Gun Safety
In 2013, Maryland passed what was then one of the strongest gun-safety laws in America. That law: bans assault weapons, requires fingerprinting and licensing of all handgun buyers, increases the penalties for using "cop killer" bullets in a crime of violence, and regulates firearm dealers' licensing and record-keeping. In 2018, Maryland passed additional laws to ensure convicted domestic abusers give up their firearms, and instituted a "red flag" or "extreme risk protective order" law. These are good laws and we need to build on them.
During the 2023 Session We:
Enacted several bills in light of the Supreme Court decision in NY State Rifle & Pistol Ass'n v. Bruen:
• HB 824 - Possession & Permits to Carry, Wear, and Transport a Handgun. This bill adjusts Maryland's concealed carry permitting process to comply with the Supreme Court's Bruen decision, which struck down Maryland's requirement that concealed carry permits could only be obtained by individuals with a special safety need. The bill increases the requirements in the training course to obtain a permit; requires that the individual not be otherwise prohibited from purchasing or possessing a handgun; prohibits possession of a regulated firearm by a person younger than 21, a person who suffers from a mental disorder and has a history of violent behavior, or a person who has been involuntarily admitted for more than 30 consecutive days to a facility for treatment of a mental disorder; and increases the fees for permits.
* SB 1 - Gun Safety Act of 2023. This bill prohibits individuals from carrying a firearm onto private property without consent, and prohibits guns in certain locations, including hospitals, schools, courthouses, and areas where alcohol is served.
During the 2022 Session We:
Passed a number of important gun safety measures.
• HB 425/SB 387: Ghost Gun Ban. This legislation bans unregistered, untraceable ‘ghost guns’ and creates a plan for a system to register guns that can be sold in kits of loose parts and do not have a serial number. The bill requires the Secretary of State Police to maintain a system to register firearms imprinted with serial numbers and prohibits a person from purchasing, receiving, selling, offering to sell, or transferring an “unfinished frame or receiver” or a firearm unless it is registered and imprinted with a serial number.
• HB 1021: Enhanced Security Requirements for Licensed Firearms Dealer Shops. This bill requires firearm dealers to put common sense security features like video cameras, burglary systems and/or safes in their shops to prevent stolen firearms. These enhanced security measures will prevent stolen firearms from going on the black market and being used to commit crimes.
• HB 1018: Public Safety Funding Transparency. This bill requires the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention, Youth, and Victim Services to create a scorecard of quantifiable safety indicators to ensure that the State’s public safety funding is being used in a manner that makes all Marylanders safer.
• SB 861: Gun Center Funding. This legislation establishes and funds the Maryland State Police Gun Center. This gun center is responsible for the statewide tracking, screening, and vetting of all firearm crimes committed in the State.
During the 2021 Session We:
* Overrode the Governor's Veto of HB 4/SB 208 (2020) to require background checks for all sales and transfers of rifles and shotguns.
Gun Safety Organizational Endorsements
Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America is a grassroots movement of Americans fighting for new and stronger solutions to lax gun laws and loopholes. Since its inception after the tragedy at Sandy Hook School, Moms Demand Action has established a chapter in every state of the country and, along with Mayors Against Illegal Guns and the Everytown Survivor Network, is part of Everytown for Gun Safety, the largest gun violence prevention organization in the country with more than four million supporters.
Moms Demand Action - in Action!
