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Click to skip ahead to MPFO Rifle Raffle!
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This site provides information to subscribers of Tripwire, a newsletter focusing on the politics of firearms and civil rights in Maryland.
WE'RE NOW AT WWW.MYGUNS.NET! You should be directed there automatically, but in case not (after all, computers are involved, so everything is suspect) please CLICK HERE.
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WHO'D A THOUGHT IT? BALLISTIC FINGERPRINTING DOESN'T WORK IN NEW
YORK EITHER. Check out the report from our friends to the north.
RIP, NEAL KNOX. Our friend Neal Knox succumbed to cancer on
the 17th following a long battle. Another long time activist, Weldon
Clark, remembers Neal and his achievements. Click
for retrospective
FAILURE OF CEASEFIRE'S SIGNATURE GUN PROGRAM OVERSHADOWS ANNOUNCEMENT
OF NEW ASSAULT WEAPON BILL. Gun grabbers today announced their latest
desperate attempt to keep anti-gun lingo alive in the public's mind, by
introducing a watered down rehash of last year's failed assault weapon
bill. This announcement comes as their previous signature program is seen
as the failure we all predicted it would be when introduced five years ago
(see text on ballistic fingerprinting below!)
BALLISTIC FINGERPRINTING IS DEAD - NOW WE MUST BURY IT.
The 2004 report from Maryland State Police on its balllistic fingerprinting
program is in, and once again: it confirms the program simply doesn't work.
Millions of dollars spent and not one crime solved with its aid. Click on
the link to download a PDF scan of the entire
MSP report, and see for yourself!
IT'S OFFICIAL - THE FEDERAL ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN IS REPEALED.
Ten years of foolish repression are now behind us.
Click for the
official announcement from ATF.
IMPORTANT TIPS FOR MARYLANDERS AS FEDERAL ASSAULT WEAPON BAN SUNSETS.
Remember, not all the laws affecting 'assault weapons' have gone away as of
today. A mountain of gun control laws still exist! Make sure you know which
are still in effect!
Click for details.
TURNOVER IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY DIMINISHES PRO-GUN CAUCUS.
Firearm owners made gains in the 2002 election, but the net effect of
those victories is reduced as turnover in the legislature takes a
growing number of seasoned pro-gunners out of action.
Click for details.
'LEGALITY LOCK' LITIGATION UPDATE: The administration is fighting
our suit hard, but on the other hand certain handguns are becoming available
once again.
Click for details.
AFTER ACTION ASSESSMENT: Semi-auto ban. You already know the
headlines about the
semi-auto ban dying in Maryland's legislative session. Now for the analysis
of what really went on behind the scenes.
Click for details.
AFTER ACTION ASSESSMENT: Everything else. Lost from the headlines
was much word of what happened on other gun bills in Maryland's 2004 session.
Here is what you need to know.
Click for details.
Tripwire editor sues Maryland State Police for overreach of authority
in implementing safety lock handgun ban. The law gives two ways for a
new handgun to meet safety device mandates; MSP presently accepts only one.
It's a bad law either way, but the least we should get is fair enforcement
of what is on the books, not what gun-grabbers dream about.
Click for details.
(Click here to download PDF image of complaint.)
April 12, 2004
VICTORY! The 2004 session of the Maryland General Assembly adjourned
without passing any new gun control of substance. We beat the proposed
bans on so-called "assault weapons", toy guns and more. Thanks to
all the loyal readers here who kept the faith, made the calls and turned
up the heat on legislators who ultimately saw the light!
SB 288 - THE SO-CALLED "ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN" - IS NOW OFFICIALLY DEAD.
The bill was voted unfavorable by Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee
this morning (4-2-2004.)
Click for our press release.
March came in like a lion, goes out like a lamb ... legislatively
at least. We've known that our quiet efforts at bottling up the assault
weapons ban have been working, now the rest of the world is starting to
notice too. (Click for
31 March Gazette article on same.) Now is not the time to let up, but
things are looking good. Click for latest update.
Watch for gun bill action in the House this week. Gun grabbers will
attempt to push their bill up for consideration this week now that hearings
are behind us. Now is the time for all constituents to contact your Delegates
and sound off.
'Gun Day' in the House is Tuesday, 16 March. Look for guns to be in
the news as grabbers milk another opportunity to rant about "assault weapons"
in the press. Here is the latest assessment of their odds of success!
Tripwire's position on gun bills. Click for the up to date
status on what we're for and against in Annapolis this year!
Statement of Senator John Gianetti on February 27, 2004. This is the
material Gianetti distributed to his fellow members of the Judicial Proceedings
Committee announcing his intention to vote against SB 288, the proposed assault
weapons ban.
Election-eve good news on semi-auto ban. A key swing vote on the key
Senate committee came out in opposition to the proposed semi-auto ban. Gun
controllers in Annapolis are mad as a wet hen, and now threaten to challenge
Senate leadership by demanding the bill be brought directly to the floor in
spite of the committee's likely decision. This ain't over yet, but for the
next day, focus on the mission - electing friends to Congress! This mission
starts for real tomorrow as you cast your vote in the Tuesday primary.
Vote on semi-auto firearm set for friday morning in key committee.
And hearings for the glut of gun control bills are now scheduled -
including a ban on toy guns, local regulation of gun parts and ammo and
more. Stay tuned for things to heat up!
Vote on semi-auto firearm ban put on hold a second time in key committee.
Fighting intensifies on ban of so-called "assault weapons" as each side competes
for the attention of key legislators. A vote on SB 288 is promised for next week
for sure - anti-gunners appear to be pouring it on now in hopes of winning their
whole package. Time for us to pour it on too!
Anti-gunners open second front in assault on semi-auto firearms.
Debate over a ban on so-called "assault weapons" will expand to the House
of Delegates as half of the legislature signs on to the proposal to
bar private ownership of such guns and authorize police to confiscate
them as contraband.
Hearing on Assault Weapon Ban is February 10. Now is the time for
your maximum effort! Call these key Senators and tell them to vote NO on SB 288,
and do it before Tuesday. Then on Wednesday call back to make sure they got the
message. And keep at it! (For those who can attend: The hearing will start at
1:00PM in the JPR hearing room of the James Senate Office Building. Come and
swell the ranks! The front lines of freedom are in Annapolis on Tuesday.)
Details inside. (Or
click here for talking points on SB 288.)
Assault Weapon Ban is on fast track in the Senate. All semi-auto
firearms with detachable magazines could be affected, and big government
would be authorized to ban guns in the future just by adding them to the
list. What is an assault weapon? Bureaucrats will know it when they see it.
All readers have calls to make in the
week of 2 February. Do it!
Details inside.
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LEGISLATIVE SESSION 2004 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Updated status of all gun bills is available directly from Maryland's
Legislative Services site.
Assault weapon ban is built on a tower of lies.
Click for talking points on the bill SB 288. 2-8-2004
Expect another battle over lost/stolen gun reporting obligation.
Antigunners want back-door registration mechanism as next step to total
control in state - a law that can only apply to you! 12-1-2003
Maryland officials avoid accountability in social engineering.
Constituents pick up the tab for what politicians spend ... as usual. 12-1-2003
Officials remain silent as "assault weapon" ban looms in Maryland.
With gun grabbing extremists sounding the call for new bans, taxpayers
may soon pick up the tab for another expensive enforcement mandate that
has nothing to do with public safety. 10-6-03
Which guns do politicians want to ban? Click for animation to find out!
BALLISTIC FINGERPRINTING
Sale of newly made handguns is banned unless the manufacturer provides
police with forensic evidence (shell case) at the time of sale. As a result,
hosts of high quality firearms are no longer for sale in Maryland because
companies cannot meet Maryland's unique standards.
Maryland State Police report on ballistic fingerprinting law reveals total
failure.
The official report released in October may try to put a good face on it,
but the facts remain: A mandate that caused spending of millions of tax
dollars while barring sale of high quality guns over the last several years
has yet to jail its first criminal. In fact the software is so bad that the
only matches it has made - a whopping four of them - are of guns police have
already confiscated after arresting a criminal for other means. 10-27-03
(Click for low-res scan of the report!)
How does ballistic fingerprinting work? Click for animation to find out!
MARYLAND GUN LOCK BAN
Sale of newly made handguns is banned unless they have an 'integrated
mechanical safety device, but Maryland State Police now enforce this
ban far in excess of what the law allows. Most high quality handguns
are no longer available in Maryland.
Bob Ehrlich enforces his own gun ban! Why have a legislature when
your state police and governor can make up their own laws? 12-1-2003
Ehrlich administration continues illegal enforcement of handgun ban.
State law bars sale of guns lacking IMSDs, "integrated
mechanical safety devices" but Maryland State Police enforces this
according to an overreaching plan laid out by the previous administration. 6-3-03
Pre-03 handguns are running out! 2-1-2003
Safety lock handgun ban closer to reality as state officials
make up their own interpretations to suit anti-gun extremists. 10-1-2002
RECENT NEWS
You don't need to reach voters, only those who count.
Maryland goes ahead with conversion to high tech voting machines.
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DON'T FORGET TO SUPPORT OUR FRIENDS IN THIS YEAR'S FEDERAL ELECTION!
ANNOUNCING THE MPFO WINTER RIFLE RAFFLE!
MPFO'S Winter Rifle Raffle continues our celebration of the
federal sunset on laws banning so-called 'assault rifles'. We'll
award a FULTON ARMORY M14 rifle in a Sage Tactical/Accuracy stock to
the lucky winner selected in January 2005.
Click for details on how to win this Fulton Armory prize package!
COMING SOON - Watch here for the announcement of who won the Liberator Carbine in MPFO's Fall fund raiser.
Congrats to recent raffle winners!
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Congratulations to southern Maryland's own Jimmy Mills, whose winning ticket
in MPFO's Summer Rifle Raffle will bring him a Fulton Armory "Classic"
AR 15! Jimmy is a target shooter interested in all types of plinking, and a
regular at Myrtle Grove, where he'll soon have a premier Maryland-built rifle
to plink with. He owns Jimmy's Cut Rate Liquor in White
Plains, where we suggest you stop in to say hi if you're in the area. Says
Jimmy, "I'm amazed at how law abiding citizens get put in the same jar as
criminals with all this gun control. I don't understand the logic, and
probably never will." We won't either Jimmy - Remember, never try to think
about gun control like it is supposed to make sense!
The winning ticket drawn at the end of April was held by Mike Pangrazio
of Mt. Airy, MD. Mike, a long-time and regular donor to both the PAC and
Tripwire, is a regular shooter and military small arms enthusiast. Mike
selected as his prize the Fulton Armory Tactical Carbine with dot scope.
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Ben Boccuzzi won our January 2004 raffle, bringing him his choice of
'classic military gas guns of the last century.' His selection? An AR-15
produced by Fulton Armory. Ben lives in Germantown, MD, and is working his
way into the highpower habit, so his MPFO prize comes just in time to help
him out. By day he works as a sales rep for a pharmaceutical company, and
is also a Captain in the Naval Reserve Nurse Corps. In fact he is the
Executive Officer of the Medical Unit at NNMC (National Naval Medical Center)
in Bethesda, and fills in there when the active duty deploys on the hospital
shipt USNS Comfort.
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Jim Long, of Anne Arundel County, Maryland, won MPFO's summer raffle.
He took home a AR-15 customized by Fulton Armory!
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Articles by topic:
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| NOVEMBER 2002 ELECTION WRAP |
Why was November 2002 a banner day for Maryland gun owners? Click to find out!
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NOVEMBER 2000 ELECTION WRAP
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Here is what the last election
meant to us in Maryland, setting the stage for the 2002 election battle.
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LEGISLATIVE SESSION 2003
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The 2003 session of Maryland's General Assembly concluded without new
gun control. Click to find out why!
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LEGISLATIVE SESSION 2002
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What gun issues drove debate in the 2002 General Assembly? Click to find out!
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LEGISLATIVE SESSION 2001
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Maryland's 2001 legislative session
brought debate on mandated gun avoidance training to the fore. Click
for a recap of what happened.
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LEGISLATIVE SESSION 2000
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Click for the story of how gun
control zealots overrode the will of the people in order to enact a
left wing dream suite of new controls: the
"Responsible Gun Safety Act." This is a must
read for serious students of political debate!
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CURRAN CORNER
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Maryland's attorney general is champion of
extreme left wing causes. Click to read about his legal chicanery.
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CRULLER CORNER
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Be careful what you ask for when you beg police
to enforce existing laws. They might do it. Having them get tough on
criminals is pretty silly when you realize that through the
administration's eyes WE are the criminals for owning guns. Click
for details.
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TRACKING THE DAMAGE
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Maryland's "Responsible Gun Safety Act"
which became law in 2000 is the gun control package that keeps on giving.
It imposes mandatory ballistic registration on handgun sales, requires
prospective gun purchasers to take state-sponsored safety classes, bans
sale of handguns that will fail to meet new (to be determined) safety
criteria ... and so much more. Click to follow the impact of new
restrictions as they continue to unfold.
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The Gun Show Ban
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Localities are increasingly
aggressive in violating state preemption law, and putting in their own
experiments. The Gun Show Ban of Montgomery County is a case in
point. Click for the latest.
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Takoma Park handgun ban
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We beat them before in court, but why should they give up trying for a
ban (in violation of state law) when they have infinite free tax money
to throw at the problem? Click for the latest.
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PERSPECTIVE AND COMMENTARY
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Click for previous articles commentary, retrospectives,
angles and general kibbitzing on the Maryland political scene.
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This site was last updated on January 20, 2004.
