Baltimore Maryland –-(Ammoland.com)- Baltimore City Police arrested a Baltimore City man who was ringing in the New Year by firing his Hi-Point C9 handgun into the air.
Gary Watts, 44-years old, was apprehended shortly after midnight by the Eastern District Action Team officers who were on patrol in the area.
The Baltimore Action Teams are at work in the city’s most violent areas. These teams patrol in uniform and these units do not respond to calls for service. The officers personally witnessed Watts firing his “Muddy Girl Camo” 9mm handgun into the air. They moved in and arrested him on multiple firearms violation.
The Hi-Point police recovered from the scene had the serial number filed off of the frame. In addition to the pistol, police also found that Watts was in possession of a .44 magnum revolver, and a DPMS AR-15. Watts had all his guns loaded.
It appears that Watts may have also fired the AR-15. Police were able to recover seven spent rifle casings from the scene of the celebratory gunfire. Watts was also in possession of a 30-round magazine for the AR-15, which is also illegal under Maryland law.
Watts wasn’t the only person in Baltimore that was celebrating on New Year’s Eve by firing a gun into the air. Just blocks away from where police arrested Watts, a 14-year-old boy was grazed in the head by a bullet that an unknown suspect shot into the air. Police do not think the two cases are connected.
There were several other cases of celebratory gunfire within the city. In those cases, the gunfire didn’t hurt anyone. Police have not been able to determine who fired those shots either.
In addition to the 14-year-old, there were six other people shot on New Year’s Eve within the city limits. Police found a 17-year-old male shot earlier in the night. Paramedics responded to the scene and pronounced the teen dead.
Police believe that the victim of the shooting was targeted by the shooter but have not released any other information on the motive since it is an ongoing open case.
Maryland has some of the strictest gun laws in the country. Even with these regulations that Democrats claim make the city safer, Baltimore has a murder rate many times higher than the national average.
Last year the city saw 308 murders. Medical examiners ruled that a man killed in 2007 was a murder so that case brings the official number of murders to 309. In 2017 Baltimore was ranked seventh in murders per capita.
On New Year’s Day Baltimore saw its first murder of the year. An unknown suspect shot a 28-year-old man. First responders transported the man to a local shock trauma facility where he later died.
Gun rights activist point to the data as a failure of gun control in Maryland. They claim that the statistics show that gun control in the state has had little to no effect on gun violence.
Police transported Watts to Central Booking where they charged him with various gun crimes. Authorities are currently holding him city jail. The exact charges are unknown.
About John Crump
John is a NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. He is the former CEO of Veritas Firearms, LLC and is the co-host of The Patriot News Podcast which can be found at www.blogtalkradio.com/patriotnews. John has written extensively on the patriot movement including 3%’ers, Oath Keepers, and Militias. In addition to the Patriot movement, John has written about firearms, interviewed people of all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons and is currently working on a book on leftist deplatforming methods and can be followed on Twitter at @crumpyss, on Facebook at realjohncrump, or at www.crumpy.com.
I had watched an series about Baltimore city and the life of people living in it . I was surprised to see that people in USA were this much advanced.
Attitude Status in English
The point of a Constitution and Bill of Rights is that a majority cannot change the laws or procedures.If 60% of the citizens, voters, or just residents in a state wanted sex between 12 year old children and adults to be legal that is the kind of law that could be passed since the constitution does not mention sexual activity or age except a person must be 35 to be elected President. But those things that are mentioned in the Bill of Rights cannot be legislated against by a majority.
https://quotesjin.com/understanding-quotes/
We (family) used to take a vacation to the Inner Harbor about every other year. NO MORE… I cannot carry my LEGAL firearm due to the states Dem/lib driven STUPID laws that punish the law abiding citizen, and the inner harbor area being a chosen hunting area (tourist rich, but dwindling) for the Maryland thugs.and beggars. THE thugs are armed with their illegal/stolen weapons and I am not permitted to protect my family with a registered, legal carried weapon. I will invest my vacation money (a few thousand) in states that allow ME the rights given in the Constitution and… Read more »
I’m guess, mind you, just guessing, all the guns were stolen and drugs were used to pay some back alley merchant with a long criminal record for the guns. I’m sure there is a flourishing stolen gun on demand market in Baltimore, NYV, Trenton and Chicago. “Wanted, a untraceble gun for protect of crack merchant, recently a resident of the sanctuary city. ” Gun laws are INTENDED to increase crime. The gangsters want licensing because it makes them special. 100 years ago the Sullivan Law [ NYC] was intended so Tim Sullivan could issue a license to his gang members… Read more »
@Phil Bloxam: That’s not koolaid GWD is drinking. It’s ketamine and ball-juice.
A week or so ago Ammoland had an article about Baltimore and their gun “buy back”. Taxpayers money going for old worthless parts of guns and this article points out that it really did do a good job of stopping problems. (sar)
Darwinism is alive and well in America! Ole Forrest pegged it: “Stupid is as Stupid does!” There are millions of people in the country that should wear a ‘shock collar,’ that when they come within 20 feet of ANY firearm they would be shocked into unconsciousness!
Possession of a 30-round magazine is not a crime in Maryland. It is illegal to purchase; not to possess. Maryland is not New Jersey… yet.
Almost certain that one of the charges will (or should be) felon in possession of a firearm . . . 3 counts.
Of course, being a liberal stronghold, this will not happen.
How will more gun laws stop someone who has already decided to break numerous existing laws? Dems pushing for more of the same laws fall into Einstein’s definition of insanity: do the same thing over and over and expect a different result. Criminals break laws. More laws won’t stop that.