(2-14-03) Licensing of gun owners is a key goal of anti-gunners. They believe that once people must have an official ID to own guns, it is the beginning of the end of private gun ownership. There is probably some basis for believing this. Winning a 'FOI' card mandate signals that the pace of enacting new controls will pick up, since the card becomes a single point where anti-gunners can create bottlenecks. All buyers need the ID, so … no card, no guns.

Maryland gun owners successfully opposed licensing and ID legislation when proposed in Annapolis in the past, but just as we predicted during our fight over Glendening's Gun Safety Act, Maryland State Police has achieved a big portion of the ID card effect by turning cards issued during the state's training class into a de facto FOI card. (What's the point of having a legislature when MSP can make up new laws for you?) No card - no handgun.

The law states clearly who must take a state-approved firearm safety training class before applying for permission to buy a handgun. Each applicant must only affirm under penalty of perjury that he satisfies the requirement (which some people can meet in other ways.) Nevertheless starting this year the new MSP rules say dealers may not process your paperwork without recording your ID number on the card, which you must present. Lack of your card and information can lead to "administrative denial" of your application and a world of grief to the dealer.

Did you make the mistake of believing police who last year told you the card itself wasn't that important? The new rule is no card, no gun. If you don't have it, you must make application to the Police Training Commission to be re-issued a new one before you can apply for your gun. No big deal, you might be saying … just sit the course again, right? After all, it's only a 15-minute video. Sorry, that will bring trouble too. MSP doesn't want you to take the course a second time, and have instructed dealers to refuse you.

Take a moment to reflect on the situation art: Anti-gunners got their mandate for safety classes by bleating that people were dying for want of it. Once they got the restriction, anti-gunners dogged developing their class and in fact would not commence work on the current video until a month after we filed suit to make the state follow its own law and give the class. By the states own citations the class is based on materials from anti-gun advocacy groups, and never depicts a gun being fired. Now we learn the important part is having the card, not the safety, and in fact someone silly enough to try learning about safety by taking the course again won't be allowed to.

Just like we predicted: the so-called safety class mandate is all about making a back door licensing scheme.