The Silver Spring Jewish Center asked a federal appeals court this week to halt enforcement of a local Maryland law barring firearms within 100 yards of places of worship, arguing it blocks members from being armed for self-defense purposes amid growing threats to Jews around the country.

Montgomery County, Maryland, enacted a law in July that bars firearms within 100 yards of “a place of public assembly,” which includes places of worship, schools, and government buildings, among other places. The Silver Spring Jewish Center, an Orthodox Jewish synagogue, sued over the law, claiming it violates the First, Second, and 14th amendments, and asking for a federal court to bar enforcement against the Jewish center and its members.

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