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.
The signing is expected to set off both a legal challenge from the National Rifle Association and a public relations campaign from gun-control supporters. A petition drive is underway to stop the law from going into effect on Oct. 1, though it is unclear whether opponents can gather enough signatures in time to trigger an automatic hold on the bill. If they are, the law would go before voters in 2014.
O’Malley, a two-term Democrat, called the gun bill his top priority in what lawmakers described as the most productive legislative season in recent memory.
The gun bill is among about 250 other pieces of legislation scheduled for the governor’s signature Thursday, the final bill signing ceremony in the wake of the 2013 General Assembly session that adjourned on April 8.
The governor is also expected to sign a landmark bill that would funnel $1 billion to repair and rebuild dozens of Baltimore City schools and legislation to raise the tax on gasoline for the first time since 1992.
Key provisions of Maryland’s new gun law
Key provisions of the 62-page law include:
- A ban on the sale of 45 types of assault weapons and their copycats.
- A ban on sales of magazines that hold more than 10 rounds.
- A fingerprinting and licensing requirement for handgun buyers.
- A 4-hour training requirement for first-time handgun buyers.
- A ban on gun ownership for anyone involuntarily committed to a mental heath facility, as well as those voluntarily committed for more than 30 days.
- An exemption of gun ownership and sales from public records laws.
- Penalties for people who fail to tell police their guns are lost or stolen.
- A ban on the sale of so-called “cop-killing” bullets.
- An expansion of who is barred from gun ownership to include people a judge deemed criminally insane or not criminally responsible, as well as people given a probation-before-judgment sentence in violent crimes.
This twit is absolutely clueless. The stats in MD will not improve as a result of this tyranny, and additionally, all he did was to hamstring those businesses in MD that sell these items.
Molon Labe
Hand guns & only handguns were used at Sandy Hook as reported by Brian Williams at NBC.
They lied, only to try to get our most effective tools of defense from them…
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/340113
Hmmm, no hollow points for the citizens, just the government. Well, at least we know where we stand.
Maryland Governor O’Malley has betrayed the oath he took to defend the constitution from enemies foreign and DOMESTIC and as such has delegitimized himself and his government.
The people of the state voted this Moron in…. Suffer…..
So you’re saying the other Moron that ran against him wouldn’t have done exactly the same thing?
Hmmmm…………….
“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” Except that an AR-15 wasn’t used at the Newton tragedy.
@ Paris – NOTHING was used in newtown, expect zion-ist deception.
Other than the usual Victim , the TRUTH, NO ONE was “killed” at:
1. sandy hook HOAX.
2. Aurora HOAX.
3. [cia agent and JEW] “gabby giffords” HOAX.
4. VA Tech HOAX.
5. Paducah HOAX.
6. Boston “bombing” HOAX.
There was NO tragedy. Do you not know the truth yet???
Let him lead by example and surrender all the guns that protect him. —Oh, thats right just all the pee-ons like us have to give them up because we cant possibly justify protection against criminals.