This is a work in progress -- please help by identifying any errors you think have been made.  Revisions will be made over the next few weeks.  These ratings are evidence based and the evidence is given also for your review (answers to question or links to the right of the names).

Candidates are color coded according to their support for RKBA.  Red font indicates support for gun control -- Opposes RKBA.  This rating is ALSO given those who responded to state they would not answer questions for various reasons.  Grey font signifies that insufficient information is available from the candidate to rate them as pro-RKBA or supporting gun control.  In those cases, the candidate's name is marked with the color Joe Blow indicating insufficient information for an evaluation (no evaluation).  Some of the candidates did respond with equivocating answers or ignored our email requests.  Their names appear as Joe Blow meaning that the candidate should be questioned closely because it appears they are trying to hide on the issue.  We also considered candidate public statements and alignments with CeasefireMD or other gun control organizations and, in a small number of cases, stances in previous election contests. 

Incumbents were rated from their record of votes and they can be recognized on this page because they have Inc to the right of their names.  New candidates having a listed E-mail address were sent a four question survey.  Their responses are given along with our evaluation.  If addition information was provided by the candidate or through search of the public record of other political actions, that too was used and is provide through one or more links to the right of the name (click on the B,  C  or  D). 

The survey was planned to educate candidates with references to material supporting an "agree" response for the last three statements.  Some incumbents have been able to avoid taking a position on RKBA (either because the issues were bottled up in committee or because they were appointed to office recently).  When information was lacking from these incumbents, we sent them the questions too. Candidates were asked to agree (Y) or disagree (N) with the following statements:

1. ___ Agree ___ Disagree
I recognize that law-abiding Maryland residents have the individual right to keep and bear arms and I will defend that right as required by my oath of office to defend the Constitutions of Maryland and the United States.

2. ___ Agree ___ Disagree
Research shows that violent crime decreases when law-abiding citizens are permitted to carry concealed firearms at their discretion. So, I will support revisions to Maryland's code to require concealed handgun licenses be issued to law-abiding applicants and to recognize permits issued by other states.

3. ___ Agree ___ Disagree
Research announced by the Attorney General of California (see his press release at http://www.ag.ca.gov/newsalerts/2003/03-013.htm ) concluded ""today's technology is not yet adequate to handle the volume associated with adding all new guns to the database and still provide useful information for investigators."" Experience in Maryland and New York show that ballistic fingerprinting technology of new handguns is not useful as a crime solving technology. So, I will support revisions to Maryland's code to repeal requiring shell casings be supplied for every new handgun sold in Maryland.

4. ___ Agree ___ Disagree
Not one Maryland police officer has been shot and killed with any rifle for more than 25 years and last year only a couple of people were murdered in Maryland using rifles. Based on that and the low frequency that any kind of rifle is used in crime, I will oppose efforts to ban semi-automatic rifles (rifles that fire only once for each squeeze of the trigger) in Maryland."

Candidate indicating agreement with a statement are indicated as "Y". Disagreement is marked as "N".

Voting Record

Support for RKBA by incumbents (and those who were in the legislature previously who are running this time) evaluated from vote record on SB 211 as published in Washington Times on 4/5/00.  Also considered are the votes in the House on Amendments to SB211 (see that linked document) and sponsorship of other Anti-RKBA legislation during the prior legislative sessions.  In particular, sponsorship/votes of the AW ban legislation and the vote to repeal ballistic fingerprinting in 2004 (amendment offered to the budget bill) and for the "Responsible Gun Safety Act of 2000" was considered.

Evaluation

Candidates agreeing with all four statements are rated as Supporting RKBA UNLESS they also show support for CeaseFireMd (MAHA) or for some other gun control organization.

Candidates disagreeing with question 1 are rated as Opposing RKBA because they do not recognize your individual right to keep and bear arms.  Almost all responding candidates claimed to recognize your individual right to keep and bear arms (agreeing with statement #1), but many expressed the attitude that right was essentially without meaning by disagreeing with several of the other three statements.  Those candidates are rated as Opposing RKBA also.  The candidates who disagreed with one of the last three statements and agreed with the other are more difficult to evaluate.  They may be listed as No Information as are the candidate that did not have E-mail and have not been contacted.  In a few cases, with the right additional statements, the candidates was listed as Supporting RKBA.

In many cases candidates did not respond to requests by E-mail.  Most of those are Democrats and we can only guess why they did not respond.  Their names are colored "Joe Blow Candidate".  In several cases, candidates responded to say they would not answer the questions.  Their names are colored "Joe Blow Candidate" "Refused" appears to the right of their name.

Obviously, a new candidate expressing weak support or no support may be preferred to an incumbent who has a long history of gun-control support.  But such trade-offs should be decided by voters. 

Updated by Phil Lee on 10/18/06 (after the primary) -- contact pflee(at)wdn(dot)com