BALTIMORE, MD—The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit on Friday upheld Maryland’s law requiring most residents to obtain a license before purchasing a handgun.

In a 14-2 decision, the court in Maryland Shall Issue v. Wes Moore rejected a Second Amendment challenge to a state law requiring a Handgun Qualification License to purchase a handgun.

Applicants for the license are required to submit fingerprints, undergo a background check, and complete a training course. Certain residents, including current or retired law enforcement officers in good standing and current or retired members of the United States military are exempt.

Maryland’s Handgun Qualification Licensing law was enacted in 2013 after the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

“The Fourth Circuit today rejected our constitutional challenge to Maryland’s Handgun Qualification License requirement, holding that the law did not even infringe on the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms,” said Maryland Shall Issue on Facebook. “We believe that holding is contrary to controlling Supreme Court precedent and is plainly wrong as a matter of common sense.”

“This is a great day for Maryland and for common-sense gun safety. We must ensure guns stay out of the hands of those who are not allowed, under our laws, to carry them,” said Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown. “The application for a gun license and the required training and background check, are all critical safety checks. Common-sense gun safety laws protect all Marylanders and can prevent tragedies that leave our communities scarred and broken from ever happening in the first place. I have said it before and I will say it again, hopes and wishes do not stop deadly violence from erupting on our streets, but common-sense gun laws can.”

Friday’s decision comes after hearing before the full court of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit earlier this year.  The HQL requirement had originally been struck down in November of last year before a rehearing was granted.