Maryland: "Lawmakers propose gun bills"

[cuchulainn]

from the Hagarstown Herald-Mail

http://www.herald-mail.com/?module=displaystory&story_id=49116&format=html

Sunday February 2, 2003
Md. lawmakers propose gun bills
by The Associated Press

ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP) - Maryland lawmakers are proposing a package of gun control laws, including one to expand ballistics fingerprinting to all firearms, and will draw on the celebrity of Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose to underscore their point.

Gun control advocates plan to hold a rally Thursday in Annapolis featuring Moose as a speaker, the police chief who gained fame as head of the Washington-area sniper investigation.

The proposals include a bill requiring gun owners to promptly report the theft of their weapons and another that would place strict limits on assault weapons. The ballistics bill would expand the state's current database of handguns to include all guns.

Gov. Robert Ehrlich hasn't taken a stand on specific gun bills, but he said repeatedly during the campaign he thinks Maryland has enough laws restricting gun owners and should concentrate on use of guns by criminals.

He said he would review the state's ban on cheaply made handguns and its ballistic fingerprinting to see if they are effective in reducing crime. One of his top legislative programs this year is a program to prosecute criminals under federal gun laws, similar to Virginia's "Project Exile" plan.

Ehrlich spokesman Henry Fawell said the governor had not yet seen the proposed bills. Only the ballistics bill had been submitted as of Friday.

"He will have to be confident that any legislation meets its intent to reduce gun violence. It if does, he will support it," Fawell said.

The ballistics law would require every firearm sold in Maryland to come with a pre-fired shell casing. The casing, which would carry marks unique to the gun, would then be added to a state police database.

Police could in theory use that database to compare shell casings found at crime scenes to trace a shooting to a particular gun. The system already exists for handguns.

Sen. Jennie Forehand, D-Montgomery, the bill's lead sponsor, said the legislation was motivated in part by the sniper shootings. In that case, police used ballistics evidence to tie the shootings to one gun.

But gun advocates claim the ballistics database doesn't work, pointing to a recent California Department of Justice study that found the markings left by a gun change as the weapons is used. Linking a gun to a crime also wouldn't peg it to a particular person, the report found, because guns are often stolen or shared.


©2002 The Herald-Mail Company

 

[Al in Md]

This is nothing more than a back-door registration scheme. To the best of my knowledge zero crimes have been solved by the handgun ballistic fingerprint regulation. How much money was wasted on this? Maryland, like many states, has severe budget problems already and does not need another spend money for no results scheme. Millions of dollars spent on handgun ballistics for zero results. What are the chances of this getting into law? Al in Md.

 

[Justin]

But Al, don't you see, the problem isn't that the ballistics database doesn't work. It's that we haven't spent enough money on it! If we just dump a few more million dollars into it, surely it will be the tool used to end crime in our lifetimes!


Where's that puking smilie when you really need it?

 

[Monkeyleg]

Who was it that defined insanity as doing the same thing again and again, hoping for different results?

 

[gun-fucious]

do ya think the TRT ought to set up a chamber polishing table in Annapolis this Thursday?

 

[chaim]

Maryland lawmakers are proposing a package of gun control laws, including one to expand ballistics fingerprinting to all firearms,

All firearms, all firearms, all firearms? Shotguns?

Even if it is only rifles this is an unnecessary boondoggle.

MD and NY require ballistics fingerprinting on all handguns sold. No crime has yet been solved as a result and only in one crime (last I read some months ago) were they even able to use evidence from the fingerprinting to help prosecute the individual.

Meanwhile it costs an awful lot of money (I forget exactly how many millions). I read once that MD could train and pay 22 new state police troopers for what it costs to administer every year. So no effect on crime but an inconvenience for gun owners v. actually do something that could help catch criminals. Anyone doubt that the real motive is simply to restrict guns?

Anyway, there are more rifles sold here than handguns. With the costs of administering the handgun registration one can easily see adding rifles causing the costs to more than double (how many millions). This at a time when Glendenning spent us into a 1.7billion dollar deficit that Gov. Ehrlich is trying to get us out of (with little help from the legislature by the way).

Then there is this one:

...and another that would place strict limits on assault weapons.

I really would like more details on what limits they are talking about here. Do I need to take a loan to buy a Bushmaster while I still can? Anyway, after the sniper stuff I don't think this surprises anyone.

Anyone else think the MD legislature is trying to make two polictical statements here. I'm not sure they even care if they get this stuff passed.

In the election Townsend tried to paint Ehrlich as an extremist on guns. After winning Ehrlich is reviewing some of the worst of the MD laws for effectiveness (except the new lock law). Now the MD legislature will pass these "reasonable" controls. They want to tell Ehrlich with this that they are in charge on guns and they want to set it up that he has to veto some bad gun laws so they can say "you see, we told you he's extreme on guns". :banghead:

 

[cpileri]

How do we set up a mass e-mail?

In the old TFL days, we would see every once in a while a link to something like vote.com or petitiononline or whatever that would allow us to send a message to our senators quickly and easily when something like this came up.
Is there any way to do that for our state legislators, and governor?
Please post if you know.
C-

 

[cuchulainn]

Don't email politicians. Emails get less attention that paper. Mail or fax them the letter.

 

[gun-fucious]

Marylanders Against Handgun Abuse (MAHA) will sponsor a press
conference/rally in support of Senator Forehand's SB 208 which will, if
passed, expand the ballistics fingerprint program to include all
firearms.

Keynote speaker is reported to be none other that Chief Charles Moose of
Montgomery County.

Press Conference/Rally details:

Lawyers Mall (in front of the State House)
Annapolis, MD
Thursday, February 6th at 11:00 AM
(this info courtesy of Senator Forehand's office)

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

SENATE BILL 208

Unofficial Copy 2003 Regular Session
E4 3lr0283
CF 3lr0323

____________________________________________________________________________________
By: Senators Forehand, Ruben, Britt, Conway, Exum, Garagiola, Grosfeld,
Jones, Kelley, Lawlah, McFadden, and Teitelbaum
Introduced and read first time: January 29, 2003
Assigned to: Judicial Proceedings
_____________________________________________________________________________________

A BILL ENTITLED

1 AN ACT concerning

2 Firearms - Shell Casings and Other Identification Information

3 FOR the purpose of applying to all firearms certain requirements concerning shell
4 casings and other identification information; requiring a manufacturer that
5 ships or transports a firearm to be sold, rented, or transferred in the State to
6 provide a separate sealed container with a certain shell casing and additional
7 information; requiring a dealer to forward the sealed container to the
8 Department of State Police on the sale, rental, or transfer of the firearm;
9 requiring the Department of State Police Crime Laboratory to enter certain
10 information in certain databases; providing a certain penalty; providing for the
11 effective date for certain provisions of this Act; providing for the termination of
12 certain provisions of this Act; and generally relating to firearms.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

32 SECTION 4. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That, subject to the
33 provisions of Section 3 of this Act, this Act shall take effect June 1, 2003.

http://mlis.state.md.us/2003rs/bills/sb/sb0208f.rtf

 

[Jmurman]

Its a stupid point

I see that Moose has signed a book deal and movie rights. When I was in Oregon, he was lambasted for his racist statements.

I dont trust Moose at all.

Nor do I trust ANY Dem in MD to have ANYTHING to do with gun control/confisgation...thats all that this is. Feel good legislation that will have ZERO effect on the problem at hand.

My hope is that our Gov is smart enough to realize the trap that the Dems are trying to set for him.

 

[rock jock]

My goodness, the police used standard ballistic evidence after the suspects were caught and the gun was already seized. Nothing they are proposing has anything to do with the police work that caught these guys. Idiots!

 

[chaim]

Oh no, it does say all firearms which I suppose would include shotguns. The stupidity. Granted, even for handguns and rifles it is useless and idiotic, but you'd think even the most ideologically blinded would see how useless and how much of a waste of money and manhours requiring this of shotguns would be. Actually, I'll test it- I'll run it by my dad and see what he thinks.

Anyway, thanks for that link. Anyone have information on the "assult weapons" restrictions they're talking about? That is the one that really worries me. Do I need to start saving for an AR now (even though I can't really afford it) so that I can buy one before it is too late? I'd hate to be in the situation so many CA residents are in because they didn't plan ahead.

 

[gun-fucious]

i'm sure Bob Ehrlich has little affection for the dimwits:
http://www.bradycampaign.org/press/release.asp?Record=420


it looks like BRADY/MMM took down:
http://www.ehrlichandguns.com

 

[gun-fucious]

heck i think they want a print from a flintlock

keep an eye on:
http://mlis.state.md.us/2003rs/subjects/weapons.htm

this one is designed to close several gunshops:
(like walmart)

HOUSE BILL 178

Regulated Firearms - Dealers - Security Standards for Places of Business

3 FOR the purpose of requiring the Secretary of State Police or the Secretary's designee
4 to adopt standards to ensure that the place of business of a dealer in regulated
5 firearms is operated in a secure manner; authorizing the Secretary or designee
6 to require a dealer to install certain devices and to conduct a certain inventory;
7 authorizing standards to be different for different licensees; requiring a licensee
8 to comply with the standards; making a licensee who violates the compliance
9 requirement subject to license suspension or revocation; and generally relating
10 to dealers in regulated firearms

14 (A) BY REGULATION, THE SECRETARY SHALL ADOPT STANDARDS TO ENSURE
15 THAT A LICENSEE'S PLACE OF BUSINESS IS OPERATED IN A SECURE MANNER.

16 (B)(1) THE STANDARDS MAY REQUIRE A LICENSEE TO INSTALL:

17 (I) SAFES FOR THE STORAGE OF HANDGUNS;

18 (II) CHAINS TO SECURE LONG GUNS;

19 (III) STANCHIONS PLACED AROUND THE PREMISES;

20 (IV) SECURITY SCREENS FOR WINDOWS AND DOORS;

21 (V) A SECURITY ALARM SYSTEM THAT NOTIFIES POLICE OF A
22 BREAK-IN;

23 (VI) A BUZZER SYSTEM TO ADMIT PATRONS; OR

24 (VII) A VIDEO SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM.

25 (2) THE STANDARDS MAY REQUIRE A LICENSEE TO CONDUCT AN
26 INVENTORY AT A REGULAR INTERVAL TO IDENTIFY MISSING REGULATED FIREARMS.

27 (C) THE SECRETARY MAY ADOPT DIFFERENT STANDARDS FOR DIFFERENT
28 LICENSEES.

 

[Al in Md]

I do not know the details of the proposed "Assault Weapons" restrictions. Look for the antigunners to develop state laws that reflect the same provisions as the Brady Bill. In this way if the Brady laws expire in 2004 we would be stuck with state law to accomplish the same goals. The state of Md. is but one state where this stunt could be pulled. Al in Md.

 

[bbrins]

Faxes sent, I hope they had paper in the fax machine this time.

 

[gun-fucious]

fax 'em this:

 

[bbrins]

HEHEHE!!

 

[gun-fucious]

some of our senior Maryland gun rights people are advising me not to distribute anything "insulting"