On 3/1/13 11:19 AM, J Herring wrote:
On Fri, 1 Mar 2013 10:30:31 -0500, "Eisboch" wrote:



"F.O.A.D." wrote in message
m...


Ammo is a mass produced commodity product...paying $30 instead of $8
because of an NRA-induced panic is...stupid.

------------------------------------------

The NRA induced an ammo buying panic?

Actually it was stupid, knee-jerk reactions like this, I think:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/a-glance-at-marylands-gun-control-measure-approved-by-the-senate/2013/02/28/b1ede1a2-81f3-11e2-a671-0307392de8de_story.html

or: http://tinyurl.com/d8ju498


It's pretty decent legislation, but we'll have to see if it clears the
Maryland house. I don't see anything in it that would cause "panic
buying" of ammunition in this report from yesterday's WashPost. A
significant majority of Marylanders support the legislation.


Ambitious bill on gun control in Md. advances
By Aaron C. Davis, Published: February 28

Maryland Senate Democrats passed sweeping gun-control legislation
Thursday that would make the Free State the first in nearly 20 years to
require residents to submit to fingerprinting, training and background
checks to obtain a license to buy a firearm.

The licensing provision is the centerpiece of Gov. Martin O’Malley’s
response to the December school shooting in Newtown, Conn. — and one of
the most ambitious legislative attempts nationwide this year on gun control.

Over objections from Republicans and some conservative Democrats who
warned that fingerprinting would trample on Second Amendment rights, the
bill passed the Senate 28 to 19 after 17 hours of sometimes-boisterous
debate this week.

It now heads to the House of Delegates, where it could again face a
blizzard of amendments and more heated debate. A “rally to prevent gun
violence” is scheduled at the State House in Annapolis on Friday, and
gun-rights activists are expected to descend on the capital as well.

In addition to licensing and fingerprinting measures, the Senate bill
includes provisions that would ban assault weapons and ammunition
magazines that hold more than 10 bullets in Maryland. Similar efforts by
Democrats to reinstate a federal assault-weapons ban have been stymied
in Congress so far.

On mental-health issues, the original bill by O’Malley (D) would have
increased the likelihood that someone committed involuntarily would be
banned from making subsequent firearm purchases. But the Senate took it
a step further, banning guns for anyone admitted against his will for
any length of time. In addition, Marylanders who voluntarily admit
themselves for mental-health treatment after visiting an emergency room
for such issues could be banned if doctors determine that they pose a risk.

Mental-health professionals have vigorously opposed any firearm
restrictions on those who voluntarily seek treatment, saying that doing
so could deter people from getting the help they need.

O’Malley, however, on Thursday said he thought that the Senate’s changes
regarding mental health made the bill “stronger and better” than when he
introduced it, and he said he would support the changes.

In a full day of debate Wednesday, Democrats fought through more than 75
amendments and votes seeking to weaken the bill, but they held firm in
requiring gun buyers to submit fingerprints, complete four hours of
safety training and undergo stronger background checks to obtain a
license to purchase firearms.

Proponents of the licensing provision say requiring purchasers to submit
fingerprints to police would reduce “straw” purchases, in which a family
member, friend or acquaintance buys a gun on behalf of another person
who might not qualify.

A Washington Post poll released this week found that 85 percent of
Marylanders back the governor’s licensing plan, and 73 percent do so
“strongly.”

Senate Republicans, however, successfully tacked on several measures
giving more leeway in registering assault weapons. One would give those
who currently own, but haven’t registered, assault weapons a grace
period of the remainder of the year to do so. They also reduced
financial and criminal penalties for failing to register firearms and
slightly narrowed the definition of the assault weapons that would be
banned.

Before the final vote Thursday, Republicans said that Democrats were
building false hope that the licensing provision could stop another
Newtown or Columbine and said Democrats’ fingerprinting plan would only
erode the rights of law-abiding gun owners.

Senate Minority Leader E.J. Pipkin (R-Cecil) argued that Democrats’
efforts were misplaced and should be focused on better enforcement of
current gun laws and the jail sentences of those convicted of gun crimes.

Sen. Christopher B. Shank (R-Washington) accused the Senate’s Democratic
majority of seeking to gut a constitutional right on guns because they
simply didn’t like it or didn’t understand the rural lifestyle and gun
use that often comes with it.

Seven conservative Democrats joined Republicans in supporting a
filibuster, but the effort fell one vote short.

Sen. Thomas M. Middleton (D-Charles) voted to end the debate, but then
voted against the bill.

“We’re chipping away at people’s rights. It’s a constitutional right
that we are chipping away, and it’s a hard pill for me to swallow,”
Middleton said.

By contrast, Sen. President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert), who
had said he opposed the fingerprinting requirement, voted for the bill.

Sen. Nathaniel J. McFadden (D-Baltimore) said the Senate was rightly
focused on gun-control measures that would help prevent not just
massacres, but also the daily gun violence that kills too many youths in
Baltimore and Prince George’s County.

“Residents are sick and tired of this gun violence,” McFadden said. “No,
this is not a perfect bill. Because you’re right — those criminals are
not going to go and be fingerprinted,” he said. “But somehow these guns
find their way into our communities . . . They come from somewhere, and
you can get a gun quicker than you get an apple or an orange in my
community. It’s outrageous, and we have to start somewhere.”