Maryland Bill to Prohibit ‘Assault Weapons’ Moving
I wanted to post this story here, because this should be the place where people should know the difference. Old issue, still kicking...
Just what is an 'assault weapon' anyway?
The following semi-auto rifles seem to me to be more effective [i.e. lethal] than the ones being banned -- but they would still be legal under the proposed law, so what is the standard?
BAR Lightweight Stalker
http://www.browning.com/products/cat...31&type_id=008
Remington Model 7400 Synthetic
http://www.remington.com/firearms/ce...re/7400syn.htm
Ruger Mini-14
http://ruger.com/Firearms/FAProdView...=1866&return=Y
Benelli R1
http://www.benelliusa.com/firearms/r1.tpl
http://www.gunweek.com/0210issue/maryland0210.html
A bill banning so-called assault weapons is shaping up to be the major battle over firearms in the current session of the Maryland General Assembly, with the idea getting a nod from Senate President Thomas V. “Mike” Miller Jr. and a broad swath of liberal Democratic lawmakers, according to The Gazette.
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Robert J. Garagiola (D-15th Dist.) of Germantown and Del. Neil F. Quinter (D-13th Dist.) of Columbia, would ban not only the semi-automatic Uzis, AK-47s and other guns included in the federal assault weapons ban set to expire this year, but also copycats and other firearms, such as the Bushmaster rifle used in the 2002 “Beltway sniper” murder spree.
Miller, who has criticized Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) for voting against previous gun bans, stopped short of saying the bill will pass. But if Miller decides to get behind the bill, he will find breaking a sure filibuster on the issue easier now that the vote needed to end a filibuster has changed from two-thirds (32 votes) to three-fifths (29 votes). Ehrlich has long opposed gun bans, but he may not want an “assault weapons” ban hotly opposed by many Republicans to reach his desk, given that the issue has proven popular in polls in Maryland.
The gun issue could induce Miller (D-Dist. 27) of Chesapeake Beach to break his alliance with Ehrlich on slots and other issues, much as he did last year when he defeated Lynn Y. Buhl as the governor’s environmental secretary nominee.
Sen. Alexander X. Mooney (R-3rd Dist.) of Frederick, an ardent gun rights advocate, defended the firearms as “sport utility rifles.”
He said fully automatic machineguns have long been banned, and giving people guns—including semi-automatic Uzis—would make them safer. He also questioned statistics cited by anti-gun supporters that the federal ban has cut crime and assault weapon traces used in crimes. He decried the proposal as part of a step-by-step plan to ban all guns. Mooney is considering a bill expanding the right to carry guns.
Although prospects are looking up in the Senate, the bill faces a tough hurdle in the House from Judiciary Chairman Joseph F. Vallario Jr. (D-27th Dist.) of Upper Marlboro, who is skeptical of the need for new gun laws.
Vallario said he has a lot of questions about the ban, mainly about how it differs from the soon-to-expire federal ban and what impact it will have on existing guns.
Del. Carmen Amedori (R-Dist. 5A) of Westminster, a gun rights advocate, said she has always expected the House to be key in preserving gun rights once Frosh became chairman of Judicial Proceedings.
A rally for the ban held in early January at the Chevy Chase home of CeaseFire Maryland Executive Director Leah Barrett attracted a veritable mob of elected officials, from possible gubernatorial candidates Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan (D) and Del. Peter V.R. Franchot (D-20th Dist.) of Takoma Park to Frosh and US Rep. Christopher Van Hollen Jr. (D-8th Dist.) of Kensington, The Gazette reported.
Van Hollen noted that prospects of passing an assault weapons ban are better with Frosh as the Judicial Proceedings chairman than in earlier years when Sen. Walter M. Baker relished making mincemeat out of gun control proposals. Baker was defeated in 2002.
There were even a few Republicans at Barrett’s home, led by County Councilman Howard A. Denis (R-Dist. 1) of Chevy Chase. With Constance A. Morella’s defeat by Van Hollen in 2002, Denis, a former state senator, may be the most liberal elected Republican in the state.
While supporters were meeting inside at the anti-gun reception, a band of gun rights proponents protested outside.
Surely the phrase 'sports utility weapon' is as silly as the phrase 'assault weapon' in legislative terms. I mean no matter what you call it a gun is designed to kill. Just because something is called a hunting weapon doesn't mean the bullet will refuse to fire if its pointed at a human.
As a Brit I have no opinion worth expressing on US gun control, just wanted to point this out.
edit
I'm really getting tired of Maryland's ****ty gun laws.
Hey if these bans are passed madmen, terrorist and criminals will not be able to get these terrible weapons just like people can't get illegal narcotics now! I feel safer already! Yeah right!!!! The whole gun issue has been way overblown by the media and anti gun groups in the U.S. .
I heard that conservative estimates are that there are some 60 million handguns in this country along with 120 million long guns. A tiny percentage of guns in this country are being used for malicious purposes.
"Assault weapon" is a buzz word used to scare the general public. An UZI
is nothing more than a big 9mm pistol and the evil AK-47 is pip-squeak in
power terms compared to most hunting rifles. I wish the general public
could realize what a load of B.S. Mrs. Feinstine(author of federal assault weapons ban), Handun Control Inc, and the VPC are feeding them.
Actually, it is less than 1 TENTH of 1 PERCENT...Originally Posted by jprichard
To the forum in general...
God damn idiots. You know, I don't care if you are liberal, because on most social issues I will agree with you or at least agree to disagree midly, but this anti-gun kick that developed out of the 70's HAS to go. Fortunately, at a Federal level, most Dems realized that trying to take up the anti-gun war cry gets them less reelections...
The Federal Assault weapons ban will sunset. It has too. Anyone that helps it pass will commit poltical suicide. If you do not Maryland's gun laws, move or become an activist, but just do not sit there and hope the NRA will help you. Do somethign about it. I have found that taking out my liberal friends once a month to shoot at targets works EXTREMELY well. In the past 12 months I have easily converted about 2 dozen anti-gun types. They are no longer afraid of guns and understand why I love to target shoot..
Think globally. Act locally.
As with all things there is balance...
And as with all things there is balance...
New Hampshire...
New Hampshire rocks, plain and simple. People that REALLY care will simply move from Maryland to places like this, were gun owners are not only tolerated, but encouraged. Add to that no income or State property tax and well...Senate considers repealing gun law
CONCORD (AP) – State residents would no longer need permits to carry concealed handguns under a bill considered Tuesday by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
“Society is safer when criminals don’t know who is armed,” said Norman Bernier, of Concord.
Right now, a woman who is threatened could be forced to wait up to 14 days to get a license to carry a concealed weapon, Bernier said.
Because state law allows children to be gun owners with their parents’ permission, the proposed law could allow children and teenagers to carry concealed handguns, she said
Screw Maryland.
An interesting approach to reach narrow minds -- if you can get them to go in the first place. Perhaps while they're at the range you can tell them about the real statistical evidence showing that places having an armed citizenry are safer than ones that are not, such as in John Lott's More, Guns, Less Crime...just do not sit there and hope the NRA will help you. Do somethign about it. I have found that taking out my liberal friends once a month to shoot at targets works EXTREMELY well. In the past 12 months I have easily converted about 2 dozen anti-gun types. They are no longer afraid of guns and understand why I love to target shoot..
Think globally. Act locally.
http://www.aim.org/conservativemall/detail.php?id=592
I feel that for a non-math or simple crowd, his book "The Bias Against Guns" is a much better read. Less statistical formulas, same resulting data, better read, and more interesting, relevant data.
I am a gun nerd and fairly good with statistics...more or less. I loves the first book. I could not hand it to someone and say "Here is the proof" simply because it would be boring for most.
Plus, I simply do not bother shoving it down their throat. I get more respect. I take them down, spend a half hour on gun safety, show them how to operate a dozen or so weapons, and then open the range up for them to enjoy.
I buy the ammo too. The goal is not to get them to develop shooting as a hobby, just to understand what guns are and that they CAN be enjoyable to shoot.
Not bad at all and worth every penny...
Imagine if all gun owners did that with at least one non-gun owning or anti-gun individual a year.
Oh, and I make kick-ass DVD music videos of the shooting events which people really seem to get into. Everyone that participated gets a disk. They love it.
Can I come at your next birthday party?
Heheh, my B-Day party is even better.Can I come at your next birthday party?
And yes, you are invited.
If you ever get to the US, hell anyone on the forum, especially those of you in Europe, who ever want to have a good time, need a place to crash, and spend a day shooting, let me know. And, no, this is not your typical hillbilly shoot either...my shooting group tends to be upscale and stylish.
For those of you that do not want to shoot, I can gaurantee you will have a good time aprtying.
Cheers!
I'll stop by next time I'm in Kentuky.
is not the dedicated shooters I worry about its
billy bob who has a gun somewhere in the house and gets it out after an arguement with the wife.
idiots haveing access to firearms
This is the classic elitist argument against law-abiding citizens owning firearms. It betrays a fundamental distrust of the general population having any power that is not subject to approval by Our Betters in Authority. The fact that Rosie O'Donnell has contempt for others being armed while her bodyguards are packing heat is illuminating indeed.is not the dedicated shooters I worry about its
billy bob who has a gun somewhere in the house and gets it out after an arguement with the wife.
idiots haveing access to firearms
In the US, people are responsible for their own security and protection. This has been borne out in court cases wherein people unsuccessfully tried to sue the police for failing to protect them [such as not showing up when a citizen merely suspected that a threatening person was coming or taking too long to get to the scene after a 911 call, resulting in an injury or death while waiting for the police to arrive.]
The police are not security guards. They are law-enforcement officials. They would like to prevent crime by being there before it happens, but the vast majority of the time, they arrive long afterward -- putting down the tape outline and booking the perp. If you don't want that to happen to you, YOU have to prevent it. Otherwise, well, maybe you don't belong in the gene pool.
Real-world evidence shows that the small proportion of incidents involving 'Billy Bobs' [I'm a NRA card-carrying 'Billy Ray' myself, by the way who respects/fears his more experienced shooting wife] who kill their wives or children who get ahold of a firearm that is unsafely stored [in contravention of NRA recommendations], or other negative consequences are far outweighed by:
- The reduction in personal crimes perpetrated in the first place, because criminals don't know who is armed
- The number of personal crimes that are foiled because the intended victims were armed [which far outnumber the negative uses of firearms -- lack of media coverage notwithstanding]
The above are not unsubstantiated opinions, but facts backed by objectively verifiable statistics.
Note: Home invasion burglaries are proportionally more prevalent in the UK than they are in the US, because British burglars know that in the extremely unlikey event they are shot by a homeowner, the homeowner will be punished -- a strong deterrent against self-defense [or defence].
I've been away for awhile, have you missed me, MXQ?
Ok, how about this counter argument. If someone kills someone else, the go to jail.is not the dedicated shooters I worry about its
billy bob who has a gun somewhere in the house and gets it out after an arguement with the wife.
idiots haveing access to firearms
Wow, that was simple.
If Billy Bob didn't have a gun, he would probably beat his wife...with a belt or bottle or his bare hands...
Same problem different weapon...
Its a poor example anyways, domestic disputes rarely involve a firearm wielding husband.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote