Anne Arundel County MD Enacts Firearms Registration Database & Ignores Statewide Pre-Emption Laws
This ordinance attacks the heart of cherished statewide pre-emption laws that are one of the few protections that gun owners in Maryland have.
Maryland ––(Ammoland.com)- At the end of last year, the outgoing Anne Arundel County Council passed a law that added additional regulations on licensed firearms dealers.
The bill is extremely troublesome for a few reasons outlined below. The legislation was presented to the previous council under the guise of recovering stolen merchandise and although the police mentioned firearms dealers during their testimony the main thrust of their testimony was related to stolen electronics…not firearms. In fact, the word “firearm” appears nowhere in the law and the Anne Arundel County Police is interpreting the ordinance to apply to any licensed firearms dealer whose business handles used firearms.
Why we oppose this bill:
The county has created a new licensing structure for licensed firearms dealers that will require them to pay an annual fee of $250 plus $50 per employee. The state and the federal government already regulate licensed firearms dealers and there is no reason for the county to add additional regulation to an already highly regulated group of business owners.
As part of the new regulations the licensed firearms dealers are now required to enter into a statewide database the personal information of an individual who sells or trades in a used firearm. The county is now violating state law by inserting its own regulations on a firearms transaction. Furthermore, we maintain that the county is in violation of the Firearms Owners Protection Act by maintaining what amounts to a registration list of gun owners.
The Anne Arundel County Police Department is supportive of these rules because they believe that this will aide them in recovering stolen firearms.
Why this matters even if you are not an Anne Arundel resident:
This ordinance attacks the heart of our cherished statewide pre-emption laws that are one of the few protections that gun owners in Maryland have. Once that line is breached, we will start to see other counties attempt to chip away at pre-emption.
What we need you to do:
Councilman Jerry Walker who is a Republican representing the 7th District has submitted a bill that would exempt licensed firearms dealers from this new regulation. None of the other six council members has co-sponsored the bill and at this time, Jerry has no additional support so he needs our help. The County Executive is opposed to the Councilman Walker’s bill and Councilman John Grasso has said he will vote against this bill. Please contact your council representative and let him know that you support bill 25-11.
Bill 25-11 is on the agenda for the June 20 council meeting so please call or email your council member with your thoughts ASAP. If you send an email, please cc Councilman Jerry Walker so he knows that we support his efforts to overturn this bad law.
Anne Arundel Residents can find their council districts by going here and looking at the top link on the right side of the page.
- District 1 – Hon. Daryl Jones
410-222-1401
Email: [email protected] - District 2 – Hon. John Grasso
410-222-1401
Email: [email protected] - District 3 – Hon. Derek Fink
410-222-1401
Email: [email protected] - District 4 – Hon. Jamie Benoit
410-222-1401
Email: [email protected] - District 5 – Hon. Dick Ladd
410-222-1401
Email: [email protected] - District 6 – Hon. Chris Trumbauer
410-222-1401
Email: [email protected] - District 7 – Hon. Jerry Walker
410-222-1401
Email: [email protected]
1332 Cape Saint Claire Road #342
Annapolis, Maryland 21409
240-446-6782
Mission Statement: Maryland Shall Issue is an all volunteer, non-partisan effort dedicated to the preservation and advancement of all gunowners’ rights in Maryland, with a primary goal of CCW reform to allow all law-abiding citizens the right to carry a concealed weapon; and to the education of the community to the awareness that ‘shall issue’ laws have, in all cases, resulted in decreased rates of violent crime.