"Still waiting."
STATE FINALLY TELLS THE TRUTH ON TRAINING MANDATE
STATE FINALLY TELLS THE TRUTH ON TRAINING MANDATE
(October 1, 2001) In America we do not require civics classes of people who vote. We do not require grammar lessons for people who exercise free speech. We do not mandate spiritual training of people who participate in organized religion. But in Maryland, we will soon require political re-education of prospective handgun buyers, so state police can track them in their new computer database.
On August 21, Judge Pincus in the Montgomery County Circuit court dismissed our lawsuit that asked the state to please just follow its own law concerning gun safety training. That law says regulations (and hence classes) must be in place by January of this year, so that the restriction on handgun purchase (starting next January) will not be a burden. We filed suit when we learned the state had no intention of giving a class. They only intended to enforce the purchase restriction - a de facto handgun ban. Gun safety classes have yet to be made available for the public, but while we forced the administration to admit it has an obligation to give the class (and in advance of the restriction too), the judge refused to rule on when that obligation began.
In dismissing our suit, the judge bought the state's argument that perversely gave us something very important. In order to defend itself, the state was forced for the first time to tell the truth: its classes are not about safety, just bureaucracy. The state argued (and the judge agreed) that I have no "cause of action" since I am not currently harmed by not taking the class. They argued that the only harm will be when I cannot buy a gun next year for lack of the class. No harm, no suit. As a gun owner now, taking the class will not make me safer, since if it would I'd be harmed by not being able to take it. The state says I'm not harmed, hence only value from the class is satisfying administrative obligations necessary to purchase a handgun next year.
That's a far cry from the Kathleen Kennedy story when she and her socialist buddies launched the "Gun Safety Act" last year. Back then, kids were dying every day for want of the legislation. Fast forward past the Bill Clinton bill signing love fest and we learn there is no safety merit to the class. That was already apparent: once we caught the state with its pants down, the focus became one of slapping together whatever it could so the civil servants could say they were doing their job. The course will now be a single videotape based on political materials from the Brady Bunch. Course quality isn't an issue to people whose real goal is to get you into their new database, a de facto licensing that the state police haven't previously won in legislature.
We understand that outside groups will be encouraged to apply to give their own courses to satisfy demand. Whether they do so is a matter between them and their own consciences, since those who give a safety class will be required to report all students to the state for its new master database. The administration loves this: we have a choice of allowing gun buyers to be trained by the state, and hence forced to suffer the Brady Bunch BS intended to drive people from gun ownership. Or we can shoulder the state's teaching load so they don't have to. In that case they'll get their gun databases built without the bother of doing it themselves. For our part, we will decline to serve as capos, volunteer agents of the state. Yes, citizens will end up cataloged anyway, but we'll be able to sleep at night.
The near-term effect of the state's actions is sad. Some new gun owners want training and continued freedom to buy regulated firearms next year, but have deferred taking a class since they don't know what will suffice. Others are justifiably fearful of the new state police databases, and so are buying handguns earlier than they might have. The bottom line? More people are ending up armed as first-time gun owners without having seen the state's propaganda-ridden video tape, much less having taken a real safety class for guidance.
Our only play is to organize and expand our base now, in anticipation of the state election next year. That is where we finally get our say on training mandates, ballistic fingerprinting and so much more!