HB 1646 Would Close A Dangerous Loophole That Makes It Easy for Convicted Domestic Abusers to Access Guns
HB 1302 Would Create a Red Flag Law That Empowers Family and Law Enforcement to Petition Courts to Temporarily Suspend a Person’s Access to Firearms If They Pose a Risk to Themselves or Others
ANNAPOLIS, M.D. – The Maryland chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, part of Everytown for Gun Safety, today praised Maryland lawmakers for passing a series of gun violence prevention bills before the session ended last night. These bills include:
- HB 1302, Gun Violence Restraining Order (GVRO) legislation would make it possible for families and law enforcement to petition courts for an order to temporarily restrict a person’s access to firearms to prevent them from harming themselves or others. This is commonly referred to as a Red Flag policy.
- HB 1646, legislation that would require convicted domestic abusers to surrender guns to law enforcement or a firearms dealer. These dangerous abusers are already prohibited from possessing guns under Maryland law. However, due to a dangerous gap in the law, they were not required to surrender the guns they already owned once convicted. This life-saving bill closes that loophole and requires surrender by all prohibited abusers.
- HB 888, legislation that would prohibit bump stocks and other conversion devices. This bill makes it illegal to own, manufacture or sell bump stocks, trigger cranks and other firearm conversion devices that effectively allow semi-automatic firearms to mimic the firing speeds of machine guns.
All three pieces of legislation now go to Governor Hogan’s desk and he has previously indicated support for all three gun violence prevention bills.
STATEMENT FROM DOROTHY PAUGH, VOLUNTEER WITH THE MARYLAND CHAPTER OF MOMS DEMAND ACTION FOR GUN SENSE IN AMERICA AND MEMBER OF THE EVERYTOWN SURVIVOR NETWORK:
“As someone whose father and son died by firearm suicide, I know how many individuals are lost to society and how much heartache their families endure when a loved one dies unnecessarily. These bills will empower family members to act if they notice warning signs in a loved one and also protect them when an abuser has a gun in the home. Thanks to Delegates Geraldine Valentino-Smith, Kathleen Dumais, Senator Bobby Zirkin and all the Maryland lawmakers who put the public’s safety first last night.”
STATEMENT FROM DANIELLE VEITH, VOLUNTEER LEADER WITH THE MARYLAND CHAPTER OF MOMS DEMAND ACTION FOR GUN SENSE IN AMERICA:
“These bills will save lives and we appreciate lawmakers working late into the night to get these passed. We urge Governor Hogan to sign these bills quickly in order to help keep all Maryland families safe from gun violence.”
