Harry Tuttle
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MD Governor Ehrlich Refuses to Meet with DC-Area Sniper Victim Families
3/8/2004
Press Release
CeaseFire Maryland
3000 Chestnut Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21211
www.ceasefiremd.org
Contact:
Leah Barrett:
Phone: 240-535-5083
Baltimore, MD - CeaseFire Maryland, the state's leading gun violence prevention group, expressed dismay that Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr., has refused to meet with family members of two of the victims of the DC-area sniper attacks, both of whom are Maryland residents.
Leah Barrett, Executive Director, said of the Governor's refusal: "We were hopeful that he would make the time to at least see Vickie Snider and Sonia Wills and listen to their pleas that he consider supporting a ban on assault weapons in Maryland (SB 288). However, as the weeks went by and we followed up with phone calls, that hope began to dim. I'm afraid the Governor hasn't really changed from 1996 when as a Congressman he voted to repeal the 1994 assault weapons ban. It's not really the position of a moderate, is it? Even ten Republican Senators voted to renew the federal ban in the Senate earlier this week, including Virginia's John Warner."
Vickie Snider, whose brother, James 'Sonny' Buchanan, was killed, commented: "When the Governor was running for office I thought he agreed that banning military-style assault weapons like the one that killed my brother was a good idea. So I am very disappointed that he has changed his tune. SB 288 is an important bill and I don't see why we can't put something in place that would save lives."
And Sonia Wills, whose son, Conrad Johnson, was the last victim during the three-week rampage said: "President Bush supports renewing the 1994 federal assault weapons ban and I thank him for it. If the head of the whole country can support banning these weapons, what in the world is wrong with our Governor? The life this law saves could very well be his own or someone close to him. Let's face it - the people who carry these guns don't respect human life."
The federal ban on assault weapons expires this September unless Congress acts to renew it. SB 288 is a way for Maryland to provide protection for its citizens if, as expected, the federal ban is allowed to lapse. Barrett commented: "Maryland already bans semi-automatic assault pistols. SB 288 and HB 1298, the House bill, merely extend that ban to the 'big guys', the rifles.
State Senator John Giannetti, a Democrat from District 21, Anne Arundel and Prince George's County, has said that he will vote against SB 288 in the Judicial Proceedings Committee. Barrett concluded: "His decision denies the full Senate a vote on this important public safety measure. But we haven't given up hope that he will come to his senses and support the bill. He can be reached on 410-841-3141."
Date of Release: March 5, 2004
This article is online at http://www.jointogether.org/z/0,2522,569776,00.html
3/8/2004
Press Release
CeaseFire Maryland
3000 Chestnut Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21211
www.ceasefiremd.org
Contact:
Leah Barrett:
Phone: 240-535-5083
Baltimore, MD - CeaseFire Maryland, the state's leading gun violence prevention group, expressed dismay that Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr., has refused to meet with family members of two of the victims of the DC-area sniper attacks, both of whom are Maryland residents.
Leah Barrett, Executive Director, said of the Governor's refusal: "We were hopeful that he would make the time to at least see Vickie Snider and Sonia Wills and listen to their pleas that he consider supporting a ban on assault weapons in Maryland (SB 288). However, as the weeks went by and we followed up with phone calls, that hope began to dim. I'm afraid the Governor hasn't really changed from 1996 when as a Congressman he voted to repeal the 1994 assault weapons ban. It's not really the position of a moderate, is it? Even ten Republican Senators voted to renew the federal ban in the Senate earlier this week, including Virginia's John Warner."
Vickie Snider, whose brother, James 'Sonny' Buchanan, was killed, commented: "When the Governor was running for office I thought he agreed that banning military-style assault weapons like the one that killed my brother was a good idea. So I am very disappointed that he has changed his tune. SB 288 is an important bill and I don't see why we can't put something in place that would save lives."
And Sonia Wills, whose son, Conrad Johnson, was the last victim during the three-week rampage said: "President Bush supports renewing the 1994 federal assault weapons ban and I thank him for it. If the head of the whole country can support banning these weapons, what in the world is wrong with our Governor? The life this law saves could very well be his own or someone close to him. Let's face it - the people who carry these guns don't respect human life."
The federal ban on assault weapons expires this September unless Congress acts to renew it. SB 288 is a way for Maryland to provide protection for its citizens if, as expected, the federal ban is allowed to lapse. Barrett commented: "Maryland already bans semi-automatic assault pistols. SB 288 and HB 1298, the House bill, merely extend that ban to the 'big guys', the rifles.
State Senator John Giannetti, a Democrat from District 21, Anne Arundel and Prince George's County, has said that he will vote against SB 288 in the Judicial Proceedings Committee. Barrett concluded: "His decision denies the full Senate a vote on this important public safety measure. But we haven't given up hope that he will come to his senses and support the bill. He can be reached on 410-841-3141."
Date of Release: March 5, 2004
This article is online at http://www.jointogether.org/z/0,2522,569776,00.html
