U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who serves as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action, and Federal Rights, has filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court in the case Gardner v. Maryland. The brief calls for the expansion of interstate reciprocity for firearm permit holders under the Second Amendment.
Cruz's amicus brief urges the Supreme Court to hear Gardner v. Maryland and addresses what he describes as a significant issue regarding self-defense rights for people traveling between states.
“If the Second Amendment means anything, it must protect Americans who act in lawful self-defense while simply traveling on the public roads of the United States.
“This case presents an enormously important Second Amendment question about the self-defense rights of interstate travelers, one that has been given short shrift by federal and state courts. The right to self-defense means little if it ends a short distance from your door.
“The United States has long recognized the need to exempt travelers from gun control laws. The need for an exemption could not be clearer than for permitting schemes like Maryland’s that are outside the American historical tradition. This Court should reaffirm the analysis it required in Bruen and restore the right of the People to self-defense in interstate travel.”
Several senators joined Cruz in filing this brief: Jim Justice (R-W.V.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Ashley Moody (R-Fla.), and Ted Budd (R-N.C.).
The background of Gardner v. Maryland involves Eva Marie Gardner, a Virginia resident with a valid concealed-carry permit. In January 2021, while driving through Maryland en route to Pennsylvania, her vehicle was rammed twice by another driver who forced her off the road using a PIT maneuver. Fearing an imminent attack when approached by this individual, Gardner displayed her handgun to deter him. Police later released the other driver but arrested Gardner for having a loaded handgun without a Maryland permit; she was convicted after her claims of self-defense and Second Amendment protections were rejected by the court.
Senator Cruz remains active in national politics; he won re-election campaigns against Colin Allred in 2024 with 53.1% of votes compared to Allred's 44.6%, against Beto O'Rourke in 2018 with 50.9% over O'Rourke's 48.3%, and against Paul Sadler in 2012 with 56.5% versus Sadler's 40.6%.
