Maryland gun-control advocates push for nationwide adoption of state’s handgun law

[GGJohn]

U.S. Rep. Chris Van Hollen and Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh on Wednesday called for other states to join Maryland in requiring licenses to purchase handguns, saying the rule works best to stem gun violence when it applies across jurisdictions.

During a news conference with other gun-control advocates at a Baltimore County courthouse, the officials said that firearms tend to flow from states that lack permit-to-purchase laws to those that have them, with guns often landing in the hands of criminals.

Ten states and the District of Columbia have licensing requirements for handguns, but the Maryland border states of Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Virginia do not.

Van Hollen (D-Md.), a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the Senate, has introduced legislation that would provide financial incentives for states to adopt purchasing laws similar to the one that Maryland enacted in 2013, which requires fingerprinting and licensing

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/md-officials-push-for-nationwide-adoption-of-states-handgun-buyer-law/2015/09/30/12c1a79c-6799-11e5-9ef3-fde182507eac_story.html

I'm sure the Congress will get right on that.

[bluestateguy]

1. That should be a state policy decided by the states

Not everything should be made a federal issue.

[GGJohn]

2. I agree,

and I don't see those states bordering Md. to change their laws to appease Md.

[Eleanors38]

5. You i.d. a problem with gun prohibitionists: A centralized mind-set. It seems easier...

for them to have a big, top-down, centralized approach to legislation. They see the hard work and poor prospects of working at state levels where it is a constant grind. It doesn't fit their ideal of quick passions with no underarm perspiration. Hell, they don't understand federalism, and don't want to.

[Straw Man]

3. Translation:

"It doesn't work here, but we think it will work if everybody does it."

Maybe Maryland should work on the neighboring states first. I'm sure they'd be lining up for the opportunity to carry Maryland's water.

[ileus]

4. Controllers gotta control....it's what authoritarians do.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

6. The War on Drugs has shown us the way.