Maryland: 2019 Legislative Session Begins with a Slew of Anti-Gun Bills Introduced

With the 2019 Maryland Legislative Session underway, gun control groups have made the General Assembly a target for their anti-gun agenda.  NRA Members and Second Amendment supporters will need to stay plugged-in because this session is going to be a fight!  While numerous bills of concern have been introduced, the following measures require extra attention:

Senate Bill 737, sponsored by Senator Susan Lee, would create “Long Gun Qualification Licenses (LGQL).” Similar to Handgun Qualification Licenses, SB 737 wants to impose the same unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles on purchasing a long gun that Maryland requires for purchasing a pistol.  Further, those seeking an LGQL would have to attend 4 hours of training and fingerprinting from the State Police and still have to wait 7 days before acquiring a long gun from a dealer.  Scheduled to be heard in the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee on February 27^th.

House Bill 612, sponsored by Delegate Julian Ivey, would place popular Colt AR-15 H-BAR rifles on the list of “Regulated Firearms” in Maryland.  However, only those rifles owned before October 1, 2013 would be grandfathered into law.  Those who purchased or took possession of all other H-BAR rifles after that date would need to remove these firearms from their possession.  Scheduled to be heard in the House Judiciary Committee on February 25^th.

These two bills are only a few of the measures included on the laundry list of anti-gun bills to hit the General Assembly this year.  Stay-tuned to NRA-ILA and our alerts for updates when information and hearings are scheduled.