" Foster a Bill" Drive

[TopShelf]

HB 115

Testimony for HB 115.

Thanks to CrazySanMan @ http://www.mdshooters.com/showpost.php?p=3056094&postcount=69 for ideas, etc.

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Open question - the cited SCOTUS case is a good example?

In Opposition.

Dear Delegates,

This bill looks to study feasibility of GPS-enabling firearms. I feel this is a not an effective use of taxpayer money, and that it raises privacy concerns. Below are my reasons:

• Privacy
o Government surveillance of US citizens does not seem to be popular with the masses. Think NSA
o For those considering supporting this bill, do you think it wise to include tracking movements of US residents as part of your campaign platform?
o SCOTUS, in the case of US V. Jones, has ruled a warrant is needed to GPS-track.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmir...lance-saying-warrant-needed-for-gps-tracking/

• For a GPS the receiver to work, it must have a line of sight to four or more transmitting GPS satellites. You need only take a portable GPS map device to these locations to discover they will not function in a fully connected mode.
o Inside buildings
o On city streets surrounded by tall buildings
o In basements
o In tunnels
o Inside any container that would block 2-way communication, such as a metal box

• GPS receivers require a battery to work. Unplug or remove the battery, and the device will not function.

• Others have researched this type of GPS technology already. Please review findings from research done on behalf of (?) the Connecticut legislature - http://www.cga.ct.gov/2013/rpt/2013-R-0069.htm

I respectfully request that you give this bill an unfavorable report.

 

[Mr H]

Am working on HB 934...

PSA 5-118 says this:

(c) Each firearm application shall contain the following statement: "Any false information supplied or statement made in this application is a crime which may be punished by imprisonment for a period of not more than 3 years, or a fine of not more than $5,000, or both.".

Am I missing that on the new 77R somewhere or is that missing? Looked at both sheets and can't find it anywhere on there...

Looks like someone didn't read their own laws???

I looked on 77D as well, just to be sure...

Nowhere to be found.

 

[dblas]

So, does that mean if someone lies on one of those documents, that they can't be prosecuted??

 

[iH8DemLibz]

If you email it per the OP, you should be GTG

E-mail sent per option #1.

Thank you, Sir.

 

[Mr H]

Not in a position to 'do the math' right now...

But it is interesting.

 

[ShallNotInfringe]

So, does that mean if someone lies on one of those documents, that they can't be prosecuted??

I don't know, but I think my written testimony on 934 should come to someones attention.

 

[dblas]

I don't know, but I think my written testimony on 934 should come to someones attention.

Mike??

 

[Mr H]

Well, Kiddies...

Have fun storming the castle--I'll probably be 'dark' until late this afternoon.

 

[dblas]

See you later this evening.

 

[ShallNotInfringe]

Mike??

I just updated it, you can skip to the bottom for the 4 conclusions..

 

[dogbone]

Testimony for HB 122
Assault Weapons and Detachable Magazines - Possession or Transport by Nonresident

Feel free to chew it up and spit it out in your own words:

Dear Committee Members:

I am writing you today to support this legislation. Maryland is a wonderful state, with natural treasures stretching from the mountains in the west to the beautiful beaches of the Eastern Shore. Our cities and towns boast a rich cultural heritage and a long and cherished history. Every year thousands of visitors come to our state, hoping to share in all that Maryland offers.
These visitors to Maryland take away precious memories of their time in Maryland. They also leave behind a tremendous amount of money to boost the state’s economy. The most recent Tourism Satellite Account reported more than $14.9 billion in visitor spending and more than $2 billion in State and local taxes.

Tourism is the 10th largest private sector employer in the State, supporting 135,741 direct full-time equivalency jobs in 2012 in leisure and hospitality, retail, transportation, and other sectors impacted by visitor spending. For these employees, tourism jobs provided $4.5 billion in wages and salaries in 2012.

Clearly, it is in the State’s best interest to encourage tourism and to make visitors to Maryland welcome so they can return year after year and tell their friends and family what a great state we have here. The Office of Tourism Development spent close to two million dollars in their media budget alone in 2012 to accomplish this.

There is a large group of people from outside our borders who would not only like to come to Maryland but are quite eager to do so. These people would be delighted to travel miles and miles, from as far north as Maine and as far south as Florida, for the chance to spend a few days in our state in pursuit of their favorite sport. They would love to come here for competitions and gladly boost our economy through their spending.

They won’t come, though. These people are target rifle competitors. They find our current firearms laws too complex, too restrictive, and frankly just too confusing to figure out. They do not want to risk being the test case in a long court battle. They do not want to risk arrest, imprisonment, confiscation of their prized target rifles, or the loss of the right to own a firearm for the rest of their life.
I cannot fault them for this attitude. I spent many days down in Annapolis last year, listening to hours and hours of testimony and debate on the Firearm Safety Act of 2013 (FSA2013). I have studied the law and sought answers to my questions from many sources. Despite these efforts, I cannot offer an out of state firearms owner a clear answer to the simple question, “Will I be in trouble if I come to shoot in Maryland?”

Failing to find an answer in the letter of the law, I tried to understand the spirit. In looking over the extensive list of banned rifles, something popped out that might point to an answer to this question. There are two important exemptions in the list of rifles deemed too deadly and dangerous for Maryland citizens to be able to buy. The first and widest exemption is one for the M1 Garand. There are no limitations on barrel length, stock configuration, etc. The rifle is clearly exempted, regardless of model type, from the law. The second exemption is quite narrower, the Colt Sporter HBAR.

Why would these two rifles be removed from the banned list? Are they somehow less lethal than the banned rifles? Do they incorporate novel and unique safety features which make them less of a threat to society?

Finding the answer requires a bit of delving into the past. When the list was first drawn up, the M1 Garand and the Colt Sporter HBAR were two of the most popular and widely used rifles in organized target competition. This leads me to believe the State, through specifically exempting these rifles, recognized the legitimacy of target competition and thought it important enough to avoid any prohibition against its practice within the state.

The list was drawn up over twenty years ago. While the spirit of the law may remain intact, the letter of the law has failed to be updated to stay current with technology and the rifles used in organized competition today. The rifles and other equipment used in target competition are subject to the constraints of a continually evolving set of rules for the sport. This bill would correct that failing. House Bill 122 will say clearly to potential out of state visitors, “Yes, we recognize the legitimacy and importance of your sport and welcome you to practice it in Maryland.”

In my research for this testimony, I had the opportunity to communicate with dozens of out of state rifle competitors. If this bill should become law, they will come to Maryland for competitions. They will not come for the chance to poke a few holes in paper but rather for the camaraderie and fellowship which is the heart of their sport. They will celebrate this fellowship with breakfast in our restaurants before the match and with dinner after. They will rest from their travels and competition in our hotels. They will refuel their vehicles at Maryland gas stations. In short, they will come to our state, enjoy the competition, leave their dollars here, and then head home, taking their rifles with them.

I have attached as appendices selected materials on the impact of tourism in Maryland, the equipment requirements for rifle competition, and some brief comments from out of state rifle competitors concerning their desire to visit our state and the negative impact FSA 2013 has had upon their travel plans. I would ask you to return a favorable report on House Bill 122 and to lend your support so this bill may become law.

 

[iH8DemLibz]

iH8DemLibz
Parkville, Maryland 21234
District 42A


Testimony to the House Judiciary Committee in Opposition of HB-115.

Task Force to study Firearms and Global Positioning Satellites (GPS).


March 1, 2014


I am a registered Democrat from Parkville, Maryland and I wish to thank the committee for allowing me to submit my testimony in Oposition of HB-115.

For more years than I care to remember, the once great state of Maryland has continued to wield her political might against honest and law abiding gun owners.

For more years than I care to remember, certain members in both the House and in the Senate have methodically, ruthlessly, and systematically stripped Maryland’s gun owning populace of the Rights and Privileges granted to us by the Second Amendment.

A great many Democrats and some Republicans have undertaken every underhanded scheme imaginable to make the owning and using of a firearm extremely difficult, time consuming, and increasingly costly.

Firearm Safety Act of 2013: Scheme!

Internal and external safety locks: Scheme!

Fired shell casing requirement: Scheme!

Purchasing one regulated firearm a month: Scheme!

Just when we think we have heard everything in the way of schemes, comes the strangest and the most unworkable scheme imaginable. A Task Force to study Firearms and Global Positioning Satellites (GPS).

This is not only strange and unworkable, it’s Twilight Zone Zaniness and Buck Rogers Ridiculousness. It's just one more, misguided, attempt at taking firearms out of the hands of whom you represent.

We are not your subjects, we are not your serfs, and we do not work for you. You work for us. Yet you continue to drag us to Annapolis year after year, hat in hand, to fight for and to defend the rights we already possess as free American citizens. Leave us alone. Leave us to live our lives the way we want to. Leave us to pursue and to engage in the hobbies and in the sports we and our families enjoy.

Know this too. We are not going away, our firearms are not going away, and as long as you continue to fight us we will continue to fight you.

I respectfully request an Unfavorable report from this committee on HB-115.


Thank you.


iH8DemLibz




Please feel free to take from or add to this letter.

Edited. Thank you for your input.

 

[Mr H]

just a quick check-in between chores...

iH8... I would say to replace "SB281" with "the Firearms Safety Act of 2013" as SB281 means something completely different each session.

 

[Clovis]

Um...iH8DemLibz, that's a Fired shell casing not UNFired. Just trying to help.

 

[ShallNotInfringe]

just a quick check-in between chores...

iH8... I would say to replace "SB281" with "the Firearms Safety Act of 2013" as SB281 means something completely different each session.

This year it has the title: "Motor Vehicle Administration – Selective Service Registration – Driver’s License and Identification Card Applicants"

 

[TopShelf]

HB62 is specific to neighboring states... different from SB768

I posted something earlier on it... feel free to borrow if needed.

Thanks.

I now see the difference in bills. 62 looks to call out just a few specific states, which I assume would not invalidate a MD resident who currently holds a a license in those states. 768 would have applied to all states, some of which would have invalidated current MD holders due to reciprocity agreements.

By the end of this, I should be able to get some institutions to grant me an honorary law degree

 

[DC-W]

HB 94 Opposition

HB 94
OPPOSE

I highly suggest that the Committee oppose HB 94. My name is DC-W and I am a registered Democrat from Dundalk.

This bill fails to mention that there is more than one method of 3-D printing and is ambiguous at best. Most people know 3-D printers for using plastic, however, metal objects can also be made via 3-D printing, although these machines differ heavily from their plastic printing counterparts. A company called, “Solid Concepts” from California successfully made a 1911 patterned handgun this way. This method of manufacture offers advantages in quality and strength, which can translate to more reliable and safer firearms. Banning the 3-D printing of firearms in general stifles innovation and fails to observe that there are already many other ways of making firearms.

In Maryland, it is already currently a crime to assemble or manufacture a magazine with a capacity of 10 rounds or greater by any method. The method of manufacture makes no difference in general because of current law and in regards to the aim of this bill. Magazines require the use of an internal metal spring inside for proper function. The metal spring pushes a device called the “follower” which guides the cartridges up towards the opening of the magazine. These cartridges are also made of metal. The majority of shell casings are made of either brass or steel. The primer used to ignite the gunpowder in a cartridge is also made of metal.

It is also already illegal to come into possession of an “assault weapon” after Oct. 1, 2013. In addition, one cannot take possession of a handgun after that same date without having the HQL. Therefor, making something like an AR-15 receiver or crude handgun without a license is in violation of state law as it is already written. I'll also add that making certain types of firearms, like short-barreled shotguns or rifles, and machine guns are violations of Federal law. Federal law does however permit one to manufacture their own firearms for personal use so long as they are legally able to own them and do not sell or otherwise transfer them.

Making your own firearms is not a new or foreign concept. One could make a firearm from components already available in their own home or from those for sale at any hardware store. For years, these crude firearms have been made all over the world, and even in prisons. The slang term for them is “zip guns”.

As for making your own firearm from plastic or other non-metallic materials, Federal law already requires that a firearm contain an certain amount of steel to be in compliance with the Undetectable Firearms Act of 1988; at least 3.7 ounces worth.

I also question how such a law can be enforced. Merely owning a 3-D printer does not suggest that the user intends to print firearms or magazines or otherwise break a law. Without monitoring every Marylander, and simultaneously breaching the 4th Amendment of our Constitution, it is impossible to prevent anyone from breaking this law, or any other that could be broken within someone's home. The act of making an undetectable firearm in itself is prohibited under current laws and this bill will do nothing to stop someone determined enough to make one.






This legislation is unnecessary and I suggest that it is given an unfavorable report.


Sincerely,

DC-W


Sources:

The Undetectable Firearms Act of 1988
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Undetectable_Firearms_Act

Solid Concepts 3-D Metal Printed Firearm
http://www.solidconcepts.com/news-r...rinted-metal-gun-manufactured-solid-concepts/

 

[mopar92]

DC-W the law states an HQL is needed for purchase and transfer. Nothing about possession or manufacture. Also Federal law prohibits the unlicensed manufacture FOR sale of firearms.

 

[dogbone]

I'm a little slow today but it just hit me that my testimony fore HB 122, posted here: http://www.mdshooters.com/showpost.php?p=3059542&postcount=211

would also be useful for HB 997. Just be sure to change the bill number at several points in the text

Attached is a 37 page appendix for possible use in 997, if you need some additional info on tourism dollars, rifle competition rules and opinions of out of state shooters on FSA 2013.

 

[TopShelf]

HB 62 - In Support

Dear Delegates,

Many states offer reciprocity to carry permit holders from other states. I believe they do this for many reasons, some of which might be:

• They want tourism in their state, and know many will not travel to a state where their permit(s) are not honored.
• They do not want travelers to avoid their state while en route to another destination, as that would result in
o Lost business to merchants
o Lost revenue from gasoline taxes
o Lost revenue from toll roads, bridges, tunnels, etc.

I respectfully request that you give this bill a favorable report.