Mark Tyson
Member
Lucky thing the sniper didn't use SSarah Brady's .30-06 ... there wouldn't be any survivors!
Maryland Assault Rifle Ban bill
- Thread starter greyhound
- Start date
- Status
gun-fucious
Member
Press Release
CeaseFire Maryland
3000 Chestnut Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21211
www.hgabuse.org
Contact:
Leah Barrett
Phone: 240-535-5083
As Congress debates fate offederal ban, state legislatures work to keep military-style weapons off streets
Baltimore, MD - CeaseFire Maryland today (Monday) called on members of Congress to pass H. R. 2038 (McCarthy/Conyers) and S. 1431(Lautenberg/Corzine), identical bills that will ban the manufacture and sale of military-style assault weapons. At the same time, it called on Maryland legislators to pass a state bill banning assault weapons in the event Congress fails to act. Congress is debating whether to renew and strengthen the current federal ban, which expires on September 14, 2004.
"We urge every member of Congress to renew and strengthen the federal ban on assault weapons," said Leah Barrett, Executive Director. "But in the meantime, we have to look out for ourselves at the state level." Maryland has a ban on assault pistols (1994), but not on assault rifles. Such a ban would close an important loophole in the state. Maryland would be following other states such as California, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey and Hawaii in enacting such a ban. Attorney General John Ashcroft has said that the 1994 ban is constitutional and President Bush supports renewing the 1994 ban.
The guns of choice for criminals, assault weapons were used to kill one in five law enforcement officers slain in the line of duty between 1998 and 2001, according to FBI statistics. Ata press conference today at City Hall in Baltimore, Mayor Martin O'Malley called for Maryland legislators to take action and pass a Maryland state law that would ban the infamous Bushmaster assault rifle that killed ten people and wounded three last October. He said: "There is absolutely no reason why civilians should be allowed to own military-style assault weapons. These weapons were designed and developed for a specific purpose - laying down a high volume of fire over a wide killing zone, also known as 'hosing down' an area."
Baltimore City Police Commissioner Kevin Clark agreed, saying, "As a police officer, I know that the type of gun used to commit a crime can make all the difference. Certainly no one would argue that the snipers could have done the damage they did - shooting with deadly accuracy from hundreds of yards away - with a mere handgun. It took an assault rifle designed to inflict the maximum damage to a human body."
H.R.2038 and S. 1431 are significantly stronger than the current federal law, which only bans specific models of weapons. Skirting the intent of the federal law, the gun industry continues to manufacture assault weapons with mere cosmetic changes to banned weapons. The Bushmaster AR-15 rifle - a civilian version of the military M-16 - used in last fall's DC-area sniper attacks is an example of one of these "copycat" weapons. Congressman Elijah Cummings, a co-sponsor of H.R. 2038, urged the Maryland Congressional delegation to support these bills to ban these weaponsof war from America's streets.
The Maryland legislation, modeled on the strong federal bills, is sponsored by Senator Robert Garagiola (District 15) and Delegate Neil Quinter (District 13)and would ban all assault weapons, including "copycats
CeaseFire Maryland
3000 Chestnut Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21211
www.hgabuse.org
Contact:
Leah Barrett
Phone: 240-535-5083
As Congress debates fate offederal ban, state legislatures work to keep military-style weapons off streets
Baltimore, MD - CeaseFire Maryland today (Monday) called on members of Congress to pass H. R. 2038 (McCarthy/Conyers) and S. 1431(Lautenberg/Corzine), identical bills that will ban the manufacture and sale of military-style assault weapons. At the same time, it called on Maryland legislators to pass a state bill banning assault weapons in the event Congress fails to act. Congress is debating whether to renew and strengthen the current federal ban, which expires on September 14, 2004.
"We urge every member of Congress to renew and strengthen the federal ban on assault weapons," said Leah Barrett, Executive Director. "But in the meantime, we have to look out for ourselves at the state level." Maryland has a ban on assault pistols (1994), but not on assault rifles. Such a ban would close an important loophole in the state. Maryland would be following other states such as California, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey and Hawaii in enacting such a ban. Attorney General John Ashcroft has said that the 1994 ban is constitutional and President Bush supports renewing the 1994 ban.
The guns of choice for criminals, assault weapons were used to kill one in five law enforcement officers slain in the line of duty between 1998 and 2001, according to FBI statistics. Ata press conference today at City Hall in Baltimore, Mayor Martin O'Malley called for Maryland legislators to take action and pass a Maryland state law that would ban the infamous Bushmaster assault rifle that killed ten people and wounded three last October. He said: "There is absolutely no reason why civilians should be allowed to own military-style assault weapons. These weapons were designed and developed for a specific purpose - laying down a high volume of fire over a wide killing zone, also known as 'hosing down' an area."
Baltimore City Police Commissioner Kevin Clark agreed, saying, "As a police officer, I know that the type of gun used to commit a crime can make all the difference. Certainly no one would argue that the snipers could have done the damage they did - shooting with deadly accuracy from hundreds of yards away - with a mere handgun. It took an assault rifle designed to inflict the maximum damage to a human body."
H.R.2038 and S. 1431 are significantly stronger than the current federal law, which only bans specific models of weapons. Skirting the intent of the federal law, the gun industry continues to manufacture assault weapons with mere cosmetic changes to banned weapons. The Bushmaster AR-15 rifle - a civilian version of the military M-16 - used in last fall's DC-area sniper attacks is an example of one of these "copycat" weapons. Congressman Elijah Cummings, a co-sponsor of H.R. 2038, urged the Maryland Congressional delegation to support these bills to ban these weaponsof war from America's streets.
The Maryland legislation, modeled on the strong federal bills, is sponsored by Senator Robert Garagiola (District 15) and Delegate Neil Quinter (District 13)and would ban all assault weapons, including "copycats
chaim
Member
As a former anti (modified- I was for "allowing" ownership of at least some guns, but with training requirements, stricter background checks, registration, etc. etc.) and now pro-2nd Amendment citizen who sometimes reads his dad's gun-ban groups' literature I am quite familiar with this tired refrain. Since it looks like a military assult rifle it must be a military assult rifle. Yeah right, when was the last time that a semi-auto rifle, incapable of being modified for full-auto, was a modern state of the art military weapon?
Tempted to say idiots, but most aren't- they are uninformed. They don't know guns (most anyway), sure they may have experience shooting in the miltary or with hunting rifles but they don't know guns, what they do know is from what anti groups tell them (for the longest time I thought that "assult rifles" were easily converted "back" into full-auto weapons by removing a pin because that is what the anti groups told me). All of us have areas we aren't educated about (and yes, most people hold opinions about things they don't really know) and that just makes us ignorant (uneducated) about that issue and not unintelligent or an idiot. The leaders are another question. Anyway, enough of that mini-rant.
If Congressman Cummings is so sure these are military weapons why doesn't he lobby to have them sent to Iraq for use by our military? Probably because he actually knows better (as a congressman I'd hope so anyway).
JeepDriver
Member
Ordered my Bushmaster A2 Carbine today. Didn't really have the money but I didn't want this law to get passed before I had an AR.
I hope we can stop this but I don't have much faith that we can. Ther are far to many anti's in the state legislature.
I hope we can stop this but I don't have much faith that we can. Ther are far to many anti's in the state legislature.
RAY WOODROW 3RD
Member
Welcome to the club...............
Jersey law comes to Maryland.
We started out with a state ban that went federal. You guys are just doing the opposite but will have the same outcome.
When are the shotgunners and other sportsman going to wake up you ask?
WHEN IT IS TOO LATE!
Buy them while you can. You may need them in a few years...........
Jersey law comes to Maryland.
We started out with a state ban that went federal. You guys are just doing the opposite but will have the same outcome.
When are the shotgunners and other sportsman going to wake up you ask?
WHEN IT IS TOO LATE!
Buy them while you can. You may need them in a few years........... - Status