Spent the whole day in Annapolis, along with close to 300 other pissed-off people who came to testify. The committee hearings lasted from 1:00 until about 7:30PM. I got there at 9:30 to snag a seat. About 100 people were in the hearing room, and the rest were in the hall.
Salient points that came out during the hearings:
The state FOP polled its rank-and-file members, and OPPOSES the law (that includes the Baltimore and Montgomery County Lodges).
The Ass'n of Chiefs of Police "legislative committee" supports the law. :eyes:
The MD State Police OPPOSES the law as having "insufficient need."
The bill does not address automatic firearms or "weapons or war."
The bill will not affect crime since rifle crime is already minuscule.
The sniperguys could have killed their victims with a muzzleloader.
The VPC's "one in five LEO's shot dead" statistic was exposed as a bunch of hooey by both the MD State Police and various Ph.D types. I looked over the VPC report while I was waiting around, and out of 41 incidents they list, I counted 5 involving a handgun, 2 with a Mini-14, and several others with an SKS. The VPC had a big disclaimer at the end of the report about how it couldn't tell if the SKS' used were "banned," but that they would lump them in, anyway.
The one MD LEO who was killed by a rifle in the last 20 years died in 2003 - from complications stemming from being shot and paralyzed in 1977 by an M1 carbine.
The bill, as written, DOES ban *any* semi-auto rifle that could *possibly* be equipped with (1) a magazine and (2) banned features like a "pistol grip," etc. Such rifles are labeled "copycat weapons."
The bill defines "pistol grip" in a way to label *any* rifle stock as a"pistol grip."
The bill DOES ban all semi-auto handguns as "copycat weapons"; If it could *possibly* accept (1) a magazine and (2) a threaded barrel, etc., it's banned.
The bill opponents were a real cross section of MD, with women, kids, minorities (like me), etc., all testifying AGAINST this crappy bill. One 50-ish gentleman from inner-city Baltimore got up and pleaded with the committee to let him have a chance to defend his family against thugs. He even cited three stories where his family members had been shot at, and how his own mother had fired a handgun at someone breaking into her home.
The bill proponents were about 20 (all Caucasian) paid lobbyists and upper class housewives from Chevy Chase, Bethesda, and Potomac,as well as a few religious officials who spoke about their respect for the sanctity of life (which includes abortion bans).
The chair of the committee tried to use the "if it saves one life" argument during the State Police's testimony. However, the same chairman conveniently forgot that he had just heard that 6 LEO's had been murdered by cars during the last ten years.
When it was my turn to step up to the podium, I started off loud and clear, so the videotape was sure to record this:
"My name is (Romulus), I am a liberal Democrat, and a veteran, I live in (Senate) District 14 in Montgomery County, and I took time off from work to come over here to Annapolis today to ask you to oppose SB288."
Anyone who calls me a RW lunatic can go pound sand.
As I walked back to my seat after my three minutes were up, several people shook my hand and said it was great to see a fellow Democrat here.
News stories on the hearing:
MD Lawmakers Hear Gun Ban testimonyhttp://www.thewbalchannel.com/politics/2837724/detail.html">Gun Owners, Gun Control Advocates Renew Long Rivalry
Nothing from the Wash Post :eyes:
Link to the bill info and text:
Senate Bill 288