Maryland's SB281 - will you need a gun owner's license?

[Patent guy]

Hello all.  We have a serious situation with this senate bill, SB281.

Alot of good info is available on the Maryland Shooter's forum, here: 

http://www.mdshooters.com/forumdisplay.php?f=9

The MSRPA web updates are here: 

http://www.msrpa.org/updates.php

If you are available, the Judiciary Committee meeting is now scheduled for February 6th.

This bill is plainly designed to collect gun owner info so that the state can decide whether each gun owner should be "licensed" to keep his/her gun once every 5 years, and if not, court orders will be issued requiring the gun to be turned in to the state.

IMO, this bill proposes laws which will clearly infringe our 2A rights.  Contact your state senator and your representative in the house (where it is called HB294) to note your opposition.

[BeSwift]

MD is teetering on the edge of legislation every bit as bad as NY State. Do you want to get fingerprinted, photographed, register your regulated weapons, pay a fee, take arbitrary training, and ultimately ask the State for PERMISSION to have your 2A rights? Register, turn your guns in, or become an instant criminal?

Do NOT sit this one out. Sending a check to NRA, ain't gonna stop this one. YOU gotta get off the couch and make your voice heard. The NRA is NOT going to save us. YOU have to. Get everyone you know to contact Annapolis, TODAY. This is not a drill.. this is the real deal.

BeSwift

[Dude]

Stand firm. Make every one you know aware that this is plain wrong. This nonsense only breeds panic buying by non-shooters, who will take anything they can get their hands on for  "Protection". They feel that they better get something, while they still can. In effect, this puts large numbers of firearms in the hands of a large number of inexperienced shooters. Completely the opposite of what they are trying to accomplish.

We're pulling with ya!

Welcome to the powder alarm.

[jmdavis]

Keep on them guys. But we will welcome you in the (currently) free state of Virginia if you need to escape.


Mike

[Patent guy]

The text for SB 281 can be found here: http://legiscan.com/MD/text/SB281

This 38 page bill appears to be intentionally vague.   It appears they want you to be confused about whether you should register or apply for a license for your gun(s).  You will have to construe the following terms for each gun you own (is it or isn't it one of the following):

Assault pistol
Assault pistol copy ("regardless of manufacturer")
Handgun
Assault long gun
Assault weapon
Copycat weapon, or
Regulated firearm.

You cannot avoid worrying about whether you can keep & bear (i.e., posses and transport) your gun without registering or applying for a license every five years, unless you are certain none of these terms describe your gun.  So if this bill passes, Marylanders will be required to decide whether each gun they own falls within one of these vague categories, and then set aside time and money to register and/or apply for a license or permit to keep them. 

This confusing bill amends our already stringent gun laws.  But one thing is made clear, over and over.

In several places, the bill gives Marylanders the following "safe harbor" for gun possession & transportation: 

These newly defined crimes do not apply to a Marylander "while carrying a court order requiring the surrender of the [gun], transport the [gun] directly to the law enforcement unit,  barracks, or station if the person has notified the law enforcement unit, barracks, or station that the person is transporting the [gun] in accordance with a court order and the [gun] is unloaded."

How many Marylanders will try to understand this vague license requirement, become frustrated and then give up and just surrender any questionable semi-auto out of fear of being convicted for the crime of keeping the gun they own lawfully today?

Lets get involved.  What are you doing on the 6th?

[BeSwift]

It was good to see many students, instructors and even a contingent of Appleseeds finest from VA at the festivities today in Annapolis (in our non-Appleseed capacities of course)!  THANK YOU and I'm proud that the message learned at the classes of civic involvement has taken root... I couldn't be more proud!   BeSwift

[Patent guy]

The Maryland Senate's Judiciary Committee hearing on SB281 yesterday (Feb 6th) was well attended, to say the least.  The huge turnout made the local (Baltimore) news. 
It seemed that hundreds of Marylanders wanted to provide testimony.  The "Pro" and "Anti" witnesses were each given a few minutes and clustered in 60-90 minute alternating intervals. 
I listened (online) until about 7:30pm and they were still going strong.  The hearing was recorded and you can listen to the recording (as an MP4 file) using this link:

http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/webmga/frmcommittees.aspx?pid=commsenaudio&tab=subject7

The anti SB281 (or pro 2nd Amendment) witnesses were well prepared with specifics and factual support for the points they made and included MDs (doctors), a sheriff, lawyers and psychologists, among others.  The Frederick County Sheriff's testimony (opposing SB281) was direct and compelling.
My conclusion after hearing all of this testimony is that SB281 was proven to be badly flawed and if enacted will do real harm to many Maryland citizens and businesses and no substantive good for anyone (except O'Malley & Frosh, who always seek media attention). 

Speaking only for myself, if SB281 is pushed into the Senate for an up or down vote "as-is", I would conclude that yesterday's SB281 Judiciary Committee hearing was a essentially sham and that the Senators (Frosh et al) are serving someone other than Maryland's citizens.
My .02.