Gun Laws

In reference to "Harford County Council passes resolution condemning state gun law" (May 15), the article quotes a Harford County councilman who questioned the objectivity of gun policy research at Johns Hopkins University because New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is a major benefactor. I direct the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research and have been conducting research on gun policy for the past 23 years. Over this time, I have led numerous studies related to gun violence and published the results in 78 articles in scientific journals.

A hunter, a mother and a minister are featured in new advertisements touting Maryland's new gun law, which was signed last week and represents one of the nation's most sweeping pieces of gun-control legislation passed this year. The ads, released in advance, will begin airing on Baltimore-area television stations this week. Produced by proponents of the new gun law, the ads are intended to educate residents about the new law and protect lawmakers who voted for it.  The version to be broadcast nixes lines from earlier scripts that criticized Washington for inaction on gun-control.

Tomorrow, Gov. Martin O'Malley plans to sign into law the most comprehensive gun control legislation Maryland has seen in at least 25 years, a bill that will not only help guard against a mass shooting incident, like December's massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, but will also help fight the day-to-day violence that plagues Baltimore and other communities. The bill has become doubly important with the failure - at least for the moment - of attempts to tighten gun laws on the federal level, both because it will make Marylanders safer and because it can serve as a model for other states as they seek ways to address gun violence.

Maryland passes the strictest gun control laws in the country on its law abiding citizens ("The Maryland model for gun control," May 16), yet it does nothing about those who get caught with illegal guns. Why? If you really want to cut the crime in Baltimore City, slam those who are caught with illegal guns with automatic jail sentences. Don't force restrictive gun laws on law abiding citizens without first slamming criminals caught with illegal guns. John Jackson, Baltimore

As Maryland contemplates passing one of the nation's strictest gun laws, at least seven other states have courted its gun manufacturers, offering tax incentives and open arms elsewhere. The governor of Texas, West Virginia's House speaker and an Illinois congressman have written to Beretta USA officials, inviting a move and promising a better business climate if the 400-year-old Italian company chooses to abandon its U.S. headquarters on the Potomac. Another arms manufacturer and defense contractor on the Eastern Shore, LWRC International, received offers, some including tax incentives, from elected or government officials in Nebraska, Mississippi, North Dakota, Nevada, Texas and West Virginia, a company executive said.

Contrary to the assertions in Doyle McManus' op-ed ("People, not politicians, killed gun control," July 27), the national gun laws enacted in the 1990s did help reduce gun violence, and most Americans, including gun owners, support key new laws such as universal background checks for gun purchases. In 1994, President Bill Clinton signed into law a measure that banned assault weapons (like the AK-47 used by the Colorado mass murderer) and gun magazines that could shoot more than 10 bullets at one time (the Colorado shooter used a 100-round magazine)

This letter is in response to your editorial "Awash in illicit guns" (Oct. 6). Everyone agrees that illegal firearms are a problem. However, to blame other states and give a free pass to the Maryland General Assembly is ridiculous. There are two common sense gun laws the Maryland General Assembly could pass to punish those that possess illegal weapons. Number One: Enact a "shall issue" concealed carry law that allows lawful citizens to carry a handgun without the need to show good cause to the Maryland State Police.

There he goes again. The foolishness periodically advanced by Dan Rodricks that more stringent gun laws will somehow cause a reduction in gun crimes ("Adapting to the newest form of gun insanity," July 24) is belied by history, common sense and the real world. Even Draconian gun control regimens imposed by governments of all kinds since the invention of gunpowder have failed to make a dent in the acquisition of arms by those intent on criminality, be they drug traffickers in Mexico or East Baltimore, madmen in Norway or Colorado, terrorists in almost every country in the world, insurgents, justified or not, of all kinds, and those motivated by more mundane factors - lust, greed, envy, revenge, etc. Very few of the huge number of public shootings in Baltimore each year are committed by those who acquired their weapons legally.

Sensible gun legislation is no threat to Second Amendment rights. Although there is no one solution to violence by the use of a gun, the death of many people could be avoided by outlawing assault weapons and high capacity gun clips, as well as requiring background checks on everyone purchasing a gun. Polls show that a large majority of responsible gun owners support such legislation. In his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama said that victims of gun violence and their families deserve a vote ("We deserve a vote," Feb. 17)

Just weeks after the Tucson shootings, Maryland delegates began hearings on HB09, "Regulated Firearms – License Issued by Delaware, Pennsylvania, or Virginia – Reciprocity. " It mandates reciprocal recognition of concealed weapons permits. But there's a bigger game afoot. Virginia offers non-resident permits. Maryland residents unable to obtain a permit here might obtain one under Virginia's lower standards and be empowered to carry weapons here. And that's the real goal.

In reference to "Harford County Council passes resolution condemning state gun law" (May 15), the article quotes a Harford County councilman who questioned the objectivity of gun policy research at Johns Hopkins University because New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is a major benefactor. I direct the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research and have been conducting research on gun policy for the past 23 years. Over this time, I have led numerous studies related to gun violence and published the results in 78 articles in scientific journals.

Editor: In response to "Harford County Council passes resolution condemning state gun law" (May 15th, 2013): The article quotes a Harford County Councilman who questioned the objectivity of gun policy research at Johns Hopkins University because New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is a major benefactor.  I direct the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research, and have been conducting research on gun policy for the past 23 years....

The new gun bill will be the first of hundreds Gov. Martin O'Malley plans to sign at a ceremony Thursday. Key provisions of the 62-page law include:   A ban on the sale of 45 types of assault weapons and their copycats.   A ban on sales of magazines that hold more than 10 rounds.   A fingerprinting and licensing requirement for handgun buyers.   A 4-hour training requirement for first-time handgun buyers.   A ban on gun ownership for anyone involuntarily committed to a mental heath facility, as well as those voluntarily committed for more than 30 days.

Tomorrow, Gov. Martin O'Malley plans to sign into law the most comprehensive gun control legislation Maryland has seen in at least 25 years, a bill that will not only help guard against a mass shooting incident, like December's massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, but will also help fight the day-to-day violence that plagues Baltimore and other communities. The bill has become doubly important with the failure - at least for the moment - of attempts to tighten gun laws on the federal level, both because it will make Marylanders safer and because it can serve as a model for other states as they seek ways to address gun violence.

Advertisements praising Maryland's new gun control law will appear on Baltimore-area televisions soon after the measure is signed Thursday - the first volley in a two-pronged effort to defend the legislation and the politicians who voted for it. The gun control advocates behind the ads want to bolster support among Maryland voters in case there's a referendum next year. But they also want to counter a campaign to oust lawmakers who backed the bill in the General Assembly. "We know that the other side will be attacking the legislators who voted for it, and we want people to know those legislators were doing the right thing to save lives in Maryland," said Vincent DeMarco, president of Marylanders to Prevent Gun Violence.

If you hate Maryland's new gun law and wish you could vote against it, Sue Payne is looking for you. The Montgomery County woman this week filed paperwork with the Board of Elections to petition the controversial new gun-control bill to referendum.  She said she bought a web domain, lined up a web designer to create a digital system for distributing petitions and is now looking for someone to take over the operation, which she calls Free State Petitions. “I will turn over the language to whoever wants to come and do this under the banner of Free State Petitions so that the citizens of the state can have a voice,” Payne said Friday.

I'd like to propose a hypothetical situation that too few people seem to be imagining themselves in these past few weeks. Please, consider this story: Through some paranormal revelation, you know that you will be mugged tomorrow at gunpoint. You don't know when exactly. You don't know what your assailant will look like. You only know that your attacker will be armed. As a law-abiding citizen of the great state of Maryland, you cannot go out and purchase a defensive weapon from a licensed dealer.

A little-noticed provision tucked at the end of the sweeping gun legislation approved by the General Assembly last month would shield from view key state gun records that now are public — a change that was pushed by gun-rights advocates during the intense legislative debate and passed unknown to the most ardent gun-control supporters. Current laws allow the Maryland State Police to release the names of people who apply to buy guns, who hold collector's licenses and concealed-carry permits, as well as details about weapon sales.

I am ashamed to find out that the U.S. Senate has voted to oppose minimal, common-sense gun control legislation ("Defeat leaves gun control backers at a loss for strategy," April 19). Thankfully, both of our Maryland senators supported these measures, while 46 senators, including 90 percent of Republicans, opposed requiring criminal background checks on sales at gun shows and online. Even more elected officials opposed banning assault weapons or large-scale ammunition magazines.