(May 17, 2001) James Purtilo, editor and publisher of Tripwire newsletter, on May 11 filed suit against the state of Maryland for its failure to offer firearms safety classes that will soon be a prerequisite to the lawful purchase of a handgun.

One of many gun control measures enacted by the General Assembly last year is a ban selling regulated firearms to anyone who has not satisfied a firearms training requirement. This restriction will take effect January 1, 2002. Either the buyer is exempt from the mandate - as a law enforcement officer, a member (or honorably discharged member) of the armed forces or national guard, a member of an organization that is required by federal law to keep handguns, or a person who is issued a permit to carry - or must take a state-sponsored gun safety class.

For the majority of handgun buyers that means: no training class, no gun.

The administration's own law requires the state to provide free safety classes, according to regulations that were to have been established by the first of this year. Prospective buyers were to have been given one full year to take classes so the later restriction would not disrupt lawful access to guns.

Yet six months after classes were to have started, no regulations are adopted. Secretary of Public Safety Stuart Simms indicates his FY 2002 budget allocates no funds to implement training mandates, leaving in doubt the prospect of classes being available even after the restriction takes effect.

We told leaders in the General Assembly about this during session in the spring, and they chose not to act. We explained to the press why the state's credibility on gun safety training is zero, in light of this administration's unwillingness to follow its own law. (You see how much of that made it to mainstream media!)

Now we're turning to the courts for help. Our lawsuit asks the court to order the state to meet its statutory obligation by adopting regulations and offering safety training. If the state is not forced to obey its own law, buyers will be asked to meet an unsatisfiable requirement in order to buy a handgun: we must show we've taken a class the state has no plans to offer.

ACTION ITEM: Do you anticipate needing this class? Ask now rather than wait! Show the administration what level of concern the community has for a de facto handgun ban. Here is a sample letter you should send to: Police and Correctional Training Commissions, 3085 Hernwood Road, Woodstock MD 21163-1099