ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Maryland chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, part of Everytown for Gun Safety, released the following statement praising the Maryland House for advancing HB 786, a bill that would close a dangerous loophole in state law and require a background check on all sales of rifles and shotguns. Under current Maryland law, sales of rifles and shotguns by unlicensed sellers do not require a criminal background check. That makes it easy for convicted felons, domestic abusers and other people who are legally prohibited from having guns to purchase these deadly weapons by finding unlicensed sellers through sales arranged online or at gun shows.
“This is a major step forward, and I am very grateful to the Maryland House,” said Jan Donohoe McNamara, a member of the Everytown Survivor Network, whose brother-in-law was killed along with four other staff members of the Capital Gazette newspaper in June 2018. “No one else should have to suffer the way my family has because it was too easy for a person with a dangerous history to get their hands on a rifle or shotgun without a background check. The Senate should quickly pass this legislation that will keep Maryland families safe.”