On Tuesday, March 16th, the Maryland House Judiciary Committee will be considering a package of gun bills, both pro-gun and anti-gun. Please make plans to attend the hearings on March 16th at 1:00 p.m. in the Judiciary Committee Room of the Lowe House Office Building, 84 College Avenue in Annapolis. If you can not attend the hearings, please be sure to contact your State Delegate and let your voice be heard. You can find contact information for your legislators by using the "Write Your Reps" feature found at www.nraila.org or by calling the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division at 1-800-392-8683.
Among the bills being considered are:
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HB 251 & HB 410, which would repeal the current law requiring that all handguns undergo “ballistic fingerprinting” before they could be sold;
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HB 414 & HB 652, which would repeal the prohibition against a dealer selling or transferring specified handguns unless the handguns are equipped with an integrated mechanical safety device, a law which has resulted in a de facto handgun ban;
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HB 859, the Citizens’ Protection Act of 2004, which would make considerable improvements to the state’s current discriminatory concealed carry permit system -- changes which would allow all trained law-abiding citizens to obtain a permit to carry a firearm concealed for personal protection; and
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HB 1298, the Maryland Assault Weapons Ban of 2004, which proposes to BAN the possession of so-called "assault weapons" in Maryland. This onerous bill defines an "assault weapon" as any semi-automatic firearm which possesses even ONE cosmetic feature that is deemed unacceptable by the bill’s sponsors. The bill also bans "copycat guns"- anything the state thinks resembles an "assault weapon". In addition, the bill mandates registration of any such firearms that are already in private hands by a certain date.
Please be sure to call your delegate today and let your voice be heard!