2008 General Assembly Discussion Thread

[Lambo]

From what I'm reading some here are backing-up, already taking the defensive position. How about being Aggressive?
I've started to Draft Legislation in hopes that this Document will be submitted by one of my Reps & if not, by yours!

Title:
Maryland Firearm Owner Protection Act 2008
Note: Document is in rough draft!
What this Legislation would do,
1. Amend the Maryland Constitution to read, " It is the inalienable Right of Citizens of this State and Citizens of the United States of America when in the State Of Maryland to Own, Possess, Transport, Transfer & Bear Firearms, their components and accessories".
2. Strike the wording in Maryland's CCL "good and substancial reason & insert Shall Issue
3. Repeal the 7 day waiting period
4. Repeal Ballistic Fingerprinting
5. Abolish the Maryland Hangun Roster Board
6. Repeal the 1 Gun a month purchase regulation​

Note: I suggest everyone get involved here, we must have a few creative writers amongst us.

 

[coinboy]

From what I'm reading some here are backing-up, already taking the defensive position. How about being Aggressive?
I've started to Draft Legislation in hopes that this Document will be submitted by one of my Reps & if not, by yours!

Title:
Maryland Firearm Owner Protection Act 2008
Note: Document is in rough draft!
What this Legislation would do,
1. Amend the Maryland Constitution to read, " It is the inalienable Right of Citizens of this State and Citizens of the United States of America when in the State Of Maryland to Own, Possess, Transport, Transfer & Bear Firearms, their components and accessories".
2. Strike the wording in Maryland's CCL "good and substancial reason & insert Shall Issue
3. Repeal the 7 day waiting period
4. Repeal Ballistic Fingerprinting
5. Abolish the Maryland Hangun Roster Board
6. Repeal the 1 Gun a month purchase regulation​

Note: I suggest everyone get involved here, we must have a few creative writers amongst us.

7. Repeal the internal lock mechanism law.
8. Repeal the regulated firearms external lock law.
9. Repeal the "Assault Weapons" list; as a regulated firearms purchase.
10. Eliminate the regulated firearm purchase card. Along with the required training to get it.
11. Repeal the "Assault Pistol" legislation.
12. All Maryland localities must not make firearms laws. They must also follow all State Laws.
13. The Maryland State Police or any Law Enforcement Agent (in Maryland) or Law Enforcment Agency (in Maryland) may not possess, transport, make, use, or transfer any weapon, magazine, or any othe firearm accessories that a law abiding Maryland citizen can not own.

 

[t3tech]

From what I'm reading some here are backing-up, already taking the defensive position. How about being Aggressive?
I've started to Draft Legislation in hopes that this Document will be submitted by one of my Reps & if not, by yours!

Title:
Maryland Firearm Owner Protection Act 2008
Note: Document is in rough draft!
What this Legislation would do,
1. Amend the Maryland Constitution to read, " It is the inalienable Right of Citizens of this State and Citizens of the United States of America when in the State Of Maryland to Own, Possess, Transport, Transfer & Bear Firearms, their components and accessories".
2. Strike the wording in Maryland's CCL "good and substancial reason & insert Shall Issue
3. Repeal the 7 day waiting period
4. Repeal Ballistic Fingerprinting
5. Abolish the Maryland Hangun Roster Board
6. Repeal the 1 Gun a month purchase regulation​

Note: I suggest everyone get involved here, we must have a few creative writers amongst us.

RE #2: Just strike a)(5) of Public Safety § 5-306 completely

(5) based on an investigation:
(i) has not exhibited a propensity for violence or instability that may reasonably render the person's possession of a handgun a danger to the person or to another; and
(ii) has good and substantial reason to wear, carry, or transport a handgun, such as a finding that the permit is necessary as a reasonable precaution against apprehended danger.

The term "shall issue" is already there.

(a) In general.- Subject to subsection (b) of this section, the Secretary shall issue a permit within a reasonable time to a person who the Secretary finds:

Then maybe add in something like "has not been convicted of a crime of domestic violence and; does not currently have a protective or peace order against the applicant which was awarded based on an act of violence."

Other items:
Repeal/Abolish the Cease Fire Council and Grant Program? Does this council accomplish anything, or is it just another waste of tax dollars?

Language similar to Chapter 776 of Florida's Statutes (Justifiable use of Force) should be adopted. http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=Ch0776/titl0776.htm

 

[Norton]

I moved the Bloomberg discussions here because it really doesn't pertain directly to what we're discussing here and it is significant enough that it warrants its own place.

 

[BenL]

They have thier one whiping boy, Valley Guns. Sandy reallly screwed the gun community with his record keeping.

...which is silly, if you think about it. Yes, he broke the rules- and guess what? He lost his license. He's proof that the system in place does actually work.

 

[Lennyjoe]

Lots of good rebuttles here but has anyone emailed the printing papers with your responses?

I am writing one as I type.

 

[Jim Sr]

Shocking !!!​

(A) The number of physicians in the U.S. is 700,000
(B) Accidental deaths caused by Physicians per year are 120,000.
(C) Accidental deaths per physician is 0.171.
Statistics courtesy of U.S. Dept of Health Human Services.

Now think about this:

Guns:
(A) The number of gun owners in the U.S. is 80,000,000. (Yes, that's 80 million..)
(B) The number of accidental gun deaths per year, all age groups, is 1,500.
(C! ) The number of accidental deaths per gun owner is .000188.
Statistics courtesy of FBI

So, statistically, doctors are approximately 9,000 times more dangerous than gun owners.

Remember, "Guns don't kill people, doctors do."

FACT: NOT EVERYONE HAS A GUN, BUT ALMOST EVERYONE HAS AT LEAST ONE DOCTOR.

We must ban doctors before this gets completely out of hand!!!!!

Out of concern for the public at large, I have withheld the statistics on lawyers for fear the shock would cause people to panic and seek medical attention.

 

[jpk1md]

Remote chance that 2007 Special Session Taxes will be repealed.

Folks, due to the lawsuit that several Md Republicans have filed that points out that the Dems violated the Md State Constitution there is a Remote chance that 2007 Special Session Taxes will be repealed. IF that happens then O'Mouthy and the Dems will be forced to spend a large portion of the session fighting to re-craft/submit these bills again.

baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.lawsuit01jan01,0,5966414.story?coll=bal_tab01_layout

Although the chances of the Dimocrat Appointed Judges actually ENFORCING the LAW are slim....if they do then this would likely put a major crimp in the Anti's plans to introduce a slew of Anti Rights Bills.

 

[skinnyp]

But wouldn't this also hamper the efforts of everyone try for better weapon bills?

 

[Norton]

But wouldn't this also hamper the efforts of everyone try for better weapon bills?

One step at a time. we don't have a chance at getting any pro-gun bills passed with the current make up of both the governor and general assembly.

If we make it through this general assembly without losing significant ground, we can count our blessings.

 

[Spot77]

Fighting in the legislature is only one front in which we have to fight.

Governor O'Malley has already ahown is contempt for firearms owners with his Executive Order requiring us to relinquish our private mental health records in order to purchase a gun.

 

[zoostation]

HOUSE BILL 24
Law Enforcement Officer and Emergency Responder Protection Act of 2008
http://mlis.state.md.us/2008rs/billfile/hb0024.htm
Bill Text (Displayed in PDF Format): Not available at this time
Fiscal and Policy Note: Not available at this time
Amendments: None offered

This is the one that requires a stolen or lost firearm to be reported within xx hours of when the government decides someone should have known it was missing. Funny name for it because I've been an LEO for 20+ years and still don't understand how it protects me. I guess the stolen gun stops working once it's reported stolen, I dunno Funny how the only time the Montgomery/PG/Balto. delegations are worried about police officer safety is when they're trying to ban guns. Any other time we can't seem to get them to do crap for us, like the two decades it took us to get a felony assault on police bill, because it was fought tooth and nail by the same legislators who want to ban guns. And even then it was watered down to pretty much nothing.


Seriously though, it sounds benign but it isn't. Theft reporting bills are an aid to mandatory registration and gun bans. When a registered gun becomes banned (like they did with the assault weapons in California) the owner either has to cough it up and produce it for the state, or get locked up for not reporting it lost.

 

[Norton]

Folks,

This is going to be a long 90 day session. We're all going to be pissed off at the stupidity of our elected so-called representatives and we have to also remember that we're preaching to the choir here.

In an effort to keep this thread from swelling to unmanageable proportions, let's keep the "F^%$ O'Malley", "this state sucks", and other rhetorical posts to a minimum. We all agree that our Governor is an ass and is going to do everything in his power to screw us.

The way to prevent that is to use this forum as a tool. We have been THE most effective means of mobilizing gun owners in this state for the last 2 years and we're going to take it to new levels this year.

 

[Decoy]

Folks,

This is going to be a long 90 day session. We're all going to be pissed off at the stupidity of our elected so-called representatives and we have to also remember that we're preaching to the choir here.

In an effort to keep this thread from swelling to unmanageable proportions, let's keep the "F^%$ O'Malley", "this state sucks", and other rhetorical posts to a minimum. We all agree that our Governor is an ass and is going to do everything in his power to screw us.

The way to prevent that is to use this forum as a tool. We have been THE most effective means of mobilizing gun owners in this state for the last 2 years and we're going to take it to new levels this year.

Good point, If you guys want to cross post anything over at savemaryland please let me know.

 

[K-Romulus]

This is the one that requires a stolen or lost firearm to be reported within xx hours of when the government decides someone should have known it was missing. Funny name for it because I've been an LEO for 20+ years and still don't understand how it protects me. I guess the stolen gun stops working once it's reported stolen, I dunno Funny how the only time the Montgomery/PG/Balto. delegations are worried about police officer safety is when they're trying to ban guns. Any other time we can't seem to get them to do crap for us, like the two decades it took us to get a felony assault on police bill, because it was fought tooth and nail by the same legislators who want to ban guns. And even then it was watered down to pretty much nothing.

I know of the TYPE of bill you are describing, but the linked bill only adds EMT's/firefighters to the "law enforcement officer class" that you cannot intentionally assault without incurring special prosecution.

 

[Norton]

Oh boy......

www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_city/bal-md.ci.agenda09jan09,0,1892796.story

baltimoresun.com

Baltimore seeks tougher gun laws

Dixon, Jessamy want legislators to toughen laws on firearms

By Melissa Harris

Sun reporter

January 9, 2008


from the cover

Baltimore State's Attorney Patricia C. Jessamy and Mayor Sheila Dixon want new legislation to keep people convicted of gun crimes in prison longer and require anyone who has lost a weapon to report the disappearance to police within three days.

Both said they will push for such laws in the General Assembly session that begins today, in an effort to continue the slowing rate of city homicides evident in the latter half of last year, which followed a summer surge. Baltimore ended 2007 with 282 slayings, up from 276 the year before.

Some of the city's legislative proposals are new, such as the penalty for not reporting a lost or stolen gun. Others, such as keeping rifles and other long-barreled guns out of the hands of felons and domestic abusers, have been debated for years and often died in House and Senate committees.

"If these bills pass, people will soon realize that Baltimore and the state of Maryland are the worst places in the world for gun crimes," Dixon said in an interview yesterday. "That's what I want because, in other cities, crime is going down while we have not changed, and we've got to."

Last year, Jessamy and Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler worked on anti-gang legislation that passed the General Assembly but in a form different from what they envisioned. Gansler's office has called the final result "watered-down," while Jessamy used harsher words, describing the Maryland Gang Prosecution Act of 2007 as "useless."

Gansler wants to make it easier for prosecutors to define someone as a gang member, strengthen penalties and allow prosecutors to seize gang members' assets.

Together, Jessamy and Gansler also are proposing a statewide task force to establish early intervention and prevention for potential gang members. To do effective prevention, "we need to be together," Jessamy said. "We don't need to all be going in different directions."

Jessamy's office has in previous years sparred with the mayor's office over the best way to fight crime in the city.

She and Gov. Martin O'Malley, when he was mayor, differed on police tactics and strategies, most notably on O'Malley's statistics-driven policy that netted tens of thousands of arrests.

"It's good to have people singing from the same page in the same hymnbook again," Jessamy said of the new administration in City Hall. "It's refreshing."

Dixon also wants to require gun owners to report lost or stolen guns within 72 hours of discovering their disappearance or face misdemeanor criminal charges. The idea is to allow prosecutors to punish people who are careless with their weapons or knowingly loan them out for nefarious purposes.

"All too often we trace guns used in horrible crimes back to owners who claim their guns were stolen," Dixon said.

Dixon said she expects strong opposition, both from advocacy groups such as the National Rifle Association and from lawmakers.

Members of the city's General Assembly delegation have warned her of an uphill battle. Stephen Schneider, president of the Maryland Licensed Firearms Dealers Association, said making failing to report a missing gun a crime won't curtail shootings.

"The problem is that the people they are targeting, the people who would purposely allow it to get into the wrong hands are not going to care one way or another," Schneider said. "They're not going to report it anyway. There could be a situation where a law-abiding citizen who fails to report the gun is charged while the street hood who used the gun is never caught."

Douglas B. Ludwig, chief of the state's attorney's firearms division, said that administering a "lost or stolen gun registry" would be onerous but worth it if it helps prosecutors send more gun offenders to prison.

"People have a constitutional right to own a firearm, but just like a owning a car, rights come with responsibility," he said. "If your car is stolen, you report it. If you have a gun stolen, you should think to report it."

Dixon also wants so-called "good-time credits" - given to prisoners who share cells, follow the rules, attend classes and work in-house jobs - limited for gun offenders and bail denied to repeat offenders.

If a person has been convicted of a violent crime or felony drug offense, a second conviction for a crime involving a handgun carries a mandatory sentence of five years in prison without parole. That doesn't mean the offender serves all five years. Ludwig said that he has reviewed cases in which the offender was freed in less than three years due to good-time credits.

At the same time, Jessamy said she wants more room to reach plea deals with felons and drug offenders illegally in possession of firearms.

The mandatory sentence, she said, gives defendants no reason to plead guilty. Ludwig said the city has a 700-case backlog of pending firearms cases.

Jessamy also is joining the judiciary in proposing to license and regulate the state's property bond system, in which people use equity in homes or buildings to spring suspects from jail.

The state currently has few mechanisms to catch such fraud - mostly when bondsmen post the same property in multiple cases across several jurisdictions.

"The fraud has been very, very obvious," said Ben C. Clyburn, chief judge of the state's district court system.

melissa.harris@baltsun.com

 

[Norton]

Geez....where too begin....

"That's what I want because, in other cities, crime is going down while we have not changed, and we've got to."

Hmmm... and those decreases in crime would also be occurring in cities where there are less restrictions on gun ownership and CCW. Sounds more like a Baltimore problem and not a gun problem.

Gansler wants to make it easier for prosecutors to define someone as a gang member, strengthen penalties and allow prosecutors to seize gang members' assets.

So, they simply re-define what constitutes a gang and "poof" The Maryland Shooters Forum is engaging in "gang like activity" and we are all subject to those provisions.

Dixon also wants to require gun owners to report lost or stolen guns within 72 hours of discovering their disappearance or face misdemeanor criminal charges. The idea is to allow prosecutors to punish people who are careless with their weapons or knowingly loan them out for nefarious purposes.

There are already laws on the books for this. Nothing more than punishing the victims of crime. Of course this is no surprise given the shameful behavior of the city in the bus beating case.

Dixon said she expects strong opposition, both from advocacy groups such as the National Rifle Association and from lawmakers.

Yeah....NRA....right. The NRA doesn't even know we exist until it comes time to get money to help Wayne and Chris fight "the most important battle for our 2nd amendment rights ever"

"The problem is that the people they are targeting, the people who would purposely allow it to get into the wrong hands are not going to care one way or another," Schneider said. "They're not going to report it anyway. There could be a situation where a law-abiding citizen who fails to report the gun is charged while the street hood who used the gun is never caught.

Preach on, brother.

Dixon also wants so-called "good-time credits" - given to prisoners who share cells, follow the rules, attend classes and work in-house jobs - limited for gun offenders and bail denied to repeat offenders.

The demonization of gun owners as "special offenders" continues. Dixon is the one who wants "gun offenders" to be registered just like sex offenders and now she is going to propose special sentencing terms on top of the mandatory sentencing guidelines?

 

[Spot77]

Jsut as bad, that idiot Annapolis Mayor Ellen Moyer said last week that she wants all guns in Annapolis to have a "PIN" number so that they can be traced in crime....

She's obviously a complete moron...and I hate to insult morons like that.

 

[Norton]

Jsut as bad, that idiot Annapolis Mayor Ellen Moyer said last week that she wants all guns in Annapolis to have a "PIN" number so that they can be traced in crime....

As in "Insert PIN to activate gun"?

 

[Half-cocked]

Like a unique serial #, engraved into each and every firearm's receiver by the manufacturer?

What a novel idea.

(Yes, ladies and gentlemen - we are dealing with complete idiots, and there's your proof...)