Posted by Phil Lee (216.250.238.49) on October 01, 2000 at 20:53:
During the year 2000 session, Del. Heller was a sponsor for HB 1139 which provided that it is the misdemeanor of reckless endangerment if a person uses a handgun to place the person's spouse, parent, or child in fear of death or serious physical injury. This bill ignored placing person's spouse, parent, or child in fear of death or serious physical injury by knife, baseball bat, pipe, shotgun, rifle and many other weapons. It ignored placing aunts, uncles, grandparents, nieces, nephews, and the average person on the street. It ignored so much that it is clear this bill has no purpose other than make it appear that the delegate is doing something about violence.
Del. Heller also sponsored HB 1132 making it illegal to transport handguns in Maryland. Specifically the bill provides that: "Any person who shall wear, carry, or transport any handgun, whether concealed or open, upon or about his person, and any person who shall wear, carry or knowingly transport any handgun, whether concealed or open, in any vehicle traveling upon the public roads, highways, waterways, or airways or upon roads or parking lots generally used by the public in this State shall be guilty of a misdemeanor; and it shall be a rebuttable presumption that the person is knowingly transporting the handgun; ..." So, you could not even carry your legally owned pistol to the range.
Del. Heller sponsored HB 1131 to require licencing of owners of regulated firearms and to require a safety course. The safety course was also a part of SB 211 which was enacted into law.
Del. Heller sponsored HB 444 to require state or local law enforcement agencies to destroy unnecessary, unneeded, or forfeited firearms and providing a specified exceptions to the destruction requirement to allow a firearm to be "retained" [read stolen] by a law enforcement agency for official use. That bill is effectively a tax increase since valuable property owned by the state (old police firearms) will be destroyed rather than sold on the commercial market. This is another feel good anti-gun piece of legislation.