Harry Tuttle
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http://wjz.com/localstories/local_story_013095344.html
Report: Maryland Gun Laws Hit the Mark
Jan 13, 2005 9:55 am US/Eastern
(WJZ) Maryland has received a top grade from the nation's top gun control groups for the way it regulates firearms.
The rating from the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence is based on the state's regulation of the sale and possession of guns for kids and laws shielding families from gun violence
Only five other states -- California, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey and Massachusetts -- received ratings in the A-range.
Thirty-one states were given Ds and Fs.
http://www.bradycampaign.org/facts/reportcards/2004/
Washington, D.C. - Thirty-one states get a "D" or an "F" in measurements of the gun laws in those states, according to nationwide ratings released today by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence united with the Million Mom March in partnership with state-based gun violence prevention organizations across the nation.
In the eighth year of the release of the grades, only three states actually changed grades, two for the worse and one for the better. But a number of states strengthened laws linking guns and domestic violence, and others defeated the most extreme concealed weapons proposals such as allowing concealed guns in bars and schools. Overall, there is concern gun violence in some states could increase in 2005 because Congress failed to renew the federal assault weapon ban, which expired last fall, and many states with reasonable laws border on states that lack restrictions on assault weapons.
The states that saw a grading change include Indiana, whose score improved from a "D-" to a "D" because the state defeated a gun lobby effort to overturn a recent Supreme Court decision holding that gun owners can be held responsible for negligently leaving guns accessible to children and other improper users; Ohio, which saw its grade fall from a "D+" to a "D-" because the state passed a dangerous new law that forces police to let almost anyone carry hidden handguns in public; and South Carolina, whose grade fell from a "C-" to a "D+" because the state repealed the one-handgun-per-month law that had helped stop gun-trafficking.
Each state was carefully rated on seven types of legislation that protect children from gun violence, with extra credit or demerits awarded for additional relevant legislation.
Juvenile Possession of Guns - Is it illegal for a child to possess a gun without supervision?
Sale/Transfer of Guns to Juveniles - Is it illegal to sell a gun to a child?
Safe Storage and Gun Owner Accountability - Are gun owners held responsible for leaving loaded guns easily accessible to children?
Childproof Guns and Gun Design Safety - Are guns required to have child-safety locks, loaded-chamber indicators and other childproof designs? Are there restrictions on unsafe Saturday night specials?
Preemption - Do cities and counties have authority to enact local gun laws?
Secondary "Private" Gun Sale Background Checks - Are background checks required at gun shows and between "private" parties?
Carrying Concealed Weapons (CCW) - Is it legal to carry concealed handguns in public?
"A minority of American states have behaved as role models the rest of America should follow - and there's a pretty clear pattern that states that have taken affirmative steps to prevent gun violence have seen fewer gun deaths as a result," said Michael Barnes, President of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and Million Mom March. "Sensible gun laws really do save lives."
Only six states received an "A." Not surprisingly, most poorly graded states have suffered child and teen firearm death rates that are significantly higher than those that received an "A" rating.
Since the Brady Campaign began grading state gun laws eight years ago, the number of young people killed by guns nationwide has dropped from an average of 16 per day to eight (based on the most recent available data). During the same period, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported a 48 percent reduction in the firearms death rate per 100,000 children and teens. Despite these improvements, the CDC reports that there are still, on average, more than 40 children and teens killed or injured by firearms in this country every single day.
"We have made some progress as a nation, with certain states leading the way, but there are many, many miles yet to travel," said Sarah Brady, Chair of the Brady Campaign and Million Mom March, whose husband Jim was critically wounded in the 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan.
For specific reports for all 50 states, please visit the Brady Campaign web site at www.bradycampaign.org.
Report: Maryland Gun Laws Hit the Mark
Jan 13, 2005 9:55 am US/Eastern
(WJZ) Maryland has received a top grade from the nation's top gun control groups for the way it regulates firearms.
The rating from the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence is based on the state's regulation of the sale and possession of guns for kids and laws shielding families from gun violence
Only five other states -- California, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey and Massachusetts -- received ratings in the A-range.
Thirty-one states were given Ds and Fs.
http://www.bradycampaign.org/facts/reportcards/2004/
Washington, D.C. - Thirty-one states get a "D" or an "F" in measurements of the gun laws in those states, according to nationwide ratings released today by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence united with the Million Mom March in partnership with state-based gun violence prevention organizations across the nation.
In the eighth year of the release of the grades, only three states actually changed grades, two for the worse and one for the better. But a number of states strengthened laws linking guns and domestic violence, and others defeated the most extreme concealed weapons proposals such as allowing concealed guns in bars and schools. Overall, there is concern gun violence in some states could increase in 2005 because Congress failed to renew the federal assault weapon ban, which expired last fall, and many states with reasonable laws border on states that lack restrictions on assault weapons.
The states that saw a grading change include Indiana, whose score improved from a "D-" to a "D" because the state defeated a gun lobby effort to overturn a recent Supreme Court decision holding that gun owners can be held responsible for negligently leaving guns accessible to children and other improper users; Ohio, which saw its grade fall from a "D+" to a "D-" because the state passed a dangerous new law that forces police to let almost anyone carry hidden handguns in public; and South Carolina, whose grade fell from a "C-" to a "D+" because the state repealed the one-handgun-per-month law that had helped stop gun-trafficking.
Each state was carefully rated on seven types of legislation that protect children from gun violence, with extra credit or demerits awarded for additional relevant legislation.
Juvenile Possession of Guns - Is it illegal for a child to possess a gun without supervision?
Sale/Transfer of Guns to Juveniles - Is it illegal to sell a gun to a child?
Safe Storage and Gun Owner Accountability - Are gun owners held responsible for leaving loaded guns easily accessible to children?
Childproof Guns and Gun Design Safety - Are guns required to have child-safety locks, loaded-chamber indicators and other childproof designs? Are there restrictions on unsafe Saturday night specials?
Preemption - Do cities and counties have authority to enact local gun laws?
Secondary "Private" Gun Sale Background Checks - Are background checks required at gun shows and between "private" parties?
Carrying Concealed Weapons (CCW) - Is it legal to carry concealed handguns in public?
"A minority of American states have behaved as role models the rest of America should follow - and there's a pretty clear pattern that states that have taken affirmative steps to prevent gun violence have seen fewer gun deaths as a result," said Michael Barnes, President of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and Million Mom March. "Sensible gun laws really do save lives."
Only six states received an "A." Not surprisingly, most poorly graded states have suffered child and teen firearm death rates that are significantly higher than those that received an "A" rating.
Since the Brady Campaign began grading state gun laws eight years ago, the number of young people killed by guns nationwide has dropped from an average of 16 per day to eight (based on the most recent available data). During the same period, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported a 48 percent reduction in the firearms death rate per 100,000 children and teens. Despite these improvements, the CDC reports that there are still, on average, more than 40 children and teens killed or injured by firearms in this country every single day.
"We have made some progress as a nation, with certain states leading the way, but there are many, many miles yet to travel," said Sarah Brady, Chair of the Brady Campaign and Million Mom March, whose husband Jim was critically wounded in the 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan.
For specific reports for all 50 states, please visit the Brady Campaign web site at www.bradycampaign.org.
