The Civil Rights Division of President Trump’s Department of Justice put Maryland’s Montgomery County on notice that there will be action against them if the ban on armed congregants is enforced.
Breitbart News reported that the ban was passed by the Montgomery County Council on July 21, 2026, with Bethesda Today noting the control “prevented people from carrying guns in ‘places of public assembly.’”
The gun control was enacted on July 27, 2026.
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon sent a letter to the Montgomery County Council on July 30, 2026, putting them on notice that action will be taken by the DOJ if the gun control is enforced.
Dhillon wrote, “History teaches us that houses of worship are vulnerable to armed attacks and congregants are particularly in need of the ability to defend themselves. By disarming religious congregants during worship, Montgomery County infringes on such congregants’ ability to defend against such attacks.”
She asked the county to respond to her letter by noon of Friday, July 31, 2026, and confirm the gun control will not be enforced.
Dhillon recognized one caveat, which would be a situation where the property owner of the house of worship has an “explicit prohibition” against guns. But that is a scenario that exists apart from anti-2A action from the county.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and the director of global marketing for Lone Star Hunts. He holds a PhD in Military History with a focus on the Vietnam War (brown water navy), U.S. Navy since Inception, the Civil War, and Early Modern Europe. He enjoys reading Philosophy and novels by Jack Carr and Nelson DeMille. He is a lever action man in an AR-15 world. Follow him on X: @awrhawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.