Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Pro-gun Lawmakers Want Permits From State Police

Baltimore Sun
by Annie Linskey
Three House lawmakers fired off a letter to the state police late Monday requesting that the agency immediately start issuing more gun permits in the wake of the recent federal court decision that loosened the rules about who can walk around with weapons.

Del. Michael A. McDermott, a lower Shore Republican, said that "the people of Maryland" have been "crying" for changes in the guns laws for years. "It is a great day for Maryland," he said at a Tuesday news conference. "Now we have a liberty that should not have been denied in the first place."

On Monday,
a federal judge declared unconstitutional the state's rule that gun applicants must prove they have a "good and substantial reason" to be armed. The following disqualifiers remain: felony charges, mental illness, drug or alcohol abuse, and a track record of violence.

Maryland's Attorney General plans to appeal the decision and will ask that it be stayed in the meantime.

Del. Michael Smigiel, an Eastern Shore Republican, wants the decision to be implemented now. "The right to self defense comes from God," he said. "The second amendment applies outside the home."

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