(April 1, 2002) We mourn the passing of Bob McMurray on February 7, 2002, at age of 55 following a brief respiratory illness. Bob is deeply entwined in the story of our issue. He headed the Committee Against the Gun Ban, which fought HB 1131 in 1988, the ban on so-called "Saturday night specials." He emerged from that battle as spokesman for the Maryland State Rifle and Pistol Association during the zenith of its effectiveness, up until elections of 1994. Several legislators who learned of Bob's passing from our brief note in the last newsletter remembered him as an inspired speaker and fierce advocate.

Bob was a decorated Vietnam era combat vet whose service in-country drew heavily on his experiences growing up on the Cherokee reservation in North Carolina. Many of those same skills later brought him acclaim as coach of the Montgomery Blair High School Rifle Team, where he served for many years until the school moved to new facilities lacking a range. He remained active as a medicine man and teacher within the Cherokee community, and it is there, on the waters of the Oconoluftee River, that his ashes have been scattered.