Maryland –-(Ammoland.com)- 77R Lawsuit
As many have seen, the 77R lawsuit has reached a resolution. In official court documents, the Maryland State Police (MSP) admitted that 8th day release is the law of the land. MSP also stated that it is working to hire more troopers to process applications.
You can view the documents here: https://tiny.cc/glhb0w
There has been much discussion about the purpose of the lawsuit and what it accomplished.
Maryland Shall Issue’s lawsuit was not designed to end 7 day waits or remove the MSP as the Point of Contact for the NICS system. The lawsuit was designed to allow people to exercise their 2nd Amendment Rights without undue delay. Thereby, preventing the delay from being used to shut down purchasing until October 1st.
Maryland Shall Issue presented two options to the MSP:
- ) Process all apps within 7 days
- ) Certify that 8th day release is ok.
The MSP chose option 2. While it is true 8th day release was already “on the books”, having the MSP say it is ok was designed to give dealers not yet releasing on the 8th day a green light to release.
Dealers have also questioned the lack of a NICS number. The ATF’s website discusses handling a waiting period in a state where the state agency is the point of contact with the NICS system. https://www.atf.gov/firearms/faq/brady-law.html#waiting-period
Ultimately, there will be dealers who will not release early. There is no way to compel 100% of dealers to release early. However, Maryland Shall Issue’s lawsuit has given dealers the tools to release after 7 days and has resulted in more and more dealers standing with the 2nd Amendment.
Maryland Shall Issue will also work to hold the MSP accountable to its promise of hiring more people to process applications.
Woollard Cert Petition
Second Amendment Foundation has petitioned the Supreme Court to review the 4th Circuit’s decision in Woollard.
You can review the document here: https://marylandshallissue.org/share/woollard_petition.pdf
The petition will be reviewed at the Supreme Court’s October 2013 conference. If it accepts the petition, a decision will most likely be given in June 2014 as the Supreme Court saves its most influential decisions for June.
SB281 Lawsuit
There have been a number of questions about why Maryland Shall Issue has not filed a lawsuit yet for SB281. Simply put, since the law has not taken effect yet, a plaintiff cannot be found who has suffered harm as a result of SB281. Therefore, no Plaintiff has standing to file a lawsuit at this time.
A Note on Recall Elections
Maryland Shall Issue has also received many questions about why it is not working to sponsor recall elections. Maryland has no legal method to recall elected officials. Adding such a law would most likely require a constitutional amendment. Fortunately, the 2014 election gets closer every day, which will allow 2nd Amendment supporters to replace their representatives that voted against the 2nd Amendment this past legislative session.
Summer Events
Maryland Shall Issue would like to find a few more summer events. Suggestions are welcome. Volunteers are encouraged. Submit ideas to [email protected]
New Membership Manager
Maryland Shall Issue is proud to announce its new membership management system. The system will now allow members to create an account, view their membership, edit their personal information and renew their memberships. The new system will be live by the end of July. Due to the fragmentation of databases, Maryland Shall Issue has chosen not to import the previous data to the new system. As a result, all members will need to register again; however, when members renew it will not be necessary to fill out the entire form again.
New Maryland Shall Issue Logo
Maryland Shall Issue has replaced its existing logo with a new one (seen above). This new logo will allow Maryland Shall Issue to work with advertising agencies as well as further its commitment to “Self Defense is a Civil Right.”
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. Visit our websitemarylandshallissue.org
It seems that the U.S. Supreme Court is going to take up this case.