Posted by Phil Lee (216.250.238.49) on October 01, 2000 at 20:56:
During the year 2000 session, Del. Bronrott 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. Bronrott 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. Bronrott 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.
Del. Bronrott sponsored HB 279 (the House version of the SB 211 which passed) to prohibit a firearms dealer from selling, renting, or transferring in the State any handgun manufactured after December 31, 2001, unless the handgun has an integrated mechanical safety device and to require a safety course before regulated firearms may be purchased. The safety course is a prior restraint on a Constitutional right which (for the first amendment) has been held illegal for the government to do.