From our friends at Marylanders to Prevent Gun Violence:
On Tuesday, May 16, Governor Wes Moore signed into law four of MPGV’s priority pieces of gun safety legislation! All of these laws will save lives!
After five years of fighting alongside Melissa Willey to enact the kind of strong Child Access Prevention and Safe Storage law that would have kept a gun out of the hands of her daughter Jaelynn’s killer, it was deeply moving to stand by Melissa’s side as Gov. Moore told Jaelynn’s story and spoke about that very law, named in her honor. Committing to common sense gun legislation, he said, “Gun violence is tearing apart the fabric of our communities, not just through mass shootings but through shootings that are happening in each of our communities far too often…In Maryland, we refuse to say these problems are too big or too tough. We will act.” (Click here for Gov. Moore’s additional remarks about Jaelynn’s Law, beginning at 8:12.)
Next up, the governor signed legislation requiring the Maryland State Police, for the first time, to collect data on firearms surrendered under final protective orders. This information will help establish effective enforcement practices across all Maryland jurisdictions. Our two additional bills signed into law both work to counter the Supreme Court’s June 2022 Bruen ruling which weakened Maryland’s strong public carry permitting standards, thereby allowing more people to carry a firearm in public. These laws eliminate the open carry of handguns in public; ban guns in specific, sensitive public locations; establish that firearms are not allowed on private property unless the owner gives express permission; strengthen the carry permitting process to deny permits to those with histories of dangerous behavior; and raise the age for carry permits to 18. For further details on this year’s legislative successes, check out our 2023 Legislative Wrap Up.
