Marylanders, Your Opinions Please?

[U.S.SFC_RET]

Please,Please,Please, don't get me started on the murder rate in Baltimore.
Or the Black on Black crime The total driving force of all of this nonsense Most of Marylander have nothing to do with this city but we get the sherblanging, cotton pickin Antigun laws to Deal with

 

[EasternShore]

My response is narrow minded here, since moving from PG county life has been much easier on me, most of the folks down here on the lower shore are hunters or shooters one way or another. That and the fact that the range is barely 2 miles from my house. CCW, as much as I would like to see it pass, will not happen under O'Mally and if you think Erlich is going to get re-elected in this state your nuts. That is not an accusation that anyone on this board is insane, it is a reflection of this state. Castle is not very likely under the boy wonder either, in fact no improvement in firearms right is likely. If I had to take my choice, it is for no confiscation. I think REGISTRATION IS LIKELY under O'Mally thus my vote for no confiscation.

 

[American By Blood]

I think Ehrlich has a good chance of getting re-elected. He seems quite popular outside of the Baltimore metro area. And heck, a fair amount of Baltimore's population can't be bothered to vote or is legally barred from doing so...

My bet is that Ehrlich is going to run a replay of the campaign that got him elected in the first place. He'll appeal to voters in the rest of the state by reminding them that they exist as a political force. Meanwhile, O'Malley is going to rely on Baltimore's sheer numbers, Democratic power, and his good looks to get him into office. He has no track record to run on. Would you point to Charm City during an election and say, "look what I did"?

You're right about registration under O'Malley. He's a liberal mayor who likely has national aspirations. I can see him making a name for himself by attempting to compete with CA Dems to see who can be more hoplophobic.

 

[Rufus Pisanus]

transportation

I also voted for the transportation law allowing for stops. Must-issue CCW would be nice but it will take years to get through in MD. I'd be already happy if no more stupid laws are enacted (e.g. a tighter MD "assault" rifle ban...)

 

[Skeptic]

I would love to see most (if not all) of the choices in the poll become MD law. Something tells me that the passage of each one of these will be a real fight in Annapolis.

 

[Spot77]

I thought we'd see more responses so far.

By my count there's over 120 MD THR users, with a little more than half regularly posting.


So anyway, here's my cheap attempt at a BTT

 

[Cliff]

Hey Spot,
Gave this a bit of thought. I of course would like to see CCW first and formost, but in reality getting the BS transport law loosened might be our best option.
About 3 years ago I came out of ON Target after a therapy session and stored & locked everything away in my toolbox in the back of my truck. I was hungry,so i pulled over to the popyes chicken for a bit to eat. Noticed 3 AA county cop cars in the parking lot. I walked in,ordered and received my food. As I walked out,the three officers who were eating walked out behind me.

One officer followed me to my truck,and asked if he could have a minute of my time. Older officer,looked like he'd been around for awhile. By then I knew what was coming,so I wanted to see how he was going to play it out. He noticed that I had come out of On Target,and was I aware of the firearm transport laws in Maryland? I said yes officer,I'm very aware of the laws,but I was hungry,the firearms were locked away,and I was getting my food to go.
He said yeah,we noticed that,meaning him and the other officers,and that he wanted to talk to me about it,rather then one of the younger officers with him who were full of piss & vinagar.
I thought about it quickly,and just let that remark go.

Didn't want to get into a pissing match with a county officer. He was cool about it,and played it pretty low keyed. We talked about 5 more minutes about what I like to shoot,and what he shoots. Turned out that he was indeed a shooter,and both of the younger officers with him were NOT shooters. He gave me his card which I've now lost,and told me to have a nice day.
I don't remember his name,but my take on it was he muzzeled one of the younger officers who wanted to really push the issue about the transport law,and because the younger officer was not a shooter,he wouldn't understand the ways of a shooter.
All the above to say CCW first,but I'd put the transport laws right up there with it.

 

[Ohen Cepel]

Wouldn't a CCW permit fix the transport issue?

Yes, you have to have the permit. However, I don't see how they could still enforce the transpo law if you're allowed to carry.

However, in this place anything is possible.

 

[Cliff]

However, in this place anything is possible.

Got that right..

 

[MikeH]

About 3 years ago I came out of ON Target after a therapy session and stored & locked everything away in my toolbox in the back of my truck. I was hungry,so i pulled over to the popyes chicken for a bit to eat.

For those who don't know the geography, On Target and Popeye's are on opposite ends of a strip mall, and they share the same parking lot. Cliff didn't have to get on any public road at all.

The few times I stayed around to grab a few bytes after shooting at On Target, I put my handgun in my car, left the latter exactly where it was, and walked over to one of the joints. Would that have been in violation too?

 

[Spot77]

Cliff: DANG! You got lucky. I know a lot of AA County cops and I hope that the fella' that you encountered was one I know. Thanks for sharing the story. It's quite relevant to my situation as a diabetic where my blood sugar levels dictate when and where I stop to eat or take medicine, not the insane laws of the state.

 

[ApexinM3]

Cliff,
You lucky dog! If that had been me, my luck would have dictated I get crucified. The transport laws are pretty stiff here in MD, and I wouldn't put it past any PD department. (especially state PD) to throw the hammer down on anyone in violation.

Does anyone know if this law has actually helped? My guess is not...:banghead:

 

[Norton]

The few times I stayed around to grab a few bytes after shooting at On Target, I put my handgun in my car, left the latter exactly where it was, and walked over to one of the joints. Would that have been in violation too?

My layman's opinion would be yes because you are no longer "at the range". However, as evidenced by Cliff's story, whether you are charged has a lot to do with which officer you interact with as well as their understanding of the law.

Another MD member of THR took the time to call the Howard County Police to ask about the transport law and was told that as long as it was unloaded and in the trunk he was good to go. My response was that it would be better to hear it from the MSPP or AGG's office and that the problem was that MD's laws were so convoluted that even the police couldn't figure them out.

 

[MikeH]

The transport law definitely works, in the sense that I've been taking my handguns to the range far less times than otherwise. That should make the anti's happy.

 

[Live Free Or Die]

I voted for loosening of transportation laws. I'd prefer CCW, of course, but I think it's too far fetched at this point.

Is there an echo in here?

 

[Pushrod]

I voted CCW for the same reasons as the others have.
My range is close to where I work (less than 2 miles) and I live 25 miles from the range, it would be nice to be able to go to the range right from work, so the transportation law would be a close second.

Not that I believe liberty will ever be re-established in the Soviet State of Maryland. When I get a chance to move out of this state I will. Its a shame, it is a pretty state!

 

[madmattmd]

I voted for loosening the transportation law. That seems for doable. I favor the others too and hope we can make progress on them.

Matt

 

[JasonMD85]

The few times I stayed around to grab a few bytes after shooting at On Target, I put my handgun in my car, left the latter exactly where it was, and walked over to one of the joints. Would that have been in violation too?

My layman's opinion would be yes because you are no longer "at the range". However, as evidenced by Cliff's story, whether you are charged has a lot to do with which officer you interact with as well as their understanding of the law.

Another MD member of THR took the time to call the Howard County Police to ask about the transport law and was told that as long as it was unloaded and in the trunk he was good to go. My response was that it would be better to hear it from the MSPP or AGG's office and that the problem was that MD's laws were so convoluted that even the police couldn't figure them out.

That would be me. I also took your advice Norton. Called Howard County one more time, where I was told it was Legal as long as it was stored how its supposed to be. Then we called Maryland State Trooper non emergancy line in Elkridge. The officer quickly asked WHY? DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE CARRYING ONE WHILE LISEASURLY DRIVING? before we even finished the question. He then told us it is ILLEGAL unless your going to and from blah blah blah, and that I would have a hard time saying I was coming back from the range at 2 am (it was about 7 30 pm when I called on my way to On-Target).

Now since I havent been around very long, and know nothing about MD law other than try and get to VA or PA as soon as possible, I voted for CCW. IF CCW passed, it SHOULD take care of the transport issue (assuming your concealing it on your person, and not in the trunk, than the transport might come up), and if CCW was passed, the other legislation shouldnt be hard to take care of at all once the people that left MD for their rights come back.

Sidetracking, Im currently job searching right now, so gimmie a shout if you wanna go to On-Target and meet up again Norton. I got 100 rounds sitting in my room staring at me...

 

[Norton]

Sidetracking, Im currently job searching right now, so gimmie a shout if you wanna go to On-Target and meet up again Norton.

I'll have to let you know. My schedule has suddenly gone to crap with getting ready for school to start. On top of the usual stuff, my curriculum supervisor wants me to do 3-4 days of instruction for the new teachers in the county. Oy....at least I get paid extra for it

 

[MikeH]

One reason why I voted for loosening transport laws and not CCW is that the latter usually has a higher threshold. Even with shall-issue CCW, not every shooter is going to benefit. In my case, if MD says only US citizens can pack heat, I'm still screwed until my naturalization process goes through.

Better go back memorizing my civics now. Colors of the US flag are red, white and blue ...

 

[KWM]

I linked over from the "It's election time in MD" thread. I voted for CCW. It may not have the best chance of passing, but it is what I would most like to see passed in MD. I live in Western Md and things are much better here than in the middle of the state, but they are starting to change here also and not for the better. Most of the MD State police are young transplants from other areas of the state and they do look for anything they can to make a name for themselves. We used to drive our pickups around with rifles hanging in the rear window, but this is not "okay" any longer. I hunt and collect firearms and am lucky to have a shooting range outside my basement door.

 

[Helmetcase]

CCW for me, as much as I'd like to see all of those laws passed.

CCW is the lever by which we move the earth, folks--it shows that law abiding gun owners can protect themselves out in society without endangering Joe Average.

 

[Greg M]

Gotta vote for CCW.

On transportation, the law doesn't say "go directly home, do not pass go". It just says that you must be on your way to or from the range... not that I'm volunteering to test that theory to its extreme.

I would definitely not recommend locking the weapons in the trunk and walking to the fast-food joint. I've heard that the bad guys will even follow your car from the range to see if you stop at the local shopping center. In any case, watch your back for the bad-guys and the piss&vinegar cops.

Greg

 

[chaim]

I don't remember what I voted for in this poll since it has been a while. Probably CCW.

On further reflection I have other 3 issues that are nearly equal to CCW in importance.

1) Yes, transport (like just about everyone else who posted). It is insane that simply stopping for gas or a restroom can potentially land us in jail. No, I don't think CCW will address this either- I don't know about you guys but when I go to the range I usually bring more than just one gun, CCW would only allow me to keep a gun or two on my person.

The next two are closely related:

2 and 3) Ballistic fingerprints and the horrid "approved list".

Ballistic fingerprinting (the shell casing law) is expensive, ineffective, and stops you and me from buying many otherwise fine handguns. NY and MD have run this "experiment" now for about 5 years and have had essentially no success. It has cost the state quite a bit of money and accomplishes nothing. Given that, we have far more than the gun rights argument and thus I think this one has a chance if we push it.

Less likely to win on, but just as reprehensible, is the approved handgun list. Many good, quality, guns aren't on that list. Removing it would give MDers more choices and with more choices it might possibly bring prices down (or at least, along with the removal of the shell casing law, it would allow us to buy new guns more easily from the net and transfer through a local FFL).

I don't know about you guys, but without these two, I'd love to be able to buy on gunbroker (now you have trouble buying new guns online since if the dealer isn't in MD or NY they probably don't have guns with shell casings). I'd love to be able to buy a new Kel-tec P32 or P3AT, but they aren't on our approved list. I'd love the new Taurus 1911 but it isn't on the MD approved list yet, and I've now heard from more than one source that Taurus is no longer shipping their guns with shell casings so once what is currently in distributors' inventories are gone, no more Taurus in MD.

The transport law definitely works, in the sense that I've been taking my handguns to the range far less times than otherwise.

Very true.

In my old job I'd be only about 5-10min from Continental Arms. Some days I really wanted to load my guns in the trunk to go shooting after work. I didn't because I didn't want to risk jail- what would have happened if my car was stolen while I'm working. Now I drive by the exit I take to go to On Target while going to and from work, though I wouldn't be able to take them in my car while at work anyway (as I understand it, Federal law would kind of frown on my having guns in the car in the parking lot of a public high school).

 

[Jim K]

The reality is that a "shall issue" CCW law seems unlikely in MD. It has served a couple of times as a balance to an AWB, since when the legslative leaders get together on guns, they tend to declare "a pox on both your houses" and don't call up any bills. Sure, I would like to see a decent CCW, change the "transport" law and get rid of the 20 round magazine limit. But I would not trade CCW for an assault weapons ban, "arsenal" licensing, home inspection or any of the other ideas that have come up. In fact, MD's current AW law was a factor in avoiding an actual AW ban. Not good but I am not optimistic that the legislature is going to turn pro-gun any time soon, so I am willing to settle for a draw.

Jim