Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Maryland to see new legislation to reduce gun fatalities


Maryland's Governor Martin O'Malley is introducing gun legislation in the state legislature. He will unveil a three-pronged strategy focused on gun safety, school safety and mental health.
1.) Gun safety: We should ban military-style assault weapons, limit large ammunition capacity, and require licenses for handgun purchases. We respect the rights of hunters and sportsmen and that's why our licensing requirements will NOT apply to shotguns or rifles. 
2.) School safety: We will invest in security upgrades for schools, including cameras at entrances, automatically locking doors, shatterproof glass and buzzer entrance systems. We will also establish a "Maryland Center for School Safety," which will amplify our efforts by gathering meaningful data and serving as a central hub for collaboration between our federal, state and local law enforcement partners.  
3.) Mental heath: We will improve data sharing practices between federal and state officials. In addition, we will invest more to improve mental health services so we can intervene early and reduce the potential for violent behavior. We'll expand crisis intervention teams, expand response services and establish a center for excellence on early intervention for serious mental illness. 
How about gun licensing requiring passing a written test on gun safety and an in person demonstration of safe handling of the type of gun to be owned? Someone would have to show a license to buy a gun and someone found with a gun without a license would be guilty of a crime. Guns would seem to be a lethal as cars and we demand a license to drive. 

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