After two very long days of debate on the House floor, delegates approved a slightly modified version of Gov. Martin O’Malley’s gun control bill 78 to 61 Wednesday.
The bill, which keeps intact all of the major provisions of the version passed by the Senate in February, would ban assault rifles, limit access to firearms by the mentally ill, reduce the maximum ammunition capacity of magazines from 20 to 10 and require safety training and digital fingerprinting of handgun purchasers.
The Firearm Safety Act of 2013 survived multiple attempts by Republicans and conservative Democrats to water down the bill with amendments that would, amongst other things, narrow the definition of an assault rifle, eliminate the fingerprinting requirement and delay the effective date of the bill.
Tempers in the chamber flared briefly during a debate over an amendment that would restrict members of the military under the age of 21 from purchasing regulated firearms.
“Do we want these (military) guys to say I am more free in Iraq or Afghanistan than I am in Maryland?” said Delegate Michael McDermott, R-Wicomico.
House Minority Leader Anthony J. O’Donnell, R-Calvert, said the House was engaged in a “jihad” against the constitutional rights of members of the military.
The verbal dust-up occurred immediately after members of the House Judiciary and Health and Government Operations committees were pulled from the chamber floor into a brief closed door session in which several amendments approved during Friday’s session were removed from the bill.
By removing these amendments – which included a provision that would exempt members of an obscure military support organization called the Maryland Defense Force – the bill more closely resembles the legislation approved by the Senate in February.
Because the legislation still differs slightly from the bill passed by the Senate, the Senate must first approve the changes before the final bill lands on O’Malley’s desk.
House Speaker Michael E. Busch, D-Anne Arundel, said the House version will likely go before the Senate in the next 24 to 48 hours.
Opponents of the bill are looking to the Senate to put a last-minute stop to the bill.
“It’s not quite a done deal yet,” O’Donnell said.
Shannon Alford, state liaison for the National Rifle Association, echoed O’Donnell’s sentiments, saying she hopes the Senate rejects the bill.
While many delegates said the legislation is far from perfect, House Democrats, by and large, said they were pleased with the final version of the bill.
“Gun control works,” said Delegate Benjamin Barnes, D- Prince George’s. “This bill will save lives.”
Delegate Ariana Kelly, D-Montgomery, said she “loved” the bill, particularly the requirement that regulated firearm purchasers undergo at least eight hours of safety training.
“I used to pierce ears at the mall with a gun and I needed more than four hours of training,” Kelly said.
But not all Democrats shared Kelly’s opinion.
Delegate C.T. Wilson, D-Charles, who voted against the bill, said he doesn’t believe it will do anything to keep guns off the street.
Delegates on both sides of the aisle mentioned the demographic divide between the urban and rural areas of Maryland. McDermott called it the “tale of two states.”
With several notable exceptions, urban and suburban delegates supported O’Malley’s bill, while lawmakers from rural areas in Western Maryland and the Eastern Shore opposed it.
“We don’t have a need for assault rifles in the city of Baltimore,” said Delegate Talmadge Branch, D-Baltimore.
O’Malley introduced his gun legislation, SB 281, and its companion bill HB 294, in the wake of December’s massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.
Restricting access to firearms has become a hot-button issue nationally in recent months.
President Barack Obama, frustrated with what he perceived as Congress’ waning interest in gun-control, addressed the issue in a press conference last week.
“The notion that two months or three months after something as horrific as what happened in Newtown happens and we’ve moved on to other things?” Obama said last week. “That’s not who we are.”
Michael Hildebrand says
Well, I can say I am not surprised. After attending these hearings and listening to them debate the bills on line I can say that most of the people that voted for the bill do not understand anything about guns. To create a law based on how something looks is retarded at best. I was very eye opening to see the amount of people that showed up to oppose the bill only to get ignored. It was insane to see the house committee re-vote an amendment after it passed and after the delegates were removed from the room to be told to change their vote. No amendments were added to make stricter sentences for criminals that broke the law so what does that tell you. This disgrace is just a bump in the road for this issue as it will go to referendum and die. Even if it were to pass in 2014, it will work its way through the courts where it will ultimately end up in the SCOTUS and be found unconstitutional. It is a sad day for the law abiding citizen in Maryland, but a good day to be a criminal.
Joe S Handy says
Well said.
d lamotte says
Thank you Governor O’Malley. Thank you all for not collapsing before the NRA . When will Republicans stop letting the gun manufacturers
dictate their gun position? It is about time we join the civilized world …the safest countries have strict gun laws. The most dangerous are armed
to the teeth. These are hand guns and assault rifles (I do not care how anyone defines assult..it was manufactured for military use) that are distroying
this country. Stop hiding behind an amendment that has nothing to do with such weaponry.
Joe S Handy says
But…it’s too late, the horse is already out of the barn. Any and everyone who wanted these firearms has already found them in anticipation of bizarre laws like these being passed. If someone needs one of these in the future they will find one then as well. The truth is that we’ve accomplished nothing to prevent crimes committed with these firearms with this legistlation. But it does look important on the Irish’s résumé for president doesn’t it!
RD Sweetman says
It’ll be overturned. Lawyers are already making preparations to take it to the Supreme Court If needed. Or it’ll be defeated in Referendum which is also being readied… Either way, it’ll be overturned/defeated… D Lamotte, do you realize how many Democrats were there standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the Republicans in opposition to this Bill? On any given day that this Bill was being debated, there was no more than 300 people tops total standing in defense of it. On the Same days there were anywhere from 1000 to 4000 people there standing in opposition to it. There were also a lot of folks there who were not members of the NRA, but were in Opposition to it because they can see if for what it is, another piece of paper being put on the books alongside the multitude of laws already on the books which won’t stop anymore violence or crime than the other ones have done. It targets the Law abiding people, not the Criminals. When this Law goes into effect I want to see the Magical Power you apparently attribute that this Law will have, because I guess by your view it suddenly and automatically means that the Bad Guys become the Good Guys, and Criminals are no longer criminals, and they will, by some miracle incorporated in this Law, will no longer decide to break Laws and obtain Guns….
d Lamotte says
I will tell you why…rural vs urban. And do you know what? Those in urban areas dealing with gun deaths everyday support
these laws. Rural citizens are easily convinced for strange reasons that their hunting rights will be taken away. Please.
Only police and the military should have such weaponry.
I will go farther. Those opposed to restricting the sale of these weapons will have the next mass killing squarely on their
shoulder.
Live with that.
RD Sweetman says
So…If those in Urban areas whole heartily and enthusiastically support this Bill, why weren’t they there in the numbers that those who oppose this bill were? If this Bill was truly aimed at reducing violence, why did they vote down an amendment to deny early release to those who are already incarcerated for Gun Violence here in Maryland? They had the Opportunity to do some truly good Law making if they had addressed the issues of Mental Health than the paltry attention they gave lip service to in this Bill. This Bill was aimed at one demographic, those Law abiding citizens who have done no wrong, except that they own a semi automatic rifle which “May” have the appearance of a military weapon (i.e. AR-15). The Military uses Fully Automatic Weapons. Civilians are already forbidden from owning them. These are Semi automatic weapons, not fully automatic. And not everyone who lives in Urban areas are fort this bill… On the contrary there’s a large majority of folks who live in urban areas and they own these weapons for self protection. Remember the uproar recently in New York State where the Newspaper published the addresses of all the people who owned handguns? A lot of them also owned Semi-automatic Rifles. They had them for self defense and protecting their property.
And to say that we who oppose this Bill are to blame for the next “incident”, is focused on an unrealistic view in my opinion. Why are we to blame when All were are doing is protecting our homes and property?
dlamotte says
If you are so very focused on the fear of protecting yourself, use a rifle or shotgun.
RD Sweetman says
It’s not a focus on “Fear” as you put it…It’s preparation…No different in my mind than having a Generator available when the Power goes out, or a sump pump if the basement floods, or the items they tell you to stock up on when a bad storm or Hurricane comes through the area. Just preparation from the wrong type of people who for what-ever-reason decide they need to encroach upon my property, when they aren’t allowed or supposed to…
Joe S Handy says
Really bizarre response to a truly insignificant issue compared to destroying our water supply with leaky pipelines. With less than 350 deaths attributed to rifles nationwide this is simply a knee jerk reaction to propaganda and unfounded hysteria by either political figures looking for a bigger résumé or the morally unstable stretching for a “cause” to cling to for social validation.
Michael Hildebrand says
I was in Gander Mountain a few weeks back and struck up a conversation with a gentlemen that sums up this issue well. We were both standing at the display case looking at handguns when he began asking questions about which gun would be the best for him. The gentlemen was probably in his late 50’s, well dressed in a shirt and tie and spoke in an educated tone. As the conversation went on he stated that he had never really had a need for owning a gun. He explained that he and his wife had a discussion about the current gun grabbing legislation as well as the destruction of the second amendment and decided they had better go and purchase a gun before the government took that right from them. He was both concerned and disgusted in the way this country was heading. He was generally worried as he spoke his fears. In the end, he bought a weapon that day.
How sad has it become that we have allowed people like this man to fear losing his Constitutional rights. How sad is it that we as a people continue to allow crooked politicians and uneducated “do gooders” to take them. Throughout the history of this country, countless brave men and women have served this country, many giving their lives to defend it, only to be destroyed by this pathetic group. As I said before, I was in Annapolis and saw first hand the lies and misleading testimony put forth by the Governor and his band of crooked men. It was disgusting at best. To sit there and listen to a person who took an oath to protect the rights of the citizens flat out lie to a committee was shameful. To see all of the Marylanders there, most of whom were NOT NRA members, take the time to stay there and testify for 16 straight hours and be dismissed as if their opinion didn’t even matter was dreadful. To see the pictures of Senator Frosh paying more attention to the chess game on his computer rather than to the citizens, that he is supposed to work for, testify against the bill was infuriating. Watching Chairman Vallario conduct a re-vote on an amendment that previously passed because it wasn’t part of what the Democrats wanted was tail telling. And the most shameful thing of all is the fact that Marylanders are too stupid to see how these bills are rammed through into law, like it or not.
As for the previous comment ” It is about time we join the civilized world”, we ARE the civilized world. People risk their lives to get here, put their families in grave danger to get here and continue to try it over and over until they make it. This country was founded by people with guns, protected by people with guns and continues to deter invasion because people have guns. “You cannot invade the mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind every blade of grass.” is a quote by Isoroku Yamamoto, Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Bottom line, if you don’t like it here because of the 2nd amendment or you think this country isn’t “civilized” enough for you, I am sure there is a mode of transportation that will gladly take you anywhere you feel is better. But really, who are we kidding…………………….
RD Sweetman says
“Like”…. Good Points Michael.
Joel Brandes says
Where will the list of names of mentaly ill people come from? Are doctors going to report any patient they diagnose as having a mental problem? There is doctor -patient privilege to consider. I can picture the lawsuits that would stem from this. Even if the individual has no intention of purchasing a weopon, his illness is now a matter of public record. As for criminals, only those with a conviction would be listed. First time offenders get a pass if they haven’t been caught. How are offenders convicted of white collar crimes to be treated?
Once again, it appears to me, our legislators in their haste to do something to make voters think they are doing something positive have only created another unworkable law.