Maryland 2012 Legislative Session Recap from MSI

Maryland Gun Flag NRA-ILA
Maryland gun laws. IMG NRA-ILA

Maryland ––(Ammoland.com)- Maryland Shall Issue would like to thank EVERYONE who made their voices heard during the 2012 Maryland General Assembly session. We had some great successes and a few defeats. Here are the highlights:

HB 579
HB 579 as originally written was designed to exempt retired law enforcement officers from certain training requirements that are needed when purchasing a regulated firearm. This bill passed the House unanimously. However, the bill was hijacked in the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee by Sen. Brian Frosh, chairman of that committee. He offered an amendment to the bill that once approved by members of the SJPC radically changed the nature of the bill. As amended, HB 579 created an open-ended training requirement for all people to not only purchase a regulated firearm but to obtain a carry permit as well. The bill also contained language that would have allowed the Maryland State Police to deny carry permit applications even while Woollard is pending in the federal courts, as those applications would not have met the as-yet-undetermined training requirements in the bill.

There is little doubt that this language had the backing of some of the highest-ranking public officials in Annapolis and was intended to be passed quickly and quietly in the flurry of activity that comes with the closing days of the session. We are very thankful to Del. Mike Smigiel who brought this amendment to our attention, allowing us to alert you to the latest attack on your rights. The overwhelming response that you provided to those in Annapolis showed them that our community will not tolerate such attacks. The bill was repeatedly delayed on the full Senate floor until the clock literally ran out on the session.

This is truly a win for all of you. We are extremely grateful for your efforts in the last several days.

Assaults on Our Rights:
HB 618 sought to create a task force to study Maryland’s laws regarding access to regulated firearms by those with mental illness. While Maryland Shall Issue believes that the mentally ill should not have access to firearms until their treatment allows them to safely do so, we believe that the current laws already provide this protection. Further, many of the proposed members of this task force have clear agendas that conflict with MSI’s mission. In an attempt to alleviate our concerns, Del. Luiz Simmons, the lead sponsor of this bill, offered an amendment giving MSI and the Associated Gun Clubs of Baltimore seats on the task force. While we continue to have our reservations, we are thankful to Del. Simmons for listening to our input. This bill has subsequently passed both the House and the Senate and is expected to become law. Maryland Shall Issue® will be sending a medical doctor who is also an Executive Member of MSI to represent us on the task force.

SB 512 attempted to create a backdoor firearms registry by requiring extensive record-keeping requirements among other things and allowing the police to inspect any record maintained by a firearm dealer for any reason whatsoever while giving notice of only 24 hours. As law enforcement is able to inspect these records in the course of a criminal investigation, we saw no need for such a bill. SB 512 passed the Senate but died in the House Judiciary Committee thanks in no small part to your activity on the matter.

SB 911 sought to end statewide pre-emption of firearms laws, one of the few firearm-related protection that we enjoy in the state of Maryland. The patchwork of laws that could have resulted from this bill’s passing would have been disastrous. This bill was submitted late in the legislative process and thankfully gained no traction. It died in the Rules Committee.

Advancements of Our Rights:
This term was unique for MSI in regards to pro-2A bills. We supported the Shall Issue bills, reciprocity
bills, and other pro-2A bills. However, even with the historic victory in the Woollard lawsuit, it was apparent that these bills would not gain much traction in Annapolis. We determined it prudent to withdraw as many of these bills as possible as it was feared they would become a vehicle for bad amendments that would seek to deny your rights. See HB 579 above for an example of a good bill being hijacked for nefarious purposes.

Looking to 2013:
Looking to 2013 we can expect many new attempts to deny or hinder the right in response to the
Woollard case. We will also have to address the recommendations of the mental health committee. We are heartily encouraged by the bold and fervent response from our membership following HB 579. With thanks to you, we believe that MSI has turned a corner. We look forward to carrying our momentum forward into next year and beyond.

Full Report on 2012 2A Bills

HB-45 – Handgun Permits – Qualifications – Presumption and Burden of Proof.
MSI Position: Support
Final Action: Died in House Judiciary Committee
HB-209 – Public Safety – Possession of Firearms – Crimes Committed in Other States
MSI Position: Oppose
Final Action: Passed and sent to Governor for signature.
HB-256 – Regulated Firearms – License Issue by Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, or West Virginia – Reciprocity
MSI Position: Support
Final Action: Died in House Judiciary Committee
HB-300 – Public Safety – Handgun Permits – Renewal Period for Retired Law Enforcement
MSI Position: Oppose as Written
Final Action: Passed by House, died in committee in Senate Judiciary Committee.
HB-430 -Public Safety – Handgun Permits – Repeal of Finding Requirement
MSI Position: Support
Final Action: Withdrawn by request after Woollard court ruling.
HB-488 – Public Safety – Handgun Permits – Repeal of Finding Requirements
MSI Position: Support
Final Action: Withdrawn by request after Woollard court ruling.
HB-527 – Courts – Bankruptcy – Arms
MSI Position: Support
Final Action: Unfavorable Report by House Judiciary Committee.
HB 579-Public Safety – Handgun Permits – Training exemption for Law Enforcement
MSI Position: No Position/Opposed after amendments
Final Action: Died in Senate with the help of thousands of MD 2A supporters
HB-618 – Task Force to Study Access of Individuals with Mental Illness to Regulated Firearms
MSI Position: Oppose
Passed and sent to Governor for signature
HB-739 – Bow Hunting – Possession of Handguns for Protection
MSI Position: Support
Final Action: Unfavorable Report by House Judiciary Committee
HB-1100 – Public Safety – Restrictions on Possession of Firearms – Convicted Felons and People with
Mental Disorders
MSI Position: Oppose
Final Action: Unfavorable Report by House Judiciary Committee
HB – 1114 – Dangerous Convicted Offenders Firearm Ban
MSI Position: Oppose
Final Action: Unfavorable Report by House Judiciary Committee
HB – 1135 – Public Safety – Handgun Permits – Qualifications
MSI Position: Support
Final Action: Died in House Judiciary Committee
SB-64 – Public Safety -Machine Gun Registration – Notice To Renew
MSI Position: Support
Final Action: Died in House Judiciary Committee
SB-512 – Regulated Firearms – Database – Applications for Dealer’s License – Record-Keeping and
Reporting Requirements
MSI Position: Oppose
Final Action: Passed the full Senate, died in House Judiciary Committee thanks to YOU!
SB-588- Bow Hunting – Possession of Handguns for Protection
MSI Position: Support
Final Action: Passed by full Senate, unfavorable report in House Judiciary Committee.
SB-640 – Public Safety – Possession of Firearms – Crimes Committed in Other States
MSI Position: Oppose
Final Action: Passed and sent to Governor for signature.
SB-911 – Public Safety – Firearms Regulation by Local Jurisdictions
MSI Position: Oppose
Final Action: Killed by Senate Rules Committee.

A Note on MSI Updates:
Maryland Shall Issue prides itself on not polluting your inbox by only e-mailing when necessary. We are aware that we have sent a large number of updates recently. This is not common for our organization, but the severe and serious nature of HB 579 required us to remain in constant contact with our membership. We appreciate your patience and thank you for your efforts in defeating HB 579.

A Note on Woollard vs Maryland Lawsuit:
MSI has been informed that the Maryland State Police have begun returning permit applications and fees with a letter discussing the Woollard case. MSI has been in contact with the SAF and is continuing to investigate this situation.

Maryland Shall Issue, Inc.
1332 Cape Saint Claire Road #342
Annapolis, Maryland 21409
240-446-6782

About Maryland Shall Issue

Maryland Shall Issue is an all-volunteer, non-partisan effort dedicated to the preservation and advancement of all gun owner’s 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, resulting in decreased rates of violent crime.

Maryland Shall Issue