Maryland governor signs nation's most comprehensive firearm legislation. NRA backs down.

[Robb]

Gov. Martin O'Malley on Thursday signed a gun-control bill that is among the country's most sweeping legislative responses to the December mass shooting in Newtown, Conn.

The law bans the sale of assault-style rifles, including the AR-15 used in the Newtown killing of six educators and 20 first- and second-graders. The law limits gun ownership for people with mental illness, outlaws the sale of high-capacity magazines and establishes the nation's first new handgun licensing scheme in two decades.

Maryland will join five other states in requiring such licenses, a move that O'Malley said "will substantially lower gun deaths."

(snip)

Sen. President Thomas V. Mike Miller called the gun bill "common sense," and he offered the NRA's unwillingness to back the petition drive as evidence of the law's broad public support.

"They know if this bill went to the people, it would overwhelmingly pass," Miller said.

House Speaker Michael E. Busch said the law could be a model for the rest of the country.

Read More: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/blog/bs-md-gun-bill-signed-20130516,0,7526263.story

[shedevil69taz]

1. one of the many reasons

I can't wait to get out of this state.

[Chan790]

4. This makes you want to leave Maryland?

It's almost enough to make me want to stay...and I hate it here. I miss Brooklyn.

[EOTE]

13. Seriously, just what will we do with fewer gun deaths and the accompanying stories on the evening

news? A less murdery Maryland is not one I want to be part of.

[11 Bravo]

14. I imagine the state will soldier on without you ... and happily.

[sinkingfeeling]

19. You're welcome to come to this glowing red pile, Arkansas.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

20. Oh poor you.

Former Marylander here, living in Florida now.

While I love Florida for its weather and climate, I would do anything to have Maryland's elected officials over the complete jokers up in Tallahassee.

Especially Governor O'Malley over the medicare fraud we have for a governor here.

You don't know how lucky you are. Unless you are so driven by your love for an inanimate object.

[fwm]

22. Couldn't agree more.

I used to love living in Tallahassee until Jeb Bush was elected. Then we got a brief respite with Charlie Crist who was at least a reasonable Republican. Since Scott got in, it's been all downhill or as they say 'a tropical depression'.

[BlueMTexpat]

28. Did you perhaps mistake DU for FR? eom

[elleng]

31. Bye

[rl6214]

2. That reminds me, I just got some new 30rd AR15 mags

I need to send some to my naval officer son up in Annapolis.

[baldguy]

11. And you wonder why sane people don't trust gun owners.

[rl6214]

26. Don't trust me to send some mags with my son?

Must be awefull that you are soooo distrustful that you wouldn't even trust your own children. I trust mine with my life.

[baldguy]

29. You can't trusted to follow a simple law that will preserve innocent lives.

And if your son is in on your crimes, he can't be trusted either.

[rl6214]

32. What can't I be trusted with?

I live in Texas, 30rd mags are completely legal in Texas. My sons residence on record with the military is in Texas. Perfectly legal for me to give the mags to him and perfectly legal for him to own them.

Keep trying.

[baldguy]

33. If you send them to Maryland you'd be breaking the law.

You can't be trusted to own a gun if you can't act responsibly and follow the laws regarding them.

[rl6214]

34. Actually it's perfectly legal to send them to MD

Take them apart and send them as replacement parts. It's just a box full of springs and floor plates and mag cases. Perfectly legal even in the highly controlled state of California.

Try again.

[baldguy]

35. Per the OP: "...outlaws the sale of high-capacity magazines..."

That would change it from simply trying to flout the law to a conspiracy to commit a felony. You really want to involve your Marine son in an illegal weapons smuggling ring? Imagine what that would do to his career. I hear the military frowns on that sort of thing. I'm sure they'd let you visit him in Leavenworth.

Admit it - you and your RW extremist loser friends in the NRA are on the wrong side of history.

[rl6214]

37. You need to do a little bit of research before posting

FOOLISHLY because you don't know what you're talking about and/or you didn't even read my last post, much less read the OP or the article associated with it. The law does not go into effect until OCTOBER 1.

And sorry, I have no RW extremist loser friends either in or not in the NRA.

Keep on flailing away now because when you start trying to toss around insults we know that's all you've got and you've lost.

[snooper2]

38. "illegal weapons smuggling ring:

It cracks me up how folks on the extremes on both sides of gun control issues are drama queens LOL

[11 Bravo]

16. Let us know if he tries to take them onto the grounds of the USNA without clearance.

My younger brother (USNA '74) informs me that your Naval officer son will not enjoy the experience.

[rl6214]

27. Why would he possibly want to take them on to the grounds of the academy.

Besides, he DOES have clearance.

[11 Bravo]

30. Has clearance for WHAT? To carry 30 round mags onto the USNA grounds? Bullshit!

[premium]

3. He may say it's a model for the rest of the nation,

however, I highly doubt the rest of the nation will model their laws on MD's, I know for sure that Nevada won't and I'll bet my pension that most of the southern and southwestern states won't also.

Didn't CA say the same thing several years ago? How well did that work out?

But, it's their state, if that's what they want, more power to them, I'll stick to Nevada.

[Electric Monk]

6. For some reason, I'm reminded of a line from the movie Beautiful Creatures

describing the town he grew up in. It went something like:

"There were 12 churches but only one library, and they re-enacted the civil war so often and so intensely it was as if they were hoping for a different outcome."

[premium]

7. Never saw that movie,

is it worth watching?
If it's worth watching, I'll download it from Graboid.

[derby378]

15. It'll never pass in Texas, that's for sure

Maryland has always been a strong gun-control state, so this is not that much of a surprise, given its close proximity to DC and Delaware.

[Robb]

17. Plus it's close to Hawaii.

[Recursion]

5. So AR's will have a differently shaped grip to be sold in Maryland

Awesome job!

OTOH the licenses are a good idea; if the assault weapon silliness is what we have to put up with to get that, so be it.

[thucythucy]

23. Good for you!

It's refreshing to have such a strong gun-rights advocate such as yourself take a common sense and balanced approach to these developments.

Recursion, I wish we had a couple million more like you!

[Recursion]

24. Hey, I'm a pragmatist

We need licensing. I disagree with what it took to get there, but I'm also a realist. Good job for O'Malley. He's on my short list for the next POTUS, personally.

[thucythucy]

25. And I just now posted on an OP you posted

on male rape.

That's two thumbs up (so far) today!

I know we've tussled in the past (on guns, of course) but I am truly impressed. If this is what "pragmatism" looks like I'd like to see lots more of it.

Best wishes.

[JimDandy]

8. Good for them. Colorado also

did a good job passing reasonable gun control laws this session.

[Robb]

9. And Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Washington State...

... several more well on their way. I invite you to peruse our 50-state (plus D.C.) Legislative Action thread: http://www.democraticunderground.com/1262291

[JimDandy]

10. Excellent!

I subscribed to that forum a few weeks back, but I missed that post. Tnx.

[baldguy]

12. The NRA - like every extremist RW front group - knows it's on the wrong side of history.

That's what makes them dangerous.

[sinkingfeeling]

18. Congratulations, Maryland!

[Tommy_Carcetti]

21. So proud of my home state.

They abolish the death penalty and now they have the guts to pass legislation that Congress should, but wouldn't.

Oh, and the Ravens won the Super Bowl, and mark my words, the Orioles will win the World Series this year.

Oh, and David Simon produced dramas are the best thing to ever grace the television screen.

Now, let's all crack open a Natty Bo, cover up the backyard picnic table with yesterday's Baltimore Sun, bring out a vat of steamed crabs, sprinkle Old Bay liberally all over the table, and toast the Old Line State!

[marions ghost]

36. Great news

Maryland