Gun Violence

About 9 a.m. Saturday, Bonny Eisenbise strode up to a man outside a Giant supermarket in North Baltimore. "We're trying to get guns off the street," she told him, offering a yellow flier that asked in bold type: "Haven't we had enough gun violence?" "Yeah, I'm with you," said the shopper, David Kehoe, who promised her that he would call his state delegate. With that, Eisenbise scanned the parking lot, looking for more recruits in a last-minute lobbying push to support Gov. Martin O'Malley's gun control bill, which would ban the sale of assault-type rifles and require a license to purchase a handgun, among other changes.

Over 2,000 people - 38 of them children - have been killed by guns in America since the massacre at Newtown, Conn., two months ago. The U.S. firearm homicide rate is 20 times greater than other high-income countries. We have brought down the death toll from cars, toys and medications through careful study and thoughtful legislation - why are we not able to enact legislation to protect ourselves from gun violence? Taking the needed steps to keep guns out of the wrong hands does not violate the Second Amendment.

Reporters Erin Cox and Michael Dresser should be ashamed regarding the manner in which they recorded the recent hearing on gun legislation in Annapolis ("Gun control draws more than 2,000 to Annapolis," March 2). The article does not represent the truth. Hundreds came out to support the governor's bill while over 1,000 came out against it. The "1,300" number they cite was the number of Marylanders who signed up to testify against the bill. They failed to mention another number in the article - 32 - which is how many people signed up to testify for the governor's bill.

It was refreshing to see a dose of reality coming from The Sun editorial regarding gun control ("Meaningful gun control," Feb. 26). "But the fact is, mass shootings are not the biggest threat we face. That is the almost daily gun violence on the streets of Baltimore, most of it related to the drug trade. Assault weapons, large magazines and involuntary commitments to mental health facilities don't much factor into the equation. " I believe that is the reality that many of Maryland's law abiding firearms owners have been shaking their heads about.

With no thanks to the Democratic state senator who represents the area, the Baltimore County community of Perry Hall is safer from gun violence than it was six months ago. We can say that much. Sen. Kathy Klausmeier might have voted against the important gun control bill that her colleagues in the Maryland Senate passed on Thursday, but Bobby Gladden has gone to prison, and that means his former fellow students at Perry Hall High won't have to worry about seeing him with a gun in the cafeteria again.

Over 2,000 people - 38 of them children - have been killed by guns in America since the massacre at Newtown two months ago. The U.S. firearm homicide rate is 20 times greater than other high-income countries. We have brought down the death toll from cars, toys and medications through careful study and thoughtful legislation - why can't we do this with guns? Taking steps to keep guns out of the wrong hands doesn't violate the second amendment any more than prohibitions against shouting "fire" in a crowded theater violate the first amendment.

Maryland's Senate opened Thursday with an early session on gun-control that could yield a final vote for the chamber on a bill that would ban the sale of assault-style rifles, keep guns away from some people with mental illnesses and require a license to buy a handgun. Baltimore Sen. Nathaniel McFadden said the need for stricter gun laws transcends the Newtown shooting massacre, which killed 26 people and sparked national calls for more gun control. "We don't have our Newtowns or Columbines in our neighborhood," McFadden said, adding that Baltimore instead lives with gun violence every day. "You can get a gun quicker than you can get an apple or an orange in my community.

The Maryland Senate approved a sweeping gun-control bill Thursday that would give the state one of the strictest firearm laws in the country. The contentious issue moved immediately to the House of Delegates, where the chamber's first public hearing on the bill and a rally by supporters are expected to draw thousands to Annapolis on Friday. The Senate's 28-19 vote in support of Gov. Martin O'Malley's bill came after more than 12 hours of often-emotional debate Wednesday and Thursday.

The centerpiece of Gov. Martin O'Malley's gun control bill survived the Maryland Senate intact Wednesday, though opponents vowed to keep fighting the proposal to give the state some of the nation's strictest gun laws. A new licensing provision at the heart of O'Malley's bill would require handgun buyers to give their fingerprints to the state police and to complete a training course. The law also would ban the sale of assault weapons and further limit access to guns by people with some mental illnesses.