Repeal of Harford County Stun Gun Law

The Harford County Council introduced bill, No. 14-4, “AN ACT to repeal and reenact with amendments, Subsection A, B and C, of Section 260-3 Stun Guns, of Chapter 260, Weapons, of the Harford County Code, as amended; to permit the possession of electronic control devices; to provide penalties for violations; and generally relating to Weapons in Harford County, Maryland” at their meeting on Tuesday.

The bill was drafted two years ago by Councilman Joe Woods however, it was never introduce because of possible conflict of interest issue with his wife’s police supply store Maryland Quartermaster located in Bel Air. After a recent incident of Stun Guns being sold at the Harford Mall a number of people contacted the Harford County Council asking for this law to be repealed. Councilmen Jim McMahan from District C decided to introduce this bill after being contacted about this issue.

A public hearing on bill, No. 14-4 will be held at 7 p.m. on March 18 at the Harford County Council Chambers located at 212 South Bond Street, Bel Air, MD 21014. The Council Members are asking for anyone willing to support this bill to attend the public hearing.

http://www.harfordcountymd.gov/weblink8/ElectronicFile.aspx?docid=5217118&dbid=0

http://www.harfordcountymd.gov/council/

www.mdqusa.com

www.teamjoewoods.com

Joe's a decent sort...

Glad to see this moving ahead (although honestly I didn't realize HarCo didn't allow them).

I wish them luck. AA county recently repealed their ban.

tball said:

I wish them luck. AA county recently repealed their ban.

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Yes, and several of us testified to support the repeal of the previous law that banned them in AACO. More of you in Harford Co should help out.

Most of Maryland Electronic Control Devices (Tasers/stun guns) are legal. I held up a map of Maryland showing the few places where they are still illegal. I believe Harford had difficulty passing this law sooner was in part due to an incident where the police wrongfully used a taser. It was big news years ago, and everyone avoided the real issues.

If you can't carry a gun, a taser is probably the next best thing.

The MD State Police did a study on Tasers for police. The conclusion was they are relatively safe and effective. Google and you can find the report, it's very interesting.

Criminals don't use Tasers because they are as expensive as handguns, require registration, and leave tiny confetti behind after discharge with serial number so the purchaser can be traced in the event of a crime. Criminals don't like any of these 'accountability' features.

Also there is a thread started by aray discussing and organizing the AACO effort. There might be some tips in it for you folks in Harford Co.

I recommend you PM all the MDS members that live there and support. Also bump this thread everyday for the next few days.

Found the AACO thread: http://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=116597&highlight=Harford

Are they still illegal in Balto county and the City?

Redcobra said:

Are they still illegal in Balto county and the City?

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Yes, currently still illegal in Balt Co and city.

Check out the AACO thread, discussed.

Also prohibited currently in Howard Co, Annapolis, and Ocean City. Going off old memory here, and something might have changed. Edit- Thanks to handgunlaw.us: http://www.handgunlaw.us/states/maryland.pdf

Stun Devices Illegal in the following Cities/Counties in MD. Beware there could be Cities/Counties with bans that are not listed.
Annapolis, MD - Municipal Code 1.44.070 Baltimore, MD - City Code 115
Baltimore County, - MD Co. Code 17-2-104 Harford County, MD - Ordinance § 260-3. Howard County, MD - Sec. 8.404
Ocean City, MD - Sec. 58-16

Harford county surprised me the most, because there are so many people that believe in the fundamental right of self defense.

Has there been a discussion of the actual units? I think these are a viable option until CCW is rightfully approved.

t84a said:

Has there been a discussion of the actual units? I think these are a viable option until CCW is rightfully approved.

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Not really, nothing comprehensive.

I agree, it's better than nothing and could save your life. I like the C2 it's smallest and designed for civilians. Google search: c2 taser review

I should be able to be there. Thanks for the heads up.

teratos said:

I should be able to be there. Thanks for the heads up.

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If there is time I also recommend you actually email your council members before you go; that way they will already have some facts and know your position. When we attended, one of the counsel members was walking around kind of in campaign mode; he was asking what issues people were there for. When the group of us (maybe about a dozen) said we were for changing the law to allow Tasers in AACO, he basically said, it will pass. That was very encouraging. And when he found out we were also Democrats (he was a Republican), he suggested that we try to mention that during our testimony, which some of us did. I believed it helped, however based on some of the questions; I don't think it was a slam-dunk, I really believe our emails and testimony did help win the day. Their line 'against' us, was that they didn't have enough information. They expected a County police rep to be present to give 'expert' testimony, but he didn't show. There were plenty of police there on duty, but none gave any testimony. There was a former or retired officer, he essentially related that the good guys should have something to protect themselves. The person who hurt the most was a very religious and well meaning fellow, who spoke on many matters the Council had before them. Repeatedly he quoted scripture and implored them to vote one way or the other based on God's teachings. After hearing him do this a couple times, they sharply cut him off when his time was up; for the rest of us, they seemed to really want to hear what we had to say, and usually asked questions after we spoke our peace. By the way the religious guy was also in favor of allowing ECD's (Tasers), its just that he was preachy and repeated himself. I did like that he sited some of the same scripture about the right to defend oneself I've heard used in the 'gun-debate' and my favorite: sell your garment to buy a sword if you have too (paraphrased). They largely ignored him though.

My district Councilman voted against changing the law. During my testimony I mentioned he was my representative and I would appreciate his favorable consideration. He smiled, but politely voted against. He also mailed me a hand written card thanking me for attending and said that although we didn't agree on this issue, he wanted me to stay involved. I understand this was mostly political, but it was a kind gesture. I've become a little crass after the way they shoved SB281 down our throats; so I'm going to not support him for reelection. He doesn't know this, but we have some very close mutual friends, and they are real Democrats and they are sponsoring the guy running against him in the next election. At the end of it, every single Democrat voted against, every Republican voted for, the deciding vote was from the Chairman (Republican), so it made it out of the Council, and it ultimately became law in AACO.

teratos said:

I should be able to be there. Thanks for the heads up.

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After looking again, I missed that the hearing is not this Tuesday (tomorrow), but Tuesday 18 March. These extra two weeks should help get a few more folks involved.

"A public hearing on bill, No. 14-4 will be held at 7 p.m. on March 18 at the Harford County Council Chambers located at 212 South Bond Street, Bel Air, MD 21014. The Council Members are asking for anyone willing to support this bill to attend the public hearing."

I'm bumping this thread. The hearing is Tuesday - to consider changing the law in Harford Co. to allow law-abiding citizens to be able to use them for self defense.

Found this video from Student of the Gun interesting, jump ahead to about 6 minutes for the discussion about Tasers:

Public Hearing (Tuesday 03/18/2014) at 7 PM

The Bill to repeal Harford County’s ban on Stun Guns, public hearing will be held tomorrow night (Tuesday 03/18/2014) at 7 PM. Anyone wishing to testify MUST sign up to do so before the public hearing starts. Each person will have 3 minutes to testify anyone representing a group may have up to 5 minutes.

By code you MUST be signed in before the hearing starts to testify. You may call ahead and have the council administrator add your name to the list before the Council Office Closes at 5 PM. You may also view the hearing at http://www.harfordcountymd.gov/Videos/ .

I will also be posting some updates on my Facebook page during the hearing. https://www.facebook.com/councilman.woods

The Harford County Council Chamber is located at: 212 South Bond Street, Bel Air, MD 21014

Because of a potential Conflict of Interest, I will not be able to support, oppose, or vote for this bill. I need your help to provide the needed supportive information and testimony that I cannot.

Thank You
Joe Woods
Harford County Council
District B

https://www.facebook.com/councilman.woods

Good luck to you all.

We were able to turn the tide in AACO.

While I can't attend, I encourage even non-county-residents who are free to show up. Most of us travel outside of our own counties, and it is in everyone's interests to be able to travel freely, including through Harford County, with legal means of self defense.

For those of you who can go, please let them know that Anne Arundel County has had a great experience since we repealed our own laws - as have all of the other counties where electronic control devices have been legal for years. Chicken-Little arguments by the other side are just that.

Show up if you can and speak out for the bill. Wish I could join you all. Best wishes.

Bump.

Public hearing on bill 14-4 just started. You can watch live at http://www.harfordcountymd.gov/council/

Other updates at https://www.facebook.com/councilman.woods

The public hearing on Bill 14-4 has closed with no opposition. The vote will take place at the next Council meeting on April 1st 2014.