(April 1, 2002) As usual the strongest anti-gun advocacy group in Annapolis this year turned out to be the Maryland State Police, but it's important for us to understand the full breadth of groups working against our freedom and safety.
Marylanders Against Handgun Abuse (MAHA) is always present in the form of full time lobbyist Eric Gally. He is paid to go to work each morning and find new ways to take your guns. MAHA is of course the brainchild of Attorney General Joe Curran. Usually Curran is content to exert his influence through shills, but this year he took a personal interest in fighting our rights restoration proposal, and was often seen working members of leadership on the bill. Senator Chris Van Hollen and Delegate Mark Shriver were as visible as they could get, hoping to make photo ops for campaign photographers. They tripped over each other trying to do MAHA's heavy lifting. Each of course is vying for the same congressional seat in Montgomery County where making citizens give up rights in total service to the state is thought to be a great way to get Democrat votes.
The call to back MAHA's gun owner licensing plan was answered by the Maryland Jewish Alliance (Baltimore Jewish Council, Jewish Federation of Baltimore, Jewish Community Council of Greater Washington and Jewish Federation of Greater Washington) that worked most of the anti-gun measures this year. Also waiting in line to make gun owners get police approval to own guns were: Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, MedChi (State Medical Society), Presbyterian Church and League of Women Voters. Georges Benjamin put Dept of Health & Mental Hygiene officially on record in support of new child access law.
Senator Alex Mooney put in a marvelous proposal to streamline the issue of carry permits to victims of domestic violence. This obviously caused consternation in the right circles, since lining up to oppose protection for women were: Baltimore County Police, Maryland State Police, Women's Law Center, the Bowie-based Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence, Maryland Interfaith Legislative Committee, Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, United Methodist Church and Maryland Sheriff's Association. In contrast to Mooney's bill, the anti-gun approach is to institutionalize the practice of disarming people (so they can become victims) rather than empowering them (so they can avoid becoming victims in the first place.) A proposal to authorize secret gun confiscation orders was endorsed jointly by Attorney General Joe Curran and Lt Gov Kathleen Kennedy.
Spokesmen from Johns Hopkins University pressed hard for gun control, while proposals to restore right to carry were body slammed by the left wing. A modest proposal to streamline carry permits for correctional officers and retired police also died, killed by strong opposition from the Maryland State Police. (So much for the theory that cops stick together.) And in spite of having 47 co-sponsors in the House, our bill to give legal protection to people who must use force in defense against home invasion was killed by the Judiciary Committee. (A bill to give this protection only to business owners went through the full Senate before stalling in the same committee.)
Baltimore Jewish Council
5750 Park Heights Avenue
Baltimore MD 21215
410 542 4850
410 542 4834 fax
MedChi
1211 Cathedral Street
Baltimore MD 21201-5516
410 539 0871
800 492 1056
Lee Hudson
Lutheran Office on Public Policy in Maryland
41 State Circle, 4-R
Annapolis MD 21401
Maggy Cullman
The Episcopal Diocese of Maryland
4 East University Parkway
Baltimore MD 21218-2437
301 467 1399
800 443 1399
Presbyterian Church
Beryl Smith
41 State Circle
Annapolis MD 21401
410 268 4122
410 268 3554 fax
410 544 2370
410 544 5909
League of Women Voters of Maryland, Inc
106-B South Street
Annapolis MD 21401
410 269 0232
410 268 7301 fax
lwvmd@aol.com
Douglas P. Jones
Maryland Interfaith Legislative Committee
41 State Circle, Suite 4
Annapolis MD 21401
410 268 4122
410 268 3554 fax
United Methodist Church
9720 Patuxent Woods Drive, Ste 100
Columbia MD 21046-1526
410 309 3430
800 492 2525 ext 430
fax 410 309 9430
Maryland Sheriff's Association, Inc
12 Francis Street, PO Box 511
Annapolis MD 21404
410 269 4238
fax 410 269 7523
Ginni Wolf
MAHA
7505 Hollybrook Road
Glen Burnie MD 21061
Cynthia Golomb
mnadv@aol.com
Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence
6911 Laurel Bowie Road, STEP 309
Bowie MD 20715
301 352 4574
301 809 0422 fax
House of Ruth
2201 Argonne Drive
Baltimore MD 21218
410 554 8463
410 2433014 fax