Maryland lawmakers make gun control a session priority
The Maryland General Assembly is making gun control a priority this year, after the U.S. Supreme Court in June struck down gun permit restrictions similar to Maryland’s. The Gun Safety Act of 2023, is speeding through the legislative process with a second hearing scheduled for Feb. 7, and at least two other bills are pending. The act, Senate Bill 1, is expected to cause heated debate. Sen. Jeff Waldstreicher (D-Montgomery) and then Sen. Susan Lee (D-Montgomery), who recently was appointed Maryland secretary of state, sponsored the bill. The proposal would prohibit an individual from knowingly wearing, carrying or transporting a firearm onto another person’s property without consent. It would also prohibit anyone from wearing, carrying or transporting a firearm within 100 feet of certain places of public accommodation, specifically “sensitive” places, such as restaurants, lodging areas, stadiums or retailers, according to the filed bill. Lawmakers said The Gun Safety Act will fill the void in gun control that formed following the Supreme Court’s decision in NYSRPA v. Bruen. The court decided that law-abiding citizens do not need a “good and substantial” reason to be permitted to carry a concealed weapon and that this “proper cause to carry” requirement, used in several states, including Maryland, was unconstitutional according to the 14th Amendment. “The Bruen decision gets rid of Maryland’s ‘good and substantial’ requirements in order to own and possess a handgun,” said Waldstreicher. “By eliminating that requirement, now anyone can get a gun and bring it anywhere. That is unacceptable […]
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