Senate committee rejects assault weapons bill
Legislation to ban sale of 19 semiautomatic guns dies with 6-5 vote
The Associated Press
April 2, 2004, 11:26 AM EST
ANNAPOLIS -- A bill that would have imposed a ban on the sale of 19
semiautomatic guns in Maryland died in a Senate committee on a 6-5 vote
today.
The vote on the bill sponsored by Sen. Rob Garagiola, D-Montgomery,
ended any hopes of gun control advocates for strengthening gun laws
this
year.
Garagiola's bill was intended to replace a federal ban on military-
style
guns set to expire in September that is not expected to be extended by
Congress.
"This will be our last opportunity to ... keep these [guns] out of the
hands of Marylanders," Garagiola said.
Three Democrats joined the three Republican members of the committee in
voting against the ban.
The bill originally would have applied to a much larger number of guns,
but Garagiola offered an amendment today to limit it to the 19 guns
included in the federal law, hoping that would make the bill more
palatable to opponents. That amendment also was rejected on a 6-5 vote.
Sen. Larry Haines, R-Carroll, opposed the amendment, saying if it
reached the Senate floor, gun control advocates could strip the
amendment from the bill and make it a much broader restriction on gun
sales.
Sen. Nancy Jacobs, R-Harford, agreed, saying it would "be a big mistake
to let anything out [of committee] at this point."
Supporters of the bill had argued during hearings that the
semiautomatic
guns targeted by the legislation serve no purpose except to kill people.
But Sen. Alex Mooney, R-Frederick, said people "use them for legitimate
hunting and sporting reasons."
Democratic Sen. John Gianetti of Prince George's County, who provided
the crucial sixth vote against the bill, said he had talked to Gov.
Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. to see if he could sign a bill that was limited
to
the guns banned by the federal law.
"It is my firm belief it would never become law. He [Ehrlich] wouldn't
sign the amended bill," Gianetti said.
Supporters of the bill said they had enough votes to get it approved in
the Senate if they could get it out of committee.
Gianetti was considered a swing vote and was under heavy pressure from
advocates on both sides of the issue. He sealed the fate of the bill
when he announced a month ago that he would vote against it.
He said at the time that he did not think it would reduce crime and did
not believe it could be enacted over the opposition of the governor.
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updated:
Senate committee rejects assault weapons bill
Legislation to ban sale of semiautomatic guns dies with 6-5 vote
By Michael Dresser
Sun Staff
Originally published April 2, 2004, 1:21 PM EST
A Senate committee killed a proposal to ban assault weapons today, ending all possibility that the General Assembly will put a gun control bill on Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich's desk this year.
The 6-5 vote against the bill in the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee came as no surprise because Sen. John A. Giannetti Jr., who represented the swing vote on the panel, announced his intent to vote no weeks ago.
The Prince George's Democrat delivered on his promise today, joining the committee's three Republicans and two conservative Democrats in opposing the bill sponsored by Sen. Robert J. Garagiola.
Before defeating the bill, the committee rejected an attempt by Garagiola to amend the bill to narrow the ban to a list of 19 semiautomatic weapons covered by the current federal ban, which expires in September.
The Montgomery County Democrat argued that Maryland should at least continue a ban on such currently prohibited weapons as Israel's Uzi and Russia's AK-47.
"If we don't support this amendment today, this is really our last opportunity," Garagiola said.
But Giannetti said Ehrlich had told him he would veto the bill even with the amendment.
Early in the legislative session, Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller had stated his intention to put such legislation on the governor's desk to force him to decide whether to cast a potentially unpopular veto.
Voting for the bill were Garagiola, committee Chairman Brian E. Frosh and Sens. Jennie Forehand of Montgomery County, Ralph Hughes of Baltimore and Leo Green of Prince George's County. All are Democrats.
Voting no were Giannetti, Democratic Sens. Philip C. Jimeno of Anne Arundel County and James Brochin of Baltimore County, and Republican Sens. Alex X. Mooney of Frederick County, Nancy Jacobs of Harford County and Larry E. Haines of Carroll County.
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