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Governor Opposes Md. Weapons Ban
Legislation Would Prohibit 45 Assault-Style Firearms
By Tim Craig
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 4, 2004; Page B01
Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. said yesterday that he is opposed to a statewide ban on the sale of assault-style weapons, setting up a showdown with Democratic leaders in the General Assembly who want to implement the measure before the federal ban expires this year.
Ehrlich did not say whether he would veto the legislation if it makes it to his desk, but his communications director, Paul E. Schurick, said the Republican administration could never support the measure.
"My thoughts have always been to direct resources, time, attention and money to bad guys who have illegal guns and obviously the guns that cause crime," Ehrlich told reporters yesterday. "We devote our time, money and resources to things that work, not things that are politically correct."
With few signs that the Republican-controlled Congress plans to extend the federal ban on 19 such weapons beyond its Sept. 13 expiration date, Democratic lawmakers have introduced legislation to keep the ban in place in Maryland.
The measure would expand the definition of assault weapon from the 19 semiautomatic weapons included in the federal ban to 45 in Maryland. Already, anyone purchasing those 45 guns in Maryland is subject to a seven-day waiting period and a background check. State lawmakers banned 15 types of assault pistols in 1994.
"If we don't act, on September 14 you are going to be able to buy an AK-47 again or an Uzi or a street sweeper [shotgun] because Congress is not going to act," said Robert J. Garagiola (D-Montgomery), the lead sponsor in the Senate.
The legislation, if approved, would give Democratic leaders a chance to pin down the popular Republican governor on a politically thorny issue. Ehrlich, who as a congressman voted to repeal the federal assault weapons ban, battled the Democrats' contention throughout his 2002 campaign that his stand on gun control made him too conservative for Maryland.
Yesterday, gun-control advocates accused the governor of breaking a campaign promise. As a candidate, Ehrlich said he would back the ban if the measure had the support of the law enforcement community. Howard County Police Chief G. Wayne Livesay, head of the Maryland Chiefs of Police Association, recently said his organization strongly backs the proposed statewide ban.
"I expect him to keep his campaign promise," said Del. Neil F. Quinter (D-Howard), the lead sponsor of the bill in the House. "This is something that works, not a politically correct statement. This is something designed to save lives, and if he cares about saving lives, he will sign this bill."
In the past, gun-control legislation has prompted some of the most heated debates in the General Assembly, often pitting legislators from rural areas against their counterparts in Baltimore and suburban Washington. This year's bill has 19 co-sponsors in the Senate and 51 in the House of Delegates.
Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert) said he is bracing for a long, nasty fight over this year's proposed ban, including a probable filibuster by conservative lawmakers.
But Miller and House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel) said they think some sort of a ban will ultimately pass, although it may be scaled back to include only the 19 weapons banned under federal law.
The legislation leaves the definition of an assault weapon to the Maryland State Police Handgun Roster Board, which has identified 45 guns and required additional checks before purchase.
The debate probably will center on whether the federal ban has worked to reduce gun violence on the streets of Maryland.
At a news conference yesterday, gun-control advocates and legislators cited a Justice Department study that found that the federal ban was responsible for a 6.7 percent decrease in gun murders across the country. A separate study by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives found that the use of assault weapons declined by more than two-thirds since the ban was enacted in 1994.
In Maryland, the Baltimore police saw a 55 percent drop in the number of assault pistols recovered during the first six months of the state ban on such weapons, Garagiola said.
"Without it, I cannot imagine the problems police in Prince George's and Baltimore city would have dealing with criminals on the streets," Miller said.
But administration officials are also using crime statistics to bolster their arguments. "Maryland already has a variety of gun laws on the books, but the city of Baltimore is still the second most-violent city in the country," Schurick said.
Although gun control was once viewed as a winning issue for many politicians, political strategists say that public attitudes on the issue may be shifting.
Many strategists say that Vice President Al Gore's support for some gun control measures in 2000 cost him West Virginia and his home state of Tennessee. Ehrlich also credits his victory over Democrat Kathleen Kennedy Townsend to a huge turnout in rural areas of Maryland, where people are more likely to own guns.
But Keith Haller, president of Potomac Survey Research, a Bethesda polling firm, said he believes that most Marylanders strongly support a ban on the sale of assault weapons. Ehrlich "should tread very carefully in taking what would be seen as taking a rock-ribbed, right-wing position very much in line with the National Rifle Association," Haller said.
Legislation Would Prohibit 45 Assault-Style Firearms
By Tim Craig
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 4, 2004; Page B01
Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. said yesterday that he is opposed to a statewide ban on the sale of assault-style weapons, setting up a showdown with Democratic leaders in the General Assembly who want to implement the measure before the federal ban expires this year.
Ehrlich did not say whether he would veto the legislation if it makes it to his desk, but his communications director, Paul E. Schurick, said the Republican administration could never support the measure.
"My thoughts have always been to direct resources, time, attention and money to bad guys who have illegal guns and obviously the guns that cause crime," Ehrlich told reporters yesterday. "We devote our time, money and resources to things that work, not things that are politically correct."
With few signs that the Republican-controlled Congress plans to extend the federal ban on 19 such weapons beyond its Sept. 13 expiration date, Democratic lawmakers have introduced legislation to keep the ban in place in Maryland.
The measure would expand the definition of assault weapon from the 19 semiautomatic weapons included in the federal ban to 45 in Maryland. Already, anyone purchasing those 45 guns in Maryland is subject to a seven-day waiting period and a background check. State lawmakers banned 15 types of assault pistols in 1994.
"If we don't act, on September 14 you are going to be able to buy an AK-47 again or an Uzi or a street sweeper [shotgun] because Congress is not going to act," said Robert J. Garagiola (D-Montgomery), the lead sponsor in the Senate.
The legislation, if approved, would give Democratic leaders a chance to pin down the popular Republican governor on a politically thorny issue. Ehrlich, who as a congressman voted to repeal the federal assault weapons ban, battled the Democrats' contention throughout his 2002 campaign that his stand on gun control made him too conservative for Maryland.
Yesterday, gun-control advocates accused the governor of breaking a campaign promise. As a candidate, Ehrlich said he would back the ban if the measure had the support of the law enforcement community. Howard County Police Chief G. Wayne Livesay, head of the Maryland Chiefs of Police Association, recently said his organization strongly backs the proposed statewide ban.
"I expect him to keep his campaign promise," said Del. Neil F. Quinter (D-Howard), the lead sponsor of the bill in the House. "This is something that works, not a politically correct statement. This is something designed to save lives, and if he cares about saving lives, he will sign this bill."
In the past, gun-control legislation has prompted some of the most heated debates in the General Assembly, often pitting legislators from rural areas against their counterparts in Baltimore and suburban Washington. This year's bill has 19 co-sponsors in the Senate and 51 in the House of Delegates.
Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert) said he is bracing for a long, nasty fight over this year's proposed ban, including a probable filibuster by conservative lawmakers.
But Miller and House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel) said they think some sort of a ban will ultimately pass, although it may be scaled back to include only the 19 weapons banned under federal law.
The legislation leaves the definition of an assault weapon to the Maryland State Police Handgun Roster Board, which has identified 45 guns and required additional checks before purchase.
The debate probably will center on whether the federal ban has worked to reduce gun violence on the streets of Maryland.
At a news conference yesterday, gun-control advocates and legislators cited a Justice Department study that found that the federal ban was responsible for a 6.7 percent decrease in gun murders across the country. A separate study by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives found that the use of assault weapons declined by more than two-thirds since the ban was enacted in 1994.
In Maryland, the Baltimore police saw a 55 percent drop in the number of assault pistols recovered during the first six months of the state ban on such weapons, Garagiola said.
"Without it, I cannot imagine the problems police in Prince George's and Baltimore city would have dealing with criminals on the streets," Miller said.
But administration officials are also using crime statistics to bolster their arguments. "Maryland already has a variety of gun laws on the books, but the city of Baltimore is still the second most-violent city in the country," Schurick said.
Although gun control was once viewed as a winning issue for many politicians, political strategists say that public attitudes on the issue may be shifting.
Many strategists say that Vice President Al Gore's support for some gun control measures in 2000 cost him West Virginia and his home state of Tennessee. Ehrlich also credits his victory over Democrat Kathleen Kennedy Townsend to a huge turnout in rural areas of Maryland, where people are more likely to own guns.
But Keith Haller, president of Potomac Survey Research, a Bethesda polling firm, said he believes that most Marylanders strongly support a ban on the sale of assault weapons. Ehrlich "should tread very carefully in taking what would be seen as taking a rock-ribbed, right-wing position very much in line with the National Rifle Association," Haller said.
