MDGA Gun Bill Tracking

[highfructosecornsyrup]

Add the irony of the officer shooting in Baltimore, by an early release killer...

Heaven forbid the GA does the right thing, yaknow??

no shit right? I thought Del Smigiels bill and sheriffs testimonies last year should have been a top priority...

 

[Mr H]

Sadly, it's often a matter of the opposition killing what we'd like to see, out of spite... just because they can.

In this case, though, there was apparently more to it. I'm just cynical enough to think it's so that they can maintain a cycle of increasing funding for a set of problems that, should they go away, will endanger the feathering of some very special nests.

 

[highfructosecornsyrup]

I think the financial aspect of it makes it a no go. They need to put license plate factories back in prison or something. Or just 50 hard boiled eggs per person per day...

 

[ShallNotInfringe]

I think the financial aspect of it makes it a no go. They need to put license plate factories back in prison or something. Or just 50 hard boiled eggs per person per day...

Right. That was the claim. Maybe they will find that $200 million that was misappropriated for the health care exchange... Or re-prioritize their spending? How much did that manhunt cost over the weekend? How much will it cost to re-try that guy?

 

[Mr H]

Curious...

What ever happened to HB415?

I'm not finding a status on it on the GAM site.

 

[ShallNotInfringe]

I urge you to request the committees to hold a vote and ultimately pass SB164/HB712 in the respective Senate and House chambers.

This cross-filed bill requires mandatory minimum sentences for criminals imprisoned for crimes of violence, committed with firearms and removes the possibilities of diminutive credits for these inmates. This legislation would prevent violent felons from returning to the streets where they are likely to offend again, until their full sentence is served. Clearly a perfect example of the need for this legislation presented itself this past weekend, with the shooting of Baltimore Police Sgt. Keith McNeill, allegedly by a felon on early release from a 30-year sentence for 2nd Degree Murder that was reduced by dimuinutive credits. If there were true mandatory minimum sentences in Maryland, this well-regarded veteran officer of 19 years would not be laying in Shock Trauma today, fighting for his life.

An amendment to the Firearm Safety Act of 2013 was proposed last year by Sen. Brochin and Del. Smigiel that contained the same lanugage that these standalone bills contain this year. This amendment had the potential to be a sign that the FSA 2013 was intended to address exsiting gun violence in the signature legislation last year, but was struck down three times. The amendment was rejected in the Senate Judical Proceedings Committee. The amendment also failed in the House Judiciary Committee by improper voting on the amendment using a process that was questionable at best. The committee leaders were not satisfied with the results of the original result (pass) and re-voted after a conference, resulting in the amendment failing. When the amendment was again proposed on the House floor during FSA 2013 deliberations, and rejected then also.

One is left to wonder - had the amendment had passed last year would Sgt. McNeill be in the hospital today fighting for his life? There is still time this year to correct this situation.

Why is this legislation not being addressed in the Maryland General Assembly when this provides one simple solution directly related to public safety and crime?

Thank you for your consideration.

Just went out to entire GA, thanks Mr. h for the example.

 

[ShallNotInfringe]

Curious...

What ever happened to HB415?

I'm not finding a status on it on the GAM site.

It's there, languishing in the Ways and Means committee. Will add to the list above.

A couple of us did go down for it and I think we knocked it out.

 

[Clovis]

It's there, languishing in the Ways and Means committee. Will add to the list above.

A couple of us did go down for it and I think we knocked it out.

I wouldn't say we knocked it out, I'm not sure it was ever going anywhere to begin with. We did add a couple of really big nails to the coffin though.

 

[ShallNotInfringe]

I wouldn't say we knocked it out, I'm not sure it was ever going anywhere to begin with. We did add a couple of really big nails to the coffin though.

There was more than the hearing. I went up and tracked down his legislative aide after the hearing and had a chat with him.

Then i sent this follow up email afterwards, and copied my rep who is on a ways and means subcommittee:

I was in Annapolis on Friday to oppose your bill that directs tax revenue of firearms and ammunition to the DDA fund.

After speaking to your aide that was present, I wanted to follow up with you on a few points regarding this bill.

Your aide mentioned that firearms owners want to support preventing mentally ill people from obtaining firearms. What this bill does is appropriate the tax revenue to help developmentally disabled get help. Admittedly, there is an overlap in these 2 groups of people (mentally ill and developmentally disabled) but I posit that it is not an overwhelming intersection and to equate the two is a miscalculation. For example, having down's syndrome does not mean a person is mentally ill. To make that assumption is fundamentally flawed and somewhat insulting.

The second point that your aide made is that the reprogramming effort is a one sided activity on the state side to redirect the funds. I disagree and believe it will have a potentially large impact on FFL accounting practices. Let me give you a scenario: a person goes into a shop and purchases a rifle, scope, spare magazine and some ammunition. The FFL has to separate the purchases and report the income as different tax collections to the state to record this sale. What about targets, cleaning kits, etc.? How do you differentiate between a range bag purchased in a gun shop from a gym bag purchased at rei?

Third, I believe the DDA fund needs immediate attention to resolve the fraud and misaccounting practices prior to having additional funds appropriated to it.

And finally, last year there was a bill with nearly identical language that increased the taxes on ammunition to 50%. I note that this year, this language is not included. For now. Will reconciliation of DDA funding/accounting be tied to its revenue stream and would under run in DDA funding necessarily increase alcohol, firearms and ammunition tax revenue?

Please reconsider your bill, its implications on small business (which ultimately impacts pricing) and support cleaning up the DDA accounting prior to reconsideration.

Then I brought an FFL down to talk to Cardin and his legislative aide.... They did not realize the federal tax was taken at the manufacturer side.

Since we only had limited time in the committee hearing, I decided to focus on the bs going on with the DDA funding.l. They probably didn't like the fact that the funding shell game was getting the citizenry's attention.

"Quick, somebody get that back under the rock!"

 

[Clovis]

There was more than the hearing. I went up and tracked down his legislative aide after the hearing and had a chat with him.

Then i sent this follow up email afterwards, and copied my rep who is on a ways and means subcommittee:



Then I brought an FFL down to talk to Cardin and his legislative aide.... They did not realize the federal tax was taken at the manufacturer side.

Since we only had limited time in the committee hearing, I decided to focus on the bs going on with the DDA funding.l. They probably didn't like the fact that the funding shell game was getting the citizenry's attention.

"Quick, somebody get that back under the rock!"

OK, my little nail and your big nail, deep hole, several tons of dirt on top and jumping up and down on top. Oh, and saying something about " evil never rising again" above it.

Seriously, nice job doing exactly what we all should be doing.

 

[Mr H]

OK, my little nail and your big nail, deep hole, several tons of dirt on top and jumping up and down on top. Oh, and saying something about " evil never rising again" above it.

Seriously, nice job doing exactly what we all should be doing.

not to mention the flood of emails many of us sent, and the pages of research we did here on DDA, and all the problems there...

They try anything, we have more hounds to loose on them.

 

[Mr H]

OK... now I'm confused a little.

Got a message back from Pam Beidle re: HB712/SB164, and it seems either we're out of touch or she is (and I know which side my nickel is on)...

Both of these bills had public hearing however neither has been reported out of their committee.

Then her standard cop-out...

As a member of the Environmental Matters Committee, I will not have a vote on either of these bills unless they reach the House Floor.

 

[ShallNotInfringe]

OK... now I'm confused a little.

Got a message back from Pam Beidle re: HB712/SB164, and it seems either we're out of touch or she is (and I know which side my nickel is on)...

Then her standard cop-out...

Same response here. Well it is factual. They have both had public hearings (2/26 and 3/4), haven't been voted out yet and she isn't on either committee. I went for the entire GA hoping there may be some outside pressure points,

I will give her credit though, she did have the most informed, tailored response so far.

She also said this:

I will certainly use your input during my deliberations on these issues.

 

[Bolts Rock]

Read farther into the linked article , and Del Hough's Twitter is quoteed to the effect " maybe this will help bad bills to die " .

But Norton is on to a good philosophical point.

Suspend disbelief for a moment , and posit that there actually some legislators who actually are sincerly trying to do the right thing . They pay attention to their Districts , listen to their constituants, analyze the problems facing their communities. So far , so good , and the ways things are supposed to be.

But the problem then is they only have one tool in their toolbox . (Beyond the most basic constituant service) , all they can do is propose a Bill. When your only tool is a hammer , all the problems start to look like nails.

There is no built in BS filter to say that even if a problem/ situation is real , then sometimes : It is not somthing that Gov't can or should be capable to deal with. Something are better dealt with by the local community , or local groups , or non-governmaental groups generally.

I've said for decades that legislators should 2/3-3/4 of their time repealing obsolete, redundant, ineffective and un-Constitutional laws.

But then the bad guys don't cycle enough in and out of prison for the defense lawyers to pay off their Mercedes and yachts?

Gotta break a few eggs and all.

You win a kewpie doll or something!

Yeah... but I guess I keep wanting them to not be that shallow and obtuse.

Someday, I'll learn.

They're worse than cats. Cats just insist it's feeding time whenever you walk into the kitchen then they stop when you walk back out. These clowns look to be deliberately creating repeat business for themselves.

Sadly, it's often a matter of the opposition killing what we'd like to see, out of spite... just because they can.

In this case, though, there was apparently more to it. I'm just cynical enough to think it's so that they can maintain a cycle of increasing funding for a set of problems that, should they go away, will endanger the feathering of some very special nests.

And people wonder why I want to leave this state when the estate settles.

 

[ShallNotInfringe]

At the conclusion of today's House floor session, HJC chairman announced a voting session following hearings today... No details provided on planned bills to be voted on.

 

[Mr H]

Great work all...

I'm having trouble keeping up with all of it!! Could really use a summary scorecard of what's still alive, considering the GA site doesn't seem to be quite up-to-date.

Just remember... a lot of the stuff this year IMO was a test, to see what the opposition to their goals really is, and whether last year was a fluke. We've proven it wasn't.

Everyone needs to keep up pressure, and beat back the last of it.

 

[ShallNotInfringe]

Great work all...

I'm having trouble keeping up with all of it!! Could really use a summary scorecard of what's still alive, considering the GA site doesn't seem to be quite up-to-date.

Just remember... a lot of the stuff this year IMO was a test, to see what the opposition to their goals really is, and whether last year was a fluke. We've proven it wasn't.

Everyone needs to keep up pressure, and beat back the last of it.

So are you asking for a probability chart? . I keep updating the OP as they move along.

Here's the quick summary:

The 4 cross-filed bills (listed in the OP) are still in play.

3 Senate bills (SB248, SB283 and SB966) and 2 House bills (HB286 and HB759) are still in play. SB248 and HB 286 are identical.

Anything COULD happen with the other ones, but very low probability.

 

[Mr H]

So are you asking for a probability chart? . I keep updating the OP as they move along.

Here's the quick summary:

The 4 cross-filed bills (listed in the OP) are still in play.

3 Senate bills (SB248, SB283 and SB966) and 2 House bills (HB286 and HB759) are still in play. SB248 and HB 286 are identical.

Anything COULD happen with the other ones, but very low probability.

Cool... Chances are I was misreading among all the 'stuff' out there.

This helps.

 

[Mr H]

Same response here. Well it is factual. They have both had public hearings (2/26 and 3/4), haven't been voted out yet and she isn't on either committee. I went for the entire GA hoping there may be some outside pressure points,

I will give her credit though, she did have the most informed, tailored response so far.

She also said this:

Neil Parrott just got back to me with a very cogent response, confirming HB712/SB164 were both held back from committee approval, and will not see floor consideration.

 

[ShallNotInfringe]

Neil Parrott just got back to me with a very cogent response, confirming HB712/SB164 were both held back from committee approval, and will not see floor consideration.

Yep. Same here.

So the cross- filed are off the table too I suppose. Although there should be pressure with the shooting this weekend to keep that one in particular alive.

Down to 5. And the hunting folks are bristling over sb966. Guess we didn't sound the bell enough, hmmm?