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Bill Numbers are color coded according to whether we recommend opposing or supporting them or have no recommendation. | |||||
| Number | Hearing Date, Time |
Title and Synopsis | Notes | ||
| HB45 | killed | Public Safety - Imitation Firearms - Prohibition
House: Judiciary A bill to prohibit the sale, offer of sale, possession, use, attempt to use, or transfer of an imitation firearm. This bill is the "nobody can sell realistic toy guns except for use in Hollywood style films or TV shows" bill. It is also how to disguise your real gun to look like a toy gun bill. Sponsored By: Delegate Anderson |
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| HB60 | TBA | Criminal Law - Assault against a Law Enforcement Officer - Penalties
House: Judiciary A bill to prohibit the crime of assault against law enforcement officers and to establish penalties for that crime. This bill establishes special protections for police officers that private citizens do not have (does this sound like a police state yet?) Sponsored By: Delegate Boschert |
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| HB130 | 2/5 | Searches of Students - School-Sponsored Trips - Teachers
House: Judiciary A law to allow public school employees (principal, assistant principal, school security guard of a public school, or a teacher of a public school) to make “reasonable searches” of a student on a school-sponsored trip if the searcher has a “reasonable belief” that the student has possession of anything it is against the law or a rule or regulation of the county board to possess. Notice the multiple use of "reasonable" in the law without defining what makes an action "reasonable". See the ACLU guide. Sponsored By: Delegates King, Barkley, Boschert, Bozman, G. Clagett, Cryor, Dumais, Feldman, Gilleland, Gutierrez, Krebs, Mandel, Murray, Petzold, and Ramirez |
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| HB151 | 3/16 | Handguns - Wearing, Carrying, or Transporting - Law Enforcement Exception
House: Judiciary A law to allow off duty law enforcement officers to carry approved firearms. Sponsored By: Chairman of Judicary Committee at request of State Police |
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| HB152 | 3/16 | Handgun Permits - Expiration
House: Judiciary A bill to allow the Secretary of the State Police to reduce the length of time for a handgun permit to two years rather than three at his sole option. Sponsored By: Chairman of Judicary Committee at request of State Police |
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| HB251 | 3/16 | Public Safety - Handgun Identification Requirements - Repeal
House: Judiciary A bill to repeal a provision that establishes a procedure for the collection and reporting of handgun shell casing information; etc.. Shell casing collection is one of two provisions in Maryland law that create a ban in Maryland for most handguns (the other is integrated mechanical safety locks). While this provision is in place, handgun selection for law-abiding people will be poor. Of course, criminals will continue to have available gun models not available to you. Sponsored By: Delegates Kelly, Amedori, Boutin, Edwards, McKee, Myers, O'Donnell, Owings, Shank, Stull, and Weldon |
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| HB269 | 3/16 | Public Safety - Imitation Firearms - Prohibition
House: Judiciary A bill to prohibit the sale, offer of sale, possession, use, attempt to use, or transfer of an imitation firearm. Let's all make sure criminal sell and use the real thing and put lives at risk rather than have them use fake firearms. Let's also catch up innocent people in technical crimes involving imitation firearms. Sponsored By: Delegates Anderson, McIntosh, and Doory |
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| HB305 | 3/16 | Criminal Law - Substantive Crimes
House: Judiciary Making it a misdemeanor to use any firearm capable of being concealed on the person in the commission of a crime of violence or a felony, whether or not the firearm is operable at the time of the crime. Warning to criminals, use firearms that can't be concealed or you are really in trouble. Where do we get these legislators? Sponsored By: Delegates Sophocleus, Anderson, Cadden, Harrison, McMillan, Menes, and Montgomery |
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| HB392 | 3/16 | Gun Shops - Storage Vaults for Regulated Firearms
House: Judiciary A bill to require an applicant for a State regulated firearms dealer's license to have a specified vault at his place of business that can hold regulated firearms; requiring a licensee to store in the vault all regulated firearms for sale when the licensee's place of business is closed; requiring current licensees to comply on or before July 1, 2005; and providing specified penalties. More expense and harassment for gun dealers -- guess who pays? Sponsored By: Delegates Niemann, Barkley, Bobo, Franchot, Kelley, Murray, Paige, Proctor, Ramirez, F. Turner, and Vaughn |
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| HB410 | 3/16 | Handguns - Identification Requirements - Repeal
House: Judiciary A bill to repeal the requirement imposed on specified handgun manufacturers to provide to handgun dealers shell casings of projectiles discharged from handguns and specified additional information; and repealing the requirement imposed on handgun dealers to forward shell casings and specified information to the Department of State Police Crime Laboratory. Sponsored By: Delegates Smigiel, Boteler, Cluster, Costa, Dwyer, Elmore, Impallaria, Jennings, Kach, McConkey, Myers, Sossi, Stull, Walkup, and Weldon |
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| HB414 | 3/16 | Handgun Safety Devices - Repeal
House: Judiciary A bill to repeal the prohibition against a dealer selling, offering for sale, renting, or transferring in the State specified handguns unless the handguns are equipped with an external safety lock or an integrated mechanical safety device; and repealing requirements relating to specified duties of the Handgun Roster Board. Sponsored By: Delegates Smigiel, Boteler, Cluster, Costa, Dwyer, Elmore, Impallaria, Jennings, Kach, McConkey, Myers, Sossi, Stull, Walkup, and Weldon |
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| HB444 | 3/16 | Cecil County - Issuance of Handgun Permits
House: Judiciary A bill to require the Secretary of State Police to issue a handgun permit within a reasonable time to a resident applicant of Cecil County who has stated, under oath, on the application for a permit that the applicant meets specified criteria. This bill would treat residents of Cecil County as priviledged individuals. Sponsored By: Delegates Smigiel, Boutin, Sossi, and Walkup |
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| HB456 | 3/16 | Firearms Offenses - Project Exile
House: Judiciary A bill to make it a felony to use a firearm on school property; prohibit a District Court commissioner from authorizing the pretrial release of a defendant charged with a crime of violence; increase specified criminal penalties for a person who is convicted of possessing a firearm or ammunition after having been previously convicted of a crime of violence or a felony; allow the State to apply to the Court of Special Appeals for leave to appeal an order of the circuit court setting the specifications of bail. Not Exile, but attempting to pass as Exile. This bill fakes getting tough with "gun crime" but does not explain how its manditory minimum sentences will be imposed when other Maryland manditory minimum gun crime sentences are not. Sponsored By: Delegates Cadden, Aumann, Barkley, Boschert, Boutin, G. Clagett, Conway, DeBoy, Frank, Fulton, Gilleland, Hammen, James, Krebs, Leopold, Malone, Minnick, Mitchell, Rudolph, Sophocleus, Sossi, Stern, and Wood |
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| HB506 | 3/16 | Wearing, Carrying, or Transporting Handgun Prohibition - Exceptions for Federal Government Police Agencies
House: Judiciary A bill to add members of specified federal government police agencies to the definition of a law enforcement official who is exempt from a prohibition against the wearing, carrying, or transporting of a handgun. Specifically, this adds members of National Security Agency Police; Department Of Defense Police; U.S. Navy Police; U.S. Naval Academy Police; and Department Of The Army Police. Now, the question is why these members do not qualify under the current definition of law enforcement officer. The definition reads in part: "a full-time member of a police force or other unit of the United States, a state, a county, a municipal corporation, or other political subdivision of a state who is responsible for the prevention and detection of crime and the enforcement of the laws of the United States, a state, a county, a municipal corporation, or other political subdivision of a state." That is, are they not full-time members of a police force of the United States? Are they not responsible for the prevention and detection of crime and enforcement of the laws of the United States? If they are, they are covered. If they are not, why should they be armed? Sponsored By: Delegates Kelly, DeBoy, Edwards, Myers, O'Donnell, Owings, and Shank |
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| HB587 | 3/16 | Handguns - Sales by Law Enforcement Agencies to Officers
House: Judiciary A bill to allow a law enforcement agency of Prince George's County or a municipal corporation in Prince George's County to allow a current or retired law enforcement officer to keep or acquire the handgun assigned to the officer under specified circumstances. Sponsored By: Prince George's County Delegation |
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| HB652 | 3/16 | Handguns - Integrated Mechanical Safety Device Requirement - Repeal
House: Judiciary A bill to repeal the definition of "integrated mechanical safety device"; repealing a provision prohibiting, on or after January 1, 2003, a dealer from selling, offering for sale, renting, or transferring in the State a handgun manufactured on or after January 1, 2003, unless the handgun has an integrated mechanical safety device. Sponsored By: Delegates Kelly, Bartlett, Edwards, Elliott, Hogan, McKee, Myers, O'Donnell, Owings, Shank, Stull, and Weldon |
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| HB784 | 3/5 | Montgomery County - Fire and Explosive Investigators - Authority MC 409-04
House: Judiciary A bill to extend to a Montgomery County fire and explosive investigator the authority of the State Fire Marshal and full-time investigative and inspection assistants in that office to make warrantless arrests and exercise powers of arrest; authorize the County Fire Administrator to limit that authority in a written policy; extend to the Administrator specified protections against judicial review or other actions; authorize an investigator to carry a handgun and attend training at the Maryland Police Training Commission. Sponsored By: Montgomery County Delegation |
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| HB859 | 3/16 | Citizens' Protection Act of 2004
House: Judiciary A bill to alter the requirements and procedures for application for, and issuance of, a handgun permit; alter and eliminate some fees; eliminate modified and limited handgun permits; eliminate the requirement that the holder have a good and substantial reason to carry a handgun; set criteria and conditions to obtain a permit; require the Secretary of State Police to approve or reject an application for a handgun permit within a specified period of time. Sponsored By: Delegates Dwyer, Amedori, Anderson, Bartlett, Bates, Boschert, Boteler, Boutin, Cluster, Costa, DeBoy, Eckardt, Edwards, Elliott, Frank, Fulton, Gilleland, Glassman, Hogan, Impallaria, Jennings, Kach, Kelly, Leopold, McComas, McConkey, McDonough, McKee, Miller, Minnick, Mitchell, Myers, O'Donnell, Owings, Parrott, Shank, Smigiel, Sossi, Stocksdale, Stull, Weir, Weldon, and Wood |
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| HB938 | TBA | Prince George's County - Sale and Storage of Firearms PG/MC
House: Judiciary A bill to authorize the district council for Prince George's County to regulate the sale and storage of specified firearms, ammunition, and components of specified firearms in the portion of the Maryland-Washington Regional District located within Prince George's County; and require the district council to delegate the authority to regulate the sale and storage of specified firearms, ammunition, and components of specified firearms to a specified municipal corporation on written application by the municipal corporation. This bill would over turn preemption and begin Balkanizing Maryland with firearm regulations on a county by county basis. It allows PG County to regulate sale and storage of handguns, rifles and shotguns and ammunition. It also allows the regulation of sale and storage of components of firearms. Sponsored By: Prince George's County Delegation and Montgomery County Delegation |
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| HB983 | TBA | Armed Criminal Lockup Act
House: Judiciary A bill to prohibit a person convicted of a crime of violence from possessing a firearm while on conditional release from confinement for the conviction; require a court or the Maryland Parole Commission to revoke the conditional release of the person on a finding of a violation; prohibit the person from being subsequently released; prohibit a child adjudicated delinquent for specified delinquent acts from possessing a firearm while on conditional release from detention. This bill tells convicted violent criminals that they can't have firearms if they are released by the state and that if they violate this law and caught they will not be released again. This is a general public safety issue and does not appear to impact the rights of the law-abiding. Sponsored By: Delegates Quinter, Amedori, Barkley, G. Clagett, Cluster, Conroy, Feldman, Fulton, Kelly, Madaleno, Montgomery, Murray, Owings, Shank, Sophocleus, and Trueschler |
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| HB1112 | 3/16 | Public Safety - Gun Control Act of 2004
Senate: Judiciary Increasing the mandatory minimum penalties for the crime of using concealable antique firearms in the commissions of a crime of violence from 5 years to 10 years imprisonment and eliminates parole for that crime; changing a specified misdemeanor to a felony; in a confusing paragraph on assault weapons under the category of antique firearms the bill would increase penalities for using an assault weapon; establishing the crime of using antique firearms in the commission of specified drug crimes; providing that a court may not enter a judgment for less than the mandatory minimum sentence for specified crimes; requiring a State's attorney to prepare a report of a plea bargain agreement (the one good feature of this bill). This bill increases mandatory minimum sentences for violent offenders (not just felons) found in possession of a firearm. I'm sure these offenders would quake in their boots if only we can convince them these mandatory minimum sentences are different from existing mandatory minimum sentences which are not applied in 80% of the cases they could be. The bill establishes a "rat on your neighbor" hot line for illegal guns. It doesn't require anything be done about the guns, but the hotline reports are to be collected and analyzed so they can be reported to the legislature. The bill establishes an annual "dispose of your gun" amnesty to allow criminals to dispose of gun in a way that is safer than tossing it into a river. By surrendering this gun to police the crook will escape all charges related to the gun. Sets up advertising to make sure crooks know of these opportunities to dispose of their guns. This bill is a confusing combination of ideas and is so poorly written that criminals will likely escape conviction. Sponsored By: Delegate Trueschler |
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| HB1148 | 3/18 | Domestic Violence - Protective Order - Penalty
Senate: Judiciary Providing penalties for failure to comply with specified relief ordered by the court in a final protective order by not surrendering possession of specified firearms to law enforcement authorities or by willfully failing to complete a counseling or a domestic violence program. Penalties already exist for failure to follow the protective order, but this adds firearms surrender and counciling to the violations that can get you jail or a fine. Sponsored By: Delegates McComas, Boutin, Dumais, Frush, Menes, Petzold, Sossi, and F. Turner |
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| HB1298 | 3/16 | Maryland Assault Weapons Ban of 2004
Senate: Judiciary Making it a misdemeanor to transport an assault weapon into the State or to possess, sell, offer to sell, transfer, purchase, or receive an assault weapon; making it a misdemeanor to possess an assault weapon and to provide manditory minimum sentences and enhancements for using an assault weapon in the commission of a felony or crime of violence. In addition this bill outlaws future ownership of many semi-automatic rifles ... Crossfiled with SB288 -- see below for the details. Sponsored By: Delegates Quinter, Anderson, Barkley, Barve, Benson, Bobo, Branch, Bronrott, Brown, Burns, Cardin, Carter, V. Clagett, Conroy, Cryor, D. Davis, Doory, Dumais, Feldman, Franchot, Frush, Gaines, Goldwater, Goodwin, Gordon, Griffith Gutierrez, Hammen, Harrison, Haynes, Heller, Hixson, Holmes, Howard, Hubbard, Hurson, Jones, Kaiser, Kelley, King, Kirk, Krysiak, Lee, Madaleno, Mandel, Marriott, McHale, McIntosh, Menes, Moe, Montgomery, Morhaim, Murray, Nathan-Pulliam, Niemann, Oaks, Paige, Parker, Patterson, Pendergrass, Petzold, Ramirez, Rosenberg, Ross, Simmons, Stern, Taylor, F. Turner, V. Turner, Vaughn, and Zirkin |
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| SB10 | 3/9 | Regulated Firearms - Ammunition - Active Duty Military Under Age 21
Senate: Judicial Proceedings A bill to allow those under 21 to buy ammunition that can be used in handguns (or other regulated firearms) if they are in the military. Sponsored By: Senators Harris and Jimeno |
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| SB137 | 3/17 | Self-Defense Act - Rule of Law
Senate: Judicial Proceedings A bill to require "shall-issue" for decent citizens for handgun permits by repealing the requirement for a good and substantial reason to wear, carry, or transport a handgun by establishing a 45-day response period within which the Secretary must issue a permit and by requiring that an individual be certified by a qualified handgun instructor before receiving a permit. Sponsored By: Senators Mooney, Brinkley, Colburn, Greenip, Haines, Harris, Hooper, Jacobs, Jimeno, Klausmeier, Stoltzfus, and Stone |
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| SB288 | 2/10/04 | Maryland Assault Weapons Ban of 2004
Senate: Judicial Proceedings Making it a misdemeanor to transport an assault weapon into the State or to possess, sell, offer to sell, transfer, purchase, or receive an assault weapon; making it a misdemeanor to possess an assault weapon and to provide manditory minimum sentences and enhancements for using an assault weapon in the commission of a felony or crime of violence. The bill defines assault long guns to include (Partial List): AK-47 IN ALL FORMS; AR 100 TYPE SEMI-AUTO; AR 180 TYPE SEMI-AUTO; BUSHMASTER SEMI-AUTO RIFLE; COLT AR-15, CAR-15, AND ALL IMITATIONS EXCEPT COLT AR-15 SPORTER H-BAR RIFLE; SKS WITH DETACHABLE MAGAZINE; SPRINGFIELD ARMORY BM-59, SAR-48, G3, SAR-3, M-21 SNIPER RIFLE, M1A, EXCLUDING THE M1 GARAND; Ruger mini-14 folding stock model (.223 caliber); any semi-automatic, centerfire rifle that can accept a detachable magazine and any of 1) pistol grip, thumbhole stock, folding or telescoping stock, granade launcher or flair launcher, flash suppressor, or forward pistol grip. [some commercial versions of SKS rifles]; any semi-automatic, centerfire rifle with a fixed magazine of more than 10 rounds; any semi-automatic rifle with a overall length less than 30 inches. Additionally, the bill defines as an assault weapon any semi-automatic pistol that can accept a detachable magazine and any of: a threaded barrel capable of accepting a flash hider or silencer; a second handgrip; a shroud that encircles the barrel (except for a slide); a detachable magazine outside of the pistol grip. That definition includes most semi-automatic pistols. The bill defines as an assault weapon any semi-automatic shotgun that has both of: a pistol grip, thumbhole stock, or vertical handgrip; a folding or telescoping stock or has a revolving cylinder. The bill allows grandfathering of assault long guns or copycat weapons already owned provided they are registered before 11/13/04. A summary of proponent arguments for banning long guns endorsed by Maryland Senate Democrats is presented here. Sponsored By: Senators Garagiola, Britt, Conway, Currie, Exum, Forehand, Frosh, Gladden, Grosfeld, Hollinger, Hughes, Jones, Kasemeyer, Kelley, Kramer, Lawlah, McFadden, Pinsky, Ruben, and Teitelbaum |
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| SB318 | 3/17 | Criminal Law - Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Crime of Violence or a Felony
Senate: Judicial Proceedings A bill to generalize the prohibition against using firearms in crimes of violence to include any firearm including antiques, long guns, and inoperable firearms and to make the crime subject to a mandatory minimum sentence. This bill, thoughtlessly, includes a definition of firearm that makes using the frame of a firearm a serious crime. So, don't throw any spare frame at anyone. And, unfortunately, criminals are likely to notice they don't get any slack by using inoperable firearms, so they might as well use operating firearms. Sponsored By: Senators Haines, Brochin, Giannetti, Jacobs, and Jimeno |
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| SB547 | 3/3 | Handguns - Integrated Mechanical Safety Device - Definition
Senate: Judicial Proceedings A bill to alter the definition of the integrated mechanical safety device required to be on specified handguns sold in Maryland. This is Senate President Miller's effort to repeal the integrate lock requirement that is effectively banning handguns in Maryland (without saying so, of course). This bill will include cable locks or after market locks in the definition of integrated locks. Sponsored By: Senators Miller, Astle, DeGrange, Dyson, Jimeno, Klausmeier, and Middleton |
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| SB662 | 3/17 | Handgun Identification Requirements - Repeal
Senate: Judicial Proceedings A bill to repeal a provision that establishes a procedure for the collection and reporting of handgun shell casing information. This bill deletes all of article 5-131 of the Public Safety article dealing with shell casings; it would repeal the shell casing requirement for handguns. Sponsored By: Senators Brinkley and Mooney |
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Last updated 2/12/04