A Reason To Get An HQL

[Dogmeat]

In a post started by Boxcab (which went south pretty quicky ) he posted some numbers that IMHO, seem pretty reasonable and certainly match the numbers I came up with independently.

Maryland Population, ~ 5.9 Million persons (2012 - 5,884,563)
Approximately 20% are gun owners, ~ 1.2 Million (Anyone have a better number?)
Last Election, ~ 2.5 Million people voted in Maryland
Maryland Shooters Forum members, ~ 21,419 (Today)

The reason we have so many problems is, IMHO, the Maryland Legislature views gun owners as a much smaller segment of the population of Maryland than that. Think about the numbers they kept tossing out during the hearings this year. I seem to recall them saying that there were only something like 45K "registered assault weapons" in the state. I have no idea where they came up with that number but it certainly explains why they freaked out when 117K "regulated firearms" were sold so far this year. (BTW - I know I used different terms in the previous statement, I don't think "They" understand the difference!)

While I certainly understand the push for 2A centric voting, there is just no way that is going to happen in Maryland considering the diversity of the population of gun owners. My thought on this is simple, if every gun owner in Maryland got their HQL, that would be over one million HQLs in the state. That would make us the biggest perceived voting block in the state and, even knowing the fact that we are not all going to vote together on everything, the realization that we "Might" all vote together may help keep the Legislature in check. It would certainly be a wake-up call for them.

The latest HQL number I heard of was in the mid 1300's. In 25 Days, that is about 54 HQL's per day. I would anticipate that the daily number will increase as more people discover they need it and, as those who do know, figure out how to jump through the hoops. But, even at 100 per day, that will only be about 12K issued by the time the Legislature meets again. Those numbers won't mean anything. We need 100K plus in 4 months, 1000 per day, if this is to matter at all.

Well, that's my thoughts on the matter, I will be interested in hearing your comments.

Dogmeat

 

[tommy gunn]

It could be low because people are waiting to see how the law suits turn out. I on the other hand at the moment am one of those pay check to pay check people. Paying bills and keeping gas in the car to get to work takes a little more precedence. I do plan on getting it just got to wait for a time with some spare cash to do so.

 

[Mr H]

It could be low because people are waiting to see how the law suits turn out. I on the other hand at the moment am one of those pay check to pay check people. Paying bills and keeping gas in the car to get to work takes a little more precedence. I do plan on getting it just got to wait for a time with some spare cash to do so.

We've learned that far too many people in MD are some combination of "Low Information Voters", "I Got Mine", and more than willing to let other people do the heavy lifting where their rights are concerned.

That's sad.

The 2A groups in this state are working hard every day to help... we need more to understand that numbers matter, and if we each just bring 1 or 2 additional people along (based on the 3/1 crowd we generated), we easily crask 5 digits.

 

[Brooklyn]

The Hql is a sore subject for many. I I find to get it..but I am hurting for funds right now...

I think as the litigation citation is clarified and the issues of pii are tossed aside. I think we should all apply on mass the day the court rules ( should that still be needed) on the injunctive relief.

Can we. Do 200k in one month if we plan now...

 

[aireyc]

People are either going to get the HQL or they're not. You're basically lobbying for the people who otherwise wouldn't get it to go out and spend $100+ on acquiring one, and nothing is even guaranteed as far as making any impact. It's a hard sell. I think it would be more advantageous to get everyone to give that $100 to the local 2A groups since funding is a known problem. It's certainly better than giving it to the state.

 

[Brooklyn]

People are either going to get the HQL or they're not. You're basically lobbying for the people who otherwise wouldn't get it to go out and spend $100+ on acquiring one, and nothing is even guaranteed as far as making any impact. It's a hard sell. I think it would be more advantageous to get everyone to give that $100 to the local 2A groups since funding is a known problem. It's certainly better than giving it to the state.

Well if the membership of MSI. Was 1.2 million that would work ad well. . How about 100k. Or bust...

 

[Indiana Jones]

"get the HQL!" means "send some extra money to King George along with the taxes"

F that.

 

[Mr H]

I will not be submitting to the prickly proctoscope that is the HQL.

I have nothing to hide. I have no reason to be disapproved.

But, I have no interest in being a 'subject' any more than I already am through things I can't control.

 

[Omaha419]

One word: nope.

Not giving the state any more $ than I have to.

 

[xcavater]

What's a HQL??

 

[Ooops]

I refuse to get an HQL. I'd rather move to a free state first.

 

[robertt822]

I got my HQL, cannot afford to move, want another handgun,

 

[Rhino]

I have paid to have an HQL that is valid for the next 10 years. now the key will be if they try to restrict my right to purchase a handgun in that time period that I am now licensed for......

 

[Half-cocked]

Has anybody addressed the elephant in the thread yet?...

Surely everybody who refuses to get a HQL has a squeaky clean mental/criminal record right...

I don't see an elephant. A troll, maybe....

 

[Dogmeat]

Maybe I could have phrased the OP better, but the issue still remains the same. How do we get the attention from the Legislature that our numbers deserve? I have been going to Annapolis for most of the last 10 years and, until this past year, we have mostly been able to keep the status quo. We lost a few things, like the integral mechanical safety, but kept a few things from happening. Anybody remember the ammo serialization bill of a few years ago? How many times has the "Assault Weapons Ban" reared its head since the Federal ban expired? Almost every year IIRC, but we were able to kill it in committee, at least until Newtown, Bloomberg, and O'Malley's delusions of grandeur.

If we are going to win this fight, we need to show our numbers and they need to be Too Big To Ignore. To do that, we need to grow our numbers, not just in Annapolis, but also by adding new shooters to our ranks. How many new shooters will we be able recruit to this hobby/sport if we abandon the ability to buy guns?

I know that the HQL is the licensing of a RIGHT and that is WRONG! However, based on the track record we have had in the courts lately, I am not convinced we will get the injunction and, if we don't, it will be years (Think 2-3 minimum) before this hits SCOTUS. In the mean time, do we completely stop purchasing firearms? How many gun shops will be left?

Ultimately, to turn the state around, we need to vote the offenders out of office, but in some areas, District 14 for example, that is just not going to happen. DINO them out? That only works if they give us 4 candidates for the 3 seats. What if there are only enough candidates so that there is no choice? DINO just doesn’t work in that case.

I was born in and have lived my entire life of 56 years in Montgomery County, MD. The demographic of this county is changing so fast that nobody, especially the government, has a clue what is happening. Has anybody been to Gaithersburg or Germantown lately? I’m there every day. The majority of the people moving in could care less about 2A as a huge percentage of them don't even know what it is. While I certainly believe that the more the Legislature pisses us off, the more 2A centric we as gun owners will become, but we will never, and I mean NEVER, all vote the same way, period, and that doesn’t even count all the new and low information voters. This past election was the perfect example. People in line to vote were reading the questions for the very first time. Several had no idea what redistricting even was! That is the voter base we are dealing with.

So how can we effectively show our numbers and convince the Legislature that there really are 1Million+ of us, that we are paying attention, and that we are PISSED OFF! Several members advocate 10K+ in lawyers mall and I don't disagree that will be great, but it won't be enough.

10K+ in Lawyers Mall? Great
100K+ MSI Members? Better
1Million+ Gun Owners? Impossible to Ignore?

Maybe the HQL isn't the right vehicle, but 1Million+, background checked, “Not Disapproved” Maryland Citizens would certainly change the face of the argument.

Let me leave you with another question to ponder. How many of you would be fighting this if it were for a Carry Permit? With the exception of the additional training now required (16Hrs vs 8Hrs), and ignoring for the minute the "Good & Substantial" issue, the HQL and the Carry Permit are the same! Same background checks, Fingerprints, the works!

While I'm not a fan of the HQL, I got mine. Not because I believe it's right, not because I bowed to the King, but because this is just another way to fight. Find me a better way, I will listen. All I am suggesting is that you think about the options and come up with some workable solutions. In the mean time, I will continue to recruit, educate, and, hopefully increase the number of alert and aware shooters in Maryland.

Dogmeat

 

[trickg]

Has anybody addressed the elephant in the thread yet?...

Surely everybody who refuses to get a HQL has a squeaky clean mental/criminal record right...

I have a clean record and have nothing to hide, but that isn't the point. I even have fingerprints on file from several different times I've been printed (military service, no criminal record) so it technically wouldn't make any difference to do it again. The point for me is that I refuse to pay to exercise a right, which is especially stupid considering that I already have regulated guns, so what's the point? The legalese that you have to sign off on in order to get an HQL basically has you forfeit rights otherwise guaranteed by the US Bill of Rights. Sorry, I'm not going to submit myself willingly to what is quickly becoming a true police state

 

[Boom Boom]

^^^Bingo to the above.^^^ Adding to that, consider the possibility come next GA session of the ground rules being changed regarding what the HQL means and entails. While running out now to get an HQL might seem like a reasonable idea, it might end up looking like a really bad idea in hindsight. Court cases might take years to wind their way through the system and MD's anti-2A legislators seem overly eager to swing for the fences, regardless of the COTUS, consequences be damned.

 

[jrumann59]

Whether you have an HQL or not they have the numbers. There is a small percentage of people in this state that own a gun but have not bought a gun in this state whether its re-location, job transfer. MSP knows how many people have bought a regulated firearm in the state. The HQL does not provide them any more information then they already had. All the HQL does is provide them with info on new buyers because old buyers are already in the system.

 

[Blacksmith101]

Because of the cost of the HQL and the dislike of the thing on principle perhaps calling for everyone to get their Designated Firearms Collector instead. The DFL costs nothing and is good forever. A million Designated Collectors will get the attention of the legislature as much as a million HQL's.

 

[Threeband]

A million people making a phone call will get more attention than a million DCs.

("DC? What's that? Oh... I don't like that. We need to close that loophole!"

10,000 at the hearings will get more attention.