Details of the bill:
Synopsis: "Prohibiting the sale, offer of sale, possession, use, attempt to use, or transfer of an imitation firearm; defining terms; establishing criminal penalties; establishing exceptions; authorizing the Attorney General to file a civil action to enjoin a violation of the Act; and authorizing a circuit court to enjoin a violation of the Act."
Senate hearing on Wednesday 3/9 at 1 PM. House hearing on Tuesday 3/15 at 1 PM.
Text of the bill is here and further details are located here.
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Suggested talking points:
* This bill bans toys. Yes toys.
* Depending on the exact appearance and color, toys which fall into the banned list can include: pellet guns, BB guns, air rifles, airsoft guns, paintball guns, laser tag guns, squirt guns, cork (pop) guns, cap guns, potato guns, nerf guns, and yes - even the feared marshmallow gun.
* Laugh at them. Saul Alinsky's Rule #5: "`Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon.' There is no defense. It’s irrational. It’s infuriating. It also works as a key pressure point to force the enemy into concessions."
* Are you really going to throw kids in jail? Seriously? The law makes no exception for kids playing.
* As written it can ban replica or imitation firearms used by the VFW, by the ROTC, by ceremonial guards, by high school drill teams, etc.
* True legitimate air rifles used by target shooters, and used by residential homeowners and farmers to control vermin are also banned. There are no exceptions for legitimate and lawful use of valid rifles for their intended purposes - even on private land.
* Currently owned guns and devices are not grandfathered in. You're instantly turning untold thousands of adults and kids into criminals overnight. How are they to even know that a BB gun lawfully purchased many years ago is suddenly going to throw them in jail for up to one year and cost them one thousand dollars (for each item)?
* There's not even a registration scheme by which current owners can keep owning these devices. It is complete prohibition - thus making toys more highly regulated than even true firearms!
* The bill "takes" private property with no compensation, with no reimbursement for fair market value. And while toys may be a few tens of dollars each, some air rifles can be from several hundred to several thousand dollars each.
* The bill does not provide a mechanism for gun turn-in. What are owners to do prior to the law taking effect? Turn them over to the MSP? What if an owner discovers a long-forgotten BB gun hiding in a closet after the law takes effect? Will he or she be arrested? Can they take it to the MSP for destruction? The law as written says "no". Even "transfer" to a real FFL seems to be prohibited.
* Is Toys R Us going to have a toy gun buyback program? (Ref: the rule on ridicule...)
* This is going to turn Maryland into a laughing stock around the nation. Can you imagine what's going to happen when the media gets wind that Maryland is trying to ban squirt guns and marshmallow guns?
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How to help:
* Visit Annapolis in person. Show up and testify on 3/9 for the Senate bill, and on 3/15 for the House bill. Sign up by noon to testify starting at 1 PM. If you want to provide written testimony, by 11 AM leave 30 copies for the House (20 for the Senate on a subsequent date). Then go speak with your delegates after the hearings. If you don't know who represents you in the GA, you can find that out here.
* Make phone calls. Once you know who represents you, the entire list of GA legislators can be found here. Links off of that page will lead you to each legislator, to include his or her phone & fax numbers, office locations, individual email addresses, and other contact information.
* Email your legislators, or even the entire General Assembly. There are convenient emailers at AGC or also the Civic Action email system. You don't need to cover all of the points I suggested above. Pick one, or two. Something in their inbox is better than nothing. In aggregate, we'll cover it all, but everyone has to do their part.
Re: emails, I'd recommend you pick one bad bill a night and send it off. The drip drip drip of all of us flooding the GA's email servers every day and every week is much more effective than a one size fits all massive blast you only do once. You don't have to be wordy. Pick a bill, make your points, then come back the next night and do it again with another bill. When you've cycled through them all, have people you know believe the same way join in to do it too. Which leads me to:
* Get your wife involved, your kids involved, your neighbors, your friends, your work colleagues who feel the same way, the folks on your social media accounts, etc. At the moment I'm not seeing the passion we need to stop this and other bad bills; we all need to do more.
* I'd also suggest on all of those emails, calls, etc. that you contact Governor Larry Hogan as well, and ask him to veto the bill if it passes, stating the reasons why you believe he should do that. You can find his contact information here.
By all means use any or all of the information above that you find helpful, but of course put it in your own words. This should be personalized to you otherwise cut & pastes will be recognized for what they are and ignored. It doesn't have to be long, it doesn't have to be eloquent - just speak from your heart even if brief and that will make a difference.
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Final comment: Who the heck knows what's going on in the minds of GA Members, but if I had to guess I'd think this will be the easiest bill to defeat. It so poorly written, and so conceptually stupid, that I think the majority of GA Members will have to recognize that. Even so, it might be helpful to use this bill as an example to them of overreach, of extremism on the other side. This bill is far from "common sense".
Synopsis: "Prohibiting the sale, offer of sale, possession, use, attempt to use, or transfer of an imitation firearm; defining terms; establishing criminal penalties; establishing exceptions; authorizing the Attorney General to file a civil action to enjoin a violation of the Act; and authorizing a circuit court to enjoin a violation of the Act."
Senate hearing on Wednesday 3/9 at 1 PM. House hearing on Tuesday 3/15 at 1 PM.
Text of the bill is here and further details are located here.
-----
Suggested talking points:
* This bill bans toys. Yes toys.
* Depending on the exact appearance and color, toys which fall into the banned list can include: pellet guns, BB guns, air rifles, airsoft guns, paintball guns, laser tag guns, squirt guns, cork (pop) guns, cap guns, potato guns, nerf guns, and yes - even the feared marshmallow gun.
* Laugh at them. Saul Alinsky's Rule #5: "`Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon.' There is no defense. It’s irrational. It’s infuriating. It also works as a key pressure point to force the enemy into concessions."
* Are you really going to throw kids in jail? Seriously? The law makes no exception for kids playing.
* As written it can ban replica or imitation firearms used by the VFW, by the ROTC, by ceremonial guards, by high school drill teams, etc.
* True legitimate air rifles used by target shooters, and used by residential homeowners and farmers to control vermin are also banned. There are no exceptions for legitimate and lawful use of valid rifles for their intended purposes - even on private land.
* Currently owned guns and devices are not grandfathered in. You're instantly turning untold thousands of adults and kids into criminals overnight. How are they to even know that a BB gun lawfully purchased many years ago is suddenly going to throw them in jail for up to one year and cost them one thousand dollars (for each item)?
* There's not even a registration scheme by which current owners can keep owning these devices. It is complete prohibition - thus making toys more highly regulated than even true firearms!
* The bill "takes" private property with no compensation, with no reimbursement for fair market value. And while toys may be a few tens of dollars each, some air rifles can be from several hundred to several thousand dollars each.
* The bill does not provide a mechanism for gun turn-in. What are owners to do prior to the law taking effect? Turn them over to the MSP? What if an owner discovers a long-forgotten BB gun hiding in a closet after the law takes effect? Will he or she be arrested? Can they take it to the MSP for destruction? The law as written says "no". Even "transfer" to a real FFL seems to be prohibited.
* Is Toys R Us going to have a toy gun buyback program? (Ref: the rule on ridicule...)
* This is going to turn Maryland into a laughing stock around the nation. Can you imagine what's going to happen when the media gets wind that Maryland is trying to ban squirt guns and marshmallow guns?
-----
How to help:
* Visit Annapolis in person. Show up and testify on 3/9 for the Senate bill, and on 3/15 for the House bill. Sign up by noon to testify starting at 1 PM. If you want to provide written testimony, by 11 AM leave 30 copies for the House (20 for the Senate on a subsequent date). Then go speak with your delegates after the hearings. If you don't know who represents you in the GA, you can find that out here.
* Make phone calls. Once you know who represents you, the entire list of GA legislators can be found here. Links off of that page will lead you to each legislator, to include his or her phone & fax numbers, office locations, individual email addresses, and other contact information.
* Email your legislators, or even the entire General Assembly. There are convenient emailers at AGC or also the Civic Action email system. You don't need to cover all of the points I suggested above. Pick one, or two. Something in their inbox is better than nothing. In aggregate, we'll cover it all, but everyone has to do their part.
Re: emails, I'd recommend you pick one bad bill a night and send it off. The drip drip drip of all of us flooding the GA's email servers every day and every week is much more effective than a one size fits all massive blast you only do once. You don't have to be wordy. Pick a bill, make your points, then come back the next night and do it again with another bill. When you've cycled through them all, have people you know believe the same way join in to do it too. Which leads me to:
* Get your wife involved, your kids involved, your neighbors, your friends, your work colleagues who feel the same way, the folks on your social media accounts, etc. At the moment I'm not seeing the passion we need to stop this and other bad bills; we all need to do more.
* I'd also suggest on all of those emails, calls, etc. that you contact Governor Larry Hogan as well, and ask him to veto the bill if it passes, stating the reasons why you believe he should do that. You can find his contact information here.
By all means use any or all of the information above that you find helpful, but of course put it in your own words. This should be personalized to you otherwise cut & pastes will be recognized for what they are and ignored. It doesn't have to be long, it doesn't have to be eloquent - just speak from your heart even if brief and that will make a difference.
-----
Final comment: Who the heck knows what's going on in the minds of GA Members, but if I had to guess I'd think this will be the easiest bill to defeat. It so poorly written, and so conceptually stupid, that I think the majority of GA Members will have to recognize that. Even so, it might be helpful to use this bill as an example to them of overreach, of extremism on the other side. This bill is far from "common sense".
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