1. SEMI-AUTO FIREARM BAN: Our fight to protect our rights to own what anti- gunners call "assault weapons" took on all the ambiance and charm of a back alley knife fight in Annapolis, as advocates on both sides competed for some advantage today, not to mention the attention of key legislators.

SB 288 - heard last week before a huge crowd of liberty-loving opponents and put on hold for a vote until this week - was originally expected to be voted on by the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee today, but was again put on hold at the last minute. Why another delay? All eyes are on swing vote John Gianetti, and anti-gunners sought to coordinate the ultimate vote with their media blitz which rolled out in the last day. An obviously orchestrated and timed suite of articles, op-eds and editorials have appeared in major news outlets in the last day, all calling for more gun control and spotlighting the single remaining swing vote. Anti-gunners think flogging Gianetti will bring him into submission, and they want no part of a watered down bill -- they want the whole package.

Huzzah for the friendlies who are having no part of it. They're rejecting calls for even a "little old compromise down to just what the sunseting federal law restricts now" as has been widely discussed in the news. Face it, that sort of language is simple smokescreen for NEW restrictions -- federal law has no mechanism for registration, no ban on private transfer of grandfathered guns, no restrictions on so-called "copycat guns." Anti- gunners can't live without those elements in the bill, so if anything goes forward with them, it isn't "little old federal law" -- and any bill without those elements is a crushing defeat for gun controllers. There is no middle ground in this debate - and no compromise.

Further ... nobody is eager to engineer any deal. It isn't like gun owners will thank them saying "gee, thanks for screwing us only a little" ... and we don't envision the Ceasefire crowd saying "thanks for watering down what we thought would be the big victory." The only things in the middle of the road are yellow lines and dead armadillos.

Senator Gianetti is taking his time to look at all angles of the situation, and we congratulate him for taking the question seriously. If he had caved in to the extremists the bill would already be out of committee and on the Senate floor for debate. So ...

ACTION ITEM: CALL SENATOR JOHN GIANETTI - even if you already called him before. Give him a positive message about how we take care of friends who take care of liberty. Remind him that law enforcement opposes this bill and express your frustration that extremists would lie to advance such things as you see at http://www.direct-action.org/Articles/awb.html Feel free to email him too, and CC us here at MDRKBA@direct-action.org when you drop him a note. Be sure to let him know if you are a constituent or a Democrat willing to back him on party matters!

Senator JOHN GIANETTI (410) 841-3141 -or- (301) 858-3141
john_giannetti@senate.state.md.us
(Calls from outlying areas are toll free by dialing 800-492-7122 then asking for extension 3141)

2. NO HEARINGS YET SCHEDULED ON HOUSE VERSION OF THE BAN. All eyes remain on the Senate action ... what plays out in the House will be determined by what plays out in the Senate.