On Tuesday, January 20th, the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee in Annapolis will hear Senate Bill 20, the so‑called “Family and Law Enforcement Protection Act.” This bill would dramatically expand firearm surrender tied to civil protective orders without due process protections.
Please contact members of the committee and urge them to OPPOSE SB 20 by using the TAKE ACTION button below.
SB 20 would:
- Make gun and license surrender automatic at the interim and temporary protective‑order stages, often based only on one‑sided “reasonable grounds” findings before any full hearing.
- Remove existing language that ties firearm seizure to actual threats or use of a gun, replacing it with blanket disarmament for a wide range of “abuse” allegations.
- Force respondents to surrender all firearms and credentials within 24 hours, or file affidavits and supply transfer paperwork under penalty of perjury—creating criminal exposure for technical errors, not violent behavior.
- Push law enforcement to verify “compliance” on every case and move toward search warrants and home seizures of firearms rooted in civil proceedings.
Maryland already has an ERPO law that disarms individuals through final protective orders. SB 20 will only pile on new mandates, paperwork, and penalties aimed at gun owners who have not been convicted of any disqualifying crime.
Please stay tuned to the NRA-ILA website and your inbox for updates as this legislative session progresses.
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