TOPEKA — Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt says the state has joined 13 other states supporting a lawsuit over Maryland’s restrictions on concealed-carry permits.

Schmidt said Thursday that he added Kansas to a friend-of-the-court brief filed in an appeals court case being heard in Virginia. The court is reviewing a Maryland district court ruling that struck down a requirement that residents must give a reason for needing a concealed-carry permit.

Schmidt says the government does not have the right to ask citizens why they want a permit to carry a concealed weapon.

Kansas is one of 39 states with a concealed-carry law that doesn’t require a reason for needing the license.

The Wichita Eagle reports 10 states, including Maryland, have more restricted concealed-carry laws.