Gun Limits

A federal judge in Maryland declined to exempt a Silver Spring Orthodox synagogue from Montgomery County's firearm restrictions near places of public assembly.

Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Judaism

Judge Rejects Synagogue's Bid to Block Gun Limits

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U.S. District Judge Deborah Chasanow rejected a request by the Silver Spring Jewish Center to reconsider and block Montgomery County's firearm restrictions. The ruling leaves in place limits on carrying guns within 100 yards of places of public assembly, including private houses of worship.

Why it matters

The decision affects how Shabbat-observant congregants can travel to synagogue on the Sabbath and holidays while armed. It arrives amid a series of 2025 and 2026 attacks on Jewish people and sites across the United States.

The restriction zone extends 100 yards around places of public assembly, while the county's exemption permits guns inside vehicles within that zone. Montgomery County is home to about 45 percent of Maryland's Jewish residents.

The players

Deborah Chasanow

Deborah Chasanow is a judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland who has handled numerous federal civil cases.

Silver Spring Jewish Center

The Silver Spring Jewish Center is an Orthodox synagogue in Montgomery County, Maryland, whose building also houses a school.

The details

Chasanow found that the plaintiffs established a religious obligation to defend themselves in synagogue and to walk there on Shabbat and holidays, but not a religious mandate to walk armed. She also rejected the claim that the vehicle exemption discriminates against Shabbat-observant Jews. The Silver Spring Jewish Center, an Orthodox synagogue whose building includes a school, had previously been allowed by a federal judge to let members carry guns inside the building.

2025: Two Israeli embassy employees were murdered outside a Jewish museum in Washington, D.C.
2025: A Jewish woman was murdered during a march for Israeli hostages in Colorado.
2026: A Jewish man was stabbed outside a Manhattan synagogue.
Tuesday: Chasanow rejected the synagogue's request for reconsideration and a block of the county restrictions.

Culture Shift

The ruling follows the 2025 murders of Israeli embassy employees outside a Jewish museum in Washington, D.C., and a 2026 stabbing outside a Manhattan synagogue, part of a wave of attacks that has pushed congregations to reassess security. Religious communities are increasingly weighing self-defense obligations against local gun laws.

Congregants at Maryland synagogues within 100 yards of places of public assembly cannot carry firearms while walking to services on Shabbat and holidays under the current rules. The ruling leaves the county's vehicle exemption in place, which permits armed travel by car within that zone.

The takeaway

Houses of worship in Maryland face a legal landscape where security needs and firearm rules can conflict, and the vehicle exemption shapes how congregants can travel armed. Readers following the case can watch whether the plaintiffs appeal.