The Maryland Chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America supports the Maryland Firearms Safety Act of 2013, which goes into effect today. The new legislation includes a requirement for all handgun purchasers to acquire a license and a fingerprint-based background check; a ban on the sale of assault weapons and gun magazines with more than 10 bullets; new penalties for the use of cop-killing bullets; and, the ability of the state police to regulate gun dealers. The Maryland Chapter of Moms Demand Action resolutely advocated for the passage of this law.
“Requiring handgun purchasers to submit to a fingerprint-based background check system will help keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people. And, as mothers, we feel safer in a community where military-grade weapons and gun magazines with more than ten bullets can no longer be sold,” said Jenifer Pauliukonis, Moms Demand Action Maryland Chapter Leader. “The new law will make for safer schools, safer homes, and safer communities.”
“However, as proud as we are of what we’ve been able to accomplish in Maryland, we know that because each state regulates guns differently, we are only truly as safe as the weakest gun laws in the country,” said Pauliukonis “That’s why we are committed to continue our push for comprehensive reform of our national gun laws. And, because mothers across the country are now more acutely aware of the gun violence epidemic, ultimately those changes will come.”
Moms Demand Action believes Maryland’s new finger-print based background check should serve as a national model.
“We are calling on all members of the House of Representatives to show the same display of bravery as the majority of the Maryland legislature and co-sign the King-Thompson background check bill (HR 1565),” said Pauliukonis . “While this federal bill is not as far-reaching as the Maryland law, it would create solid foundation for national gun reform and help close huge loopholes in the current system. Our children and families deserve a safer future.”
