Maryland's Gun Control

The state of Maryland is at the top of all the states with restrictive policies as it relates to law-abiding citizens obtaining concealed carry permits. For example when I was Police Chief in St.Michaels, Maryland (about 40 years ago) I was a sworn police officer and was responsible for all the men in the police department and the safety of the town, but when I wanted to buy a handgun I had to go thru the same background check and the same waiting period, as the person on the street every time I wanted to by a gun, which was not very often. I was trusted to wear a sidearm while on duty and a concealed weapon off duty, but not to buy a gun. This policy might have changed over the years since that time but that is the way it was when I was a police officer.

To go another step further when I left law enforcement I could not get a concealed weapons permit even though I had numerous threats on my life by people I arrested and sent to prison. I did my duty in keeping the people safe but my safety afterwards was not important to the State of Maryland.

Maryland is also way down the list on serving out stiff punishments for crimes committed with guns by offenders and repeat offenders. While they cannot agree on how to solve the issue of mass shootings, one would think that the murder rate on the streets of Baltimore would be an easier fix. The same is true in cities across the country. Where is the left's outrage on this issue? Why do they not put their attention on demanding stiffer penalties related to crimes committed with guns instead of making more gun laws that never work? Maryland HB 1302 was recently passed by the state legislature. It provides far-reaching implications for the state to confiscate guns from peoples without the financial ability to defend themselves in court. I know because I read the bill, and while I disagree with much of that newly proposed law it will probably get signed into law this October.

The Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution says, “The People’s right to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” However, in the people’s republic of Maryland, overrun by the left and a Republican Governor who is good on some things but not on gun laws. Their only centre of attention is on slowly taking away at our constitutional right to bear arms.