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Gun Violence and the 2023 Session

 

With a new Issue Lead, Ken Shilling, the Gun violence Prevention Team is preparing to support new legislation expected to be filed in 2023.

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This year, the General Assembly appears ready to pass protections for Marylanders from firearm violence, but in a more challenging legal environment due to recent US Supreme Court decisions. One proposal (SB 118) is a bill prohibiting gun possession in any place where it is prohibited by law or regulation as well as any private property unless the owner has given consent. Another proposal (SB 1) would ban firearms on private property without consent and within 100 feet of a place of "public accommodation" such as restaurants and stores . 

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Our allies on this issue, Moms Demand Action and Marylanders to Prevent Gun Violence, are also pusching to finally pass legislation to strengthen safe storage requirements for firearms such as "Jaelynn's Law"(HB 307) from past years which aims at keeping guns out of the hands of children. However, this could also be expanded to go beyond children and include provisions to keep guns away from people already prohibited from possessing them. Additional measures could include liability for gun owners who knowlingly or negligently store their weapons.

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One bill filed (SB 86) would raise the age requirement to possess a long gun (rifle or shotgun) to 21.

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Another bill (SB 113 / HB 259) would seek to hold gun manufacturers liable for firearm injuries.

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As bills are introduced, we will provide information on them here.

Subject
Bill Number
XFile Bill Number
Sponsor
Title
Status
Current Location
Priority
Position
Action
Synopsis
Active Shooter Safety Drills
HB0515
Delegate Solomon
Public Schools - Active Shooter Safety Drills - Requirements
Hearing 2/15 at 1:00 p.m.
Ways and Means
Requiring the State Department of Education to adopt regulations to incorporate active shooter safety drills in the annual schedule of drills for local school systems; requiring local school systems to take certain actions regarding active shooter safety drills, including collecting and reporting certain data to the Maryland Center for School Safety, and providing certain notice to parents, students, and school personnel; etc.
Do Not Sell Firearm Registry
HB0162
SB0159
Delegate Moon
Firearms - Maryland Voluntary Do Not Sell Firearm Registry - Establishment
Hearing 2/01 at 2:30 p.m.
Judiciary
X
Support
Contact your Delegate on committee
Requiring the Department of State Police to create and maintain a Maryland Voluntary Do Not Sell Firearm Registry in which a person may voluntarily enroll for the purpose of being prohibited from obtaining a firearm; prohibiting a dealer or other person from selling, renting, loaning, or transferring a firearm to a purchaser, lessee, borrower, or transferee who the dealer or other person knows or has reason to believe is registered on the registry; etc.
Do Not Sell Firearm Registry
SB0159
HB0162
Senator Hettleman
Firearms - Maryland Voluntary Do Not Sell Firearm Registry - Establishment
Hearing 2/07 at 1:00 p.m.
Judicial Proceedings
X
Contact your Senator on committee
Requiring the Department of State Police to create and maintain a Maryland Voluntary Do Not Sell Firearm Registry in which a person may voluntarily enroll for the purpose of being prohibited from obtaining a firearm; prohibiting a dealer or other person from selling, renting, loaning, or transferring a firearm to a purchaser, lessee, borrower, or transferee who the dealer or other person knows or has reason to believe is registered on the registry; etc.
Firearms at polling sites
HB0580
Delegate Henson
Election Law – Polling Sites – Firearms Prohibitions
First Reading Ways and Means
Ways and Means
Prohibiting a person from carrying or displaying a firearm on the premises of a privately or publicly owned building being used as a polling site during an election, including a parking lot, or carrying or possessing a firearm within 100 feet of a polling site during an election, subject to certain exceptions.
Gun industry accountability
HB0259
SB0113
Delegate Atterbeary
Civil Actions - Public Nuisances - Firearm Industry Members (Gun Industry Accountability Act of 2023)
Hearing 2/01 at 2:30 p.m.
Judiciary
X
Support
Contact your Delegate on committee
Prohibiting firearm industry members from knowingly or recklessly creating, maintaining, or contributing to public harm by the sale, manufacture, distribution, importation, or marketing of a firearm-related product; requiring a firearm industry member to implement certain controls regarding the sale, manufacture, distribution, importation, marketing, possession, or use of certain firearm-related products; establishing that a violation of the Act is a public nuisance; authorizing certain civil actions for violations; etc.
Gun industry accountability
SB0113
HB0259
Senator Waldstreicher
Civil Actions - Public Nuisances - Firearm Industry Members (Gun Industry Accountability Act of 2023)
Hearing 2/07 at 1:00 p.m.
Judicial Proceedings
X
Support
Contact your Senator on committee
Prohibiting firearm industry members from knowingly or recklessly creating, maintaining, or contributing to a public nuisance through the sale, manufacture, distribution, importation, or marketing of a firearm-related product under certain circumstances; requiring a firearm industry member to establish and implement certain reasonable controls regarding the sale, manufacture, distribution, importation, marketing, possession, or use of certain firearm-related products; authorizing certain civil actions for violations of the Act; etc.
Increased Penalty for Carrying
HB0481
Delegate Conaway
Criminal Law – Wearing, Carrying, or Transporting a Handgun – Penalty
Hearing 2/15 at 1:00 p.m.
Judiciary
Increasing, from 3 years to 5 years, the maximum term of imprisonment that may be imposed for wearing, carrying, or transporting a handgun.
Long gun age increase
SB0086
Senator Waldstreicher
Rifles and Shotguns – Possession – Age Requirement (Raise the Age Act of 2023)
Hearing 2/07 at 1:00 p.m.
Judicial Proceedings
X
Support
Contact your Senator on committee
Altering the prohibition on selling, renting, or transferring certain ammunition to a person under the age of 21 years; prohibiting a person who is under the age of 21 years from possessing a rifle or shotgun except under certain circumstances; etc.
Preliminary permits
SB0060
Senator West
Public Safety - Handgun Permit - Preliminary Approval
Hearing canceled
Judicial Proceedings
Authorizing a person to apply for preliminary approval of a permit to wear, carry, or transport a handgun without completing a certified firearms training course; and requiring the Secretary of State Police to investigate an application for preliminary approval of a handgun permit, issue preliminary approval if the applicant meets certain requirements, and revoke preliminary approval and deny a handgun permit if an applicant does not complete a firearms training course within 120 days after receipt of preliminary approval.
Right to Carry
HB0413
Delegate Grammer
Firearms - Right to Purchase, Possess, and Carry
Hearing 2/08 at 1:00 p.m.
Judiciary
Oppose
Providing that a person may not be denied the right to purchase, possess, or carry a firearm solely on the basis that the person is authorized to use medical cannabis.
Right to Purchase, Possess, Carry
HB0167
Delegate Grammer
Firearms - Right to Purchase, Own, Possess, and Carry - Medical Cannabis (Maryland Constitutional Carry Act)
Hearing canceled
Judiciary
Oppose
Providing that an individual may not be denied the right to purchase, own, possess, or carry a firearm solely on the basis that the individual is authorized under certain provisions of law to use medical cannabis.
Right to carry
HB0364
Delegate Grammer
Public Safety - Handgun Permit Requirement - Repeal (Maryland's Constitutional Carry Act of 2023)
Hearing 2/08 at 1:00 p.m.
Judiciary
Oppose
Repealing the requirement that a person have a certain permit before the person carries, wears, or transports a handgun; and repealing certain criminal prohibitions against a person who is at least 21 years old wearing, carrying, or transporting a handgun.
Safe firearm storage
HB0307
Delegate Bartlett
Firearm Safety - Storage Requirements and Youth Suicide Prevention (Jaelynn's Law)
Hearing 2/15 at 1:00 p.m.
Judiciary
X
Support
Contact your Delegate on committee
Altering a certain provision relating to the storage of firearms and ammunition in a location that can be accessed by an unsupervised child; prohibiting the storage of firearms and ammunition in a manner that allows access by a certain person who is prohibited from possessing a firearm; repealing a certain provision relating to negligence; and requiring the Deputy Secretary for Public Health Services to develop a youth suicide prevention and firearm safe storage guide, with recommendations from a stakeholder committee.
Straw purchase-warrantless arrest
HB0159
Delegate Attar
Criminal Procedure - Warrantless Arrest - Straw Purchase Participant
Hearing 1/31 at 1:00 p.m.
Judiciary
Adding the crime of knowingly being a participant in a straw purchase of a regulated firearm to the list of crimes subject to warrantless arrest; and providing a penalty on conviction of imprisonment not to exceed 10 years or a fine of up to $25,000 or both.
Surrendered firearms management
HB0003
SB0185
Delegate Bartlett
Maryland State Police Gun Center – Firearms Surrendered Under Final Protective Orders
Hearing 1/25 at 2:30 p.m.
Judiciary
Altering the purpose of the Maryland State Police Gun Center to include the tracking, screening, and vetting of all firearms surrendered under final protective orders in the State; and requiring each law enforcement agency to report to the Center the number and type of firearms surrendered, the jurisdictions where the firearms were surrendered, and certain information regarding the individual who surrendered each firearm under final protective orders.
Surrendered firearms management
SB0185
HB0003
Senator Beidle
Maryland State Police Gun Center - Firearms Surrendered Under Final Protective Orders
Hearing 2/07 at 1:00 p.m.
Judicial Proceedings
Altering the purpose of the Maryland State Police Gun Center to include the tracking, screening, and vetting of all firearms surrendered under final protective orders in the State; and requiring each law enforcement agency to report to the Center the number and type of firearms surrendered, the jurisdictions where the firearms were surrendered, and certain information regarding the individual who surrendered each firearm under final protective orders.
Wearing, carrying on certain property
SB0118
Senator Lee
Criminal Law – Prohibitions on Wearing, Carrying, or Transporting Firearms
First Reading Judicial Proceedings
Judicial Proceedings
X
Support
Contact your Senator on committee
Prohibiting a person from wearing, carrying, or transporting a firearm on private property unless the owner has given the person certain permission or posted a certain sign; and prohibiting a person from wearing, carrying, or transporting a firearm in any place where prohibited by statute or a certain regulation.
Wearing, carrying on others' property
SB0001
Senator Waldstreicher
Criminal Law - Wearing, Carrying, or Transporting Firearms - Restrictions (Gun Safety Act of 2023)
Hearing 2/07 at 1:00 p.m.
Judicial Proceedings
X
Support
Contact your Senator on committee
Prohibiting a person from knowingly wearing, carrying, or transporting a firearm onto the real property of another unless the other has given certain permission to the person or the public generally; and prohibiting a person from knowingly wearing, carrying, or transporting a firearm within 100 feet of a place of public accommodation.
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