Comic Relief
As part of Governor O'Malley's plan to pretend to listen to budget suggestions from Marylanders, his staff put forth some of the more commonly suggested ideas from the citizens and provided a response on the web. What's comical here is not the idea of becoming a "shall issue" state for concealed weapons, it was the completely bogus response:
Permits for the carrying of handguns are regularly issued to Marylanders who meet statutory requirements established by the Maryland General Assembly.Regularly? That's probably news to the thousands of Marylanders who live or work in some of America's most dangerous urban areas and want to be able to protect their person, their familiy, or their property....
(Crossposted)
5 comments:
Brian, regardless of whether Maryland's law is good or bad policy, handguns in Maryland for the protection of one's own home or own business (or employer's business, with permission) are ALREADY lawful without permits. It is lawful to transport a firearm between those locations (and to a firing range, and a repair shop) in a sealed, secured container.
What's not lawful is street carrying or in-cabin carrying in cars without permits. Now that prohibition may be poor public policy, or great public policy, but THAT is what the permit authorizes.
Despite my (unusual among liberals) support for gun ownership, I'd support is a law against unattended handguns in cars. Handguns in glove compartments unattended are an attractive nuisance promoting both car breakings by criminals who will break into 10 cars to score one gun traceable to someone else, then rob and rape and kill with their bounty. In other words, if you carry it into the car, you need to carry it out.
this is what is commonly known as a "non sequitur."
Permits in Maryland are virtually impossible to obtain if you are anyone other than someone in law enforcement or on the fringes of law enforcement.
As it is already illegal to carry a handgun in the glove compartment (it doesn't meet the definition of a "locked, enclosed case") I am more than a little unclear how outlawing a currently outlawed practice would do much of anything other than make the people in favor of it feel good about themselves.
Bruce, I'm not really sure where you're coming from here. Yes, gun ownership in Maryland is still legal, and it is still legal (albeit cumbersome) to buy a gun.
The point I was trying to make, obviously, was that the Administration's characterization or implication that a concealed carry permit was already easy to obtain is completely ludicrous.
What is even more egregious is that the State collects a non-refundable $75 fee that they KNOW they are going to get even as they KNOW they will deny the permit.
Bruce - your fears would be funny if they weren't so sad.
What is truly egregious is the reality of our "gun control" situation:
(1) The US Supreme Court found decades ago that convicted felons - prohibited from owning guns - are exempt from gun registration as such would be a violation of their 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination. Thus, LITERALLY, the registration law only applies to law-abiding people.
(2) Criminals already carry their guns - as is evidenced by our crime statistics.
(3) MD continues to have among the highest crime rates in the nation in spite of some of the strictest anti-gun laws. Other states went "shall-issue" and saw violent crime PLUMMET. Duh.
(4) In spite of evidence of enough votes to pass shall-issue legislation (or more accurately BECAUSE of such evidence) the bill continues to be killed every single year via desk-drawer-veto by a certain state Senator.
Am I the only one who notices that such people don't mind guns when their 24x7 bodyguards are carrying them?
I REFUSE to work in this state because it will not honor my right to defend myself. $20k+ in income taxes thus go to other states every year - from just one person. I am not alone...
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