Annapolis, MD — While Americans watched the 2018 Olympics and mainstream media put on scripted town hall meetings to demonize law-abiding citizens who own guns, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia handed down a blow to the Second Amendment.

In a 10-4 ruling, the federal court ruled that the state of Maryland's ban on 45 different "assault" weapons and its 10-round limit for magazines was not a violation of the citizens' constitutional rights. The ruling was not without harsh dissent, however.

"Put simply, we have no power to extend Second Amendment protections to weapons of war," Judge Robert King wrote for the court, adding that the Supreme Court's decision in District of Columbia v. Heller explicitly excluded such coverage, according to NBC.

"It's unthinkable that these weapons of war, weapons that caused the carnage in Newtown and in other communities across the country, would be protected by the Second Amendment," Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh, who spearheaded the movement, said.

"It's a very strong opinion, and it has national significance, both because it's en-banc and for the strength of its decision," Frosh said.

As NBC reports, however, Judge William Traxler issued a dissent. By concluding the Second Amendment doesn't even apply, Traxler wrote, the majority "has gone to greater lengths than any other court to eviscerate the constitutionally guaranteed right to keep and bear arms." He also wrote that the court did not apply a strict enough review on the constitutionality of the law.