Maryland Governor Larry Hogan Blocks Gun Control
Last week Hogan vetoed several anti-gun bills. They included two different measures designed to outlaw private sales or transfers of long guns, including sales, trades and loans between friends and family members. In practice, the legislation would have had no effect on criminals. Meanwhile, it would have hampered law-abiding gun owners in their efforts to buy and sell firearms.
In his veto statement, Hogan explained he made it clear to legislators that he was willing to consider proposals. However, he wanted proposals that would be effective in stopping the violence in cities like Baltimore. He specifically asked lawmakers to address the Violent Firearm Offenders Act, Witness Intimidation Protection Act, and Judicial Transparency Act.
“I expressed my strong willingness to consider other proposals, including some of those passed by the legislature, if they were included as part of a comprehensive crime package which included my proposals,” Hogan wrote. “While the Senate approved the package by a wide margin, the House failed to act upon it, and thus failed to meaningfully address violent crime.”
Universally Worthless Legislation
Such “universal” background check laws are all the rage these days for anti-gun legislators throughout the country. But they infringe upon the rights of the law-abiding while not deterring criminals. They also make a constitutional right more expensive by requiring gun purchasers to pay a fee for each gun transfer.
Laws that restrict the private sales of firearms become even more punitive in emergency situations like the current COVID-19 pandemic. In states that don’t allow private firearm sales because of such laws, if gun shops are shut down because of being deemed “non-essential,” citizens have no way to practice their Second Amendment rights.
Maryland can act as its own example of this point. Just last month, anti-gun lawmakers sent a letter to Gov. Hogan asking hims to reverse his order acknowledging that gun stores are critical businesses during the COVID-19 crisis. Had an anti-gun governor been in office and deemed gun stores non-essential, along with signing the recent gun sales legislation, all legal sales of long guns in Maryland would have been effectively banned.
Thankfully, Hogan continued to follow the federal guidelines designating gun stores as essential businesses that should remain open during the ongoing pandemic. Maryland is one of only six that doesn’t have a right to arms enumerated in the state constitution. So right now Gov. Hogan is all that stands between Marylanders and even more ineffective gun-control schemes.
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