MSI Legislative Update 1-17-06

[Norton]

Nothing but good news this week!

Senator Hooper (District 35) has introduced two bills: SB-910 (Castle Doctrine bill - no requirement to retreat), and SB-911 (remove 'good and substantial reason' to make current CCW law shall-issue). This means our best CCW bill is now cross-filed (with HB-1163) which means it can go through the process faster, and has a better chance of going through clean.

I was under the impression that Senator Brian Frosh could prevent the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee from even voting on our good bills, but I'm assured that is not true. If we get a majority in the committee then the bills can be 'forced' out onto the floor for a vote. We have 5 that we can count on in the committee, and 5 against ... with Senator John Giannetti as the swing vote again. Senator Giannetti is the key to blocking the AWB and the key to getting our good bills out for a recorded floor vote. We're pretty sure he's on our side. Please send him an email, including your name address and phone number, and tell him that you appreciate his help with both blocking the AWB and helping our good gun bills and that you'll help him get reelected. (He's facing strong opposition this year and will appreciate it.) An email will be most respectful of his time. john_giannetti@senate.state.md.us

Neil Quinter (District 13) introduced his Assault Weapon Ban again this year. The NRA recommends you call: "Delegate Quinter can be reached at (410) 841-3246. Be sure to tell him that you strongly oppose his repeated attacks on the Second Amendment." A phone call is better than an email.

The AWB has 37 cosponsors. (The same number of cosponsors as our best CCW bill - HB-1163 ... but the AWB is not cross-filed, and our CCW bill is. This is the first year we've had as many cosponsors for a pro bill as they have for an anti.) Also good news ... if the AWB makes it all the way to Ehrlich (very unlikely) and Ehrlich vetoes it then because of the election the veto cannot be overridden in next year's session ... they'd have to call a special session before the election to override his veto .... I don't think they'd do that .... and if they did I don't think they'd get sufficient votes just before the election to override his veto. That's good news, but it still doesn't mean it's dead. We'll have to make sure of that.

We have never been in this strong a position to get good bills through. We'd better take advantage of the opportunity! We don't know how the elections will turn out. We may not get as good a chance as this to pass good bills for a long time. Get involved, and don't let it slip by us. Contact your legislators.

Gun Bill Day in the House is set for Wednesday March 8 at 1 PM. We need to have a lot of people show up for the hearings, and would like to have a lot of folks testify. Phil Lee has some great info on testifying here:
http://www.mcrkba.org/TestifyingInfo.html
If you are willing to testify -- particularly on HB-1163 (dropping 'good and substantial' for CCW) and HB-1382 (Reciprocity) please let me know - henry@marylandshallissue.org or horseu@earthlink.net.


Here are the good guys so far:

Delegates Dwyer, Aumann, Bartlett, Bates, Boschert, Boteler, Cluster, Costa, DeBoy, Eckardt, Edwards, Frank, Gilleland, Glassman, Hogan, Impallaria, Jennings, Kach, Kohl, Krebs, Leopold, McComas, McConkey, McDonough, McKee, Miller, Myers, O'Donnell, Parrott, Shank, Shewell, Smigiel, Sophocleus, Sossi, Stocksdale, Stull, Walkup, and Weldon

Senators Astle, Brinkley, Colburn, DeGrange, Dyson, Greenip, Hafer, Haines, Hooper, Jacobs, Jimeno, Kittleman, Klausmeier, Mooney, Pipkin and Stone.

If your elected legislators for your district are among the good guys above then please thank them! An email including your name and address is perfect. To email a legislator go here: http://mlis.state.md.us/cgi-win/mail32.exe

If any of your Delegates for your District are on the Judiciary Committee and have not cosponsored please write, call or email them and ask them to support our pro-self-defense bills:

Delegate (District)

Zirkin (11)
Quinter (13)
Dumais (15)
Lee (16)
Simmons (17)
Gutierrez (18)
Petzold (19)
Menes (21)
Brown (25)
Kelley (26)
Vallario (27)
Mayer (28)
McMillan (30)
Carter (41)
Rosenberg (41)
Anderson (43)

An excellent place to track gun bills is Phil Lee's site. He tracks both the good and bad bills:
http://www.mcrkba.org/GunBills.html


Find your District and Elected legislators here:
http://mdelect.net/electedofficials/

Contact info is here by name:
for Delegates
http://www.mdarchives.state.md.us/ms...tml/hseal.html

for Senators
http://www.mdarchives.state.md.us/ms...tml/senal.html

Ask your District Delegates to support House Bills 12, 14, 529, 589, 1162, 1163, 1382,
and to oppose HB1367 (the AWB bill).

Ask your District Senator to support Senate Bills 688, 870, 910 and 911.

[DD214]

Is writing to a delegate of whom you are not a constituent worth the effort, or do they just disregard those not from their district?

[Norton]

Originally Posted by DD214

Is writing to a delegate of whom you are not a constituent worth the effort, or do they just disregard those not from their district?

I think that it is worth it when they are on the JUD committee because their decisions affect the entire state. I also make it a point to write a check to those who vote our way and put on the memo "A Friend of the 2nd amendment". I send Sen. Nancy Jacobs $25 a couple times a year....not a lot, but just to keep things in the forefront of her mind.