Well I'll be damned.

Still not sure if I'm fully returning to blogging here.  Life has changed significantly and I just plain don't have the time, for the most part.

But.

I felt this important to share.  Governor Hogan told the state police to remove "Good and Substantial Reason" standard from the application process.

This is huge, even if Frosh is dragging his feet on it.

Quote of the day.

"The world is filled with violence...Because criminals carry guns, we decent law-abiding citizens should also have guns. Otherwise they will win and the decent people will lose."

-James Earl Jones

Well, crap. Woollard SCOTUS petition denied.

From this email:

The Supreme Court today announced it will not hear the Woollard case, allowing the ruling of the 4th Circuit to stand. That said, a denial of cert does not mean an affirmation of the ruling. This is a setback for 2nd amendment civil rights, but it is by no means the end.

Additionally, there are several other carry cases making their way through the court system. The 9th Circuit will hear a De Facto ban on concealed carry from Hawaii. (Hawaii has a system but doesn't issue permits) as well as several challenges from California. Should the Supreme Court act on one of these cases, it would impact the Woollard case. The case can be revived should one of these cases move forward. 

I didn't have much hope for Woollard at SCOTUS, but it sure would have been nice if they'd decided to hear it.

Maryland HQL license requirements (and other stuff).

I took a Utah CCW class through Mid Atlantic Firearms Training, and they added me to their mailing list.  Fortunately they're not spammy so I tend to pay attention when I get something from them.

Earlier in the week, they sent this out to customers.  I've asked permission to reprint it in its entirety here:

Mid-Atlantic Firearms Training  October 6, 2012

Folks, We are sending out this email as a courtesy to those of you who may have some questions regarding the new firearms laws that have gone into effect in Maryland on October 1, 2013.  This is known as the Firearm Safety Act 2013 aka SB281. Like many of you, I did everything I could to protest, discourage and stop this bill from being signed into law.  However, that did eventually happen and here we are 1 week later.  At this point, it is no longer theory or "what if", rather it is a reality and now we deal with it's implementation. We have been quite silent in sending out too many announcements as it became clear the law would go through as it seemed everything was in a state of flux and in reality, things are still in a state of flux.  However, we do now have some more concrete info we can share that will hopefully help you understand how this law may/may not affect you and if you will need to acquire further training under it's provisions.

Handgun Qualification License and Training Requirements I am going to outline the requirements for the Handgun Qualification License hereby referred to as HQL and the training requirements. Under the Firearms Safety Act 2013 also known as SB281, all new handgun purchasers must apply for and receive a Handgun Qualification License (HQL) before purchase.  This HQL must be presented to the FFL or gun shop.   There are certain individuals who exempt from the handgun qualification license: A Licensed Firearms Manufacturer. Active law enforcement officer or a person retired in good standing from a law enforcement agency of the United States, the State, or a local law enforcement agency of the State. A member or retired member of the armed forces of the United States or National Guard.  (This may apply to quite a few of you.) A person purchasing, renting or receiving an antique, curio or relic as defined in federal law or in determinations published by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  (For those of you who deal with C&R firearms) The above listed individuals or entities must provide acceptable documentation to the dealer or FFL prior to purchasing a regulated firearm.  Do your self a favor, save a trip and bring it with you. There are certain individuals who will need an HQL but are exempt from a further training requirement:    Have completed a Maryland State Police (MSP) approved certified firearms safety course Have completed a course of instruction and been issued a certificate of competency in firearms and hunter safety from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Is currently a qualified handgun instructor Is an honorably discharged member of the armed forces of the United States or National Guard. Is an employee of an armored car company who has a valid Wear and Carry Permit issued by MSP. Lawfully owns a regulated firearm.  If you own a regulated firearm prior to October 1, 2013, you are not required to complete the training and may apply for the Handgun Qualification License. Pay particular attention to the last bullet point as that will affect many of you.  In other words, if you already own a handgun you will NOT be required to take the HQL training course, BUT you will need to apply for the HQL if you want to purchase any future handguns. Soooo, the question is:  What if I need HQL Training?? If you are in the category of individuals who will need to take the HQL training course, we certainly have you covered as well as your other firearms training needs.  The course will be a 4 hour course mandated by law that includes the following main topics: State Firearms Laws Home Firearms Safety Handgun Operation and Mechanisms Live Fire Component (obviously we provide the gun and ammunition) For a more detailed course description please visit the HQL page on our site at: Handgun Qualification License Training As usual, we will provide a COMPLETE course including help with the application if needed and discounts on LiveScan Fingerprinting services(required by MSP).

I hope you have found this information helpful and if you need our assistance please know we are there to help you through this confusing maze of new laws as well as provide the quality training you expect and we demand of ourselves.  We ask that you share this email with family and friends who may be thinking of purchasing a handgun for the first time.  I can tell you there are "Instructors" coming out of the woodwork looking to capitalize on this "opportunity".  Please let your family and friends know of your positive experience with us and send them our way.    Sincerely,    Bryan Fletcher Mid-Atlantic Firearms Training

ATTN: MD residents who have legally purchased HBARs and AR10s out of state.

The police may be coming for you.

I'd like to know who's making all these random decisions without notifying the public.

More info regarding Saturday's post.

Go read it here.

God, it's even worse than we thought.

From an email I recieved from Associated Gun Clubs:

Governor Compromises the Privacy of Thousands of Maryland Citizens

We have confirmed earlier reports that on orders from Governor O'Malley, the Maryland State Police are sharing the personal information on 77R firearms purchase application forms with the following non-MSP government agencies:

Department of Human Resources (DHR)
Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
Department of Transportation
Department of Public Safety
Correctional Services of Department of General Services

This will impact no less than the 38 thousand Maryland citizens who are currently still waiting for the MSP to "Not Disapprove" their applications to purchase a regulated firearm.

It is our information that state employees are being offered "comp time" to work this weekend doing data input. Other than a reported confidentiality agreement, there appears to be no effort to investigate the possible criminal backgrounds of these employees.

These forms contain the applicant's name, address, date and place of birth, social security number as well as information on the firearm the applicant intends to purchase. The Maryland State Police have lost control of the Licensing Division.

At this time, we will not publicly speculate on the Governor's political motivation for this action.

I have no words.

The MDSP have released criteria for the license to own pistols/restricted firearms in Maryland.

More info here.

I believe I've said this many times before, but I truly hate this state. This will completely affect my ability to take newbies to the range, and I abhor this infringement of my and my friends' rights.

BREAKING: Alan Gura filed cert in the Woollard case.

The document can be found here. This has also been posted over on Marylandshooters here. Go, have a gander, join the discussion if you're so inclined.


Thanks a ton to FightinBluHen51 for this...

Marylanders don't need to protect themselves.

Especially not in Baltimore, where 29 people were shot in a little under a week.



Is Baltimore. Is not safe.

Looks like Marylanders are even *more* screwed.

If you're shopping for anything restricted, it's now completely up to the state police to determine whether you're permitted to have it.  They're no longer using NICS.  According to a Redditor who called a few FFLs, the FBI sent a letter to all FFLs specifying "all FFLs in MD may no longer use NICS (instant background check that most dealers use) for handgun, "other" (receivers), silencer, or AOW purchases. The release of those items is now at the absolute discretion of the Maryland State Police."


In short, we're even more screwed.  There goes my suppressed SBR plan. :\



Edited to add: thanks to FightinBluHen51, I have more info.  I need to read more about it.

Some folks seem to be questioning why Maryland SB281 is so problematic for people who are legal gun owners or want to be a legal gun owner in Maryland.

So here are some key parts of the bill that's headed to the governor to be signed into law.

The parts of the bill that dealt with punishments for those who break the law have been gutted, so this isn't even useful legislation. Governor O'Malley and his cronies DO NOT want us here. I hope they're ready to lose a crap-ton in tax revenue from Beretta, because it's likely they're packing up their stuff and moving elsewhere. Way to go.

I'm ashamed of my legislators.

Maryland truly doesn't deserve to be called the "free" state anymore.

This isn't democracy.

This is pretty disgusting. No matter your thoughts on guns, this isn't how voting should happen.

This needs to stop.

People from states other than Maryland - your assistance is needed!

A while back, shortly after the Newtown shootings, my friend Kizz asked for some help. Before she got involved in the gun debate, she wanted to be more informed about the laws regarding firearms, specifically AR15s (since that's what's been in the news lately). I offered to help. I saw this as a great way to educate myself as well as a more liberal-minded friend.

And then lots of stuff happened, and life got in the way, and I found myself overwhelmed with everything that involved more brain power than the absolute basics like showering and eating.

So we're asking for your help. We've got Maryland covered, but if you live in a state that isn't Maryland, we need your input. To quote Kizz,

If you can distill what you learn into a paragraph ... then I'll put up a post with all our paragraphs. You can give us the heads up that you're doing a state by saying so in comments below. I believe we can get this information on the internet and without too much difficulty.

Please, feel free to share what you know and/or can dig up here or over on her blog. And please, be polite. This is an opportunity for those of us firmly on the pro-gun side to educate those who really don't know the laws. Kizz has a decent readership, and she's willing to learn. Please don't just link to your state's laws - we want the basic information.

Thanks for any assistance you folks are willing to provide!

I HATE being part of the rumor mill...

Especially when there's nothing to substantiate the rumor.

That said, over on Arms and the Law, there's been an update on the Woollard case. And really, it sounds like we're screwed.

If anyone comes across a source, can you let me know? I'm unable to comment over there and any email attempts have been ignored in the past, so I'm unable to ask him for his source.


ETA: Substantiated. Dammit.

SB281 - more effort is needed, folks.

Go read. And keep the phone calls coming.

Beretta's off the bench.

I have a thought.

Jay (and just about everyone else) has mentioned a couple of companies are no longer willing to work with law enforcement in states like New York and California. Sean has started keeping track of this list of companies, and will keep it updated as more companies join the list.


I have a suggestion.

Why not contact your favorite gun/ammuntion/gear manufacturer, and suggest they join in the boycott. Congratulate these companies for what they're willing to do, and urge them to show their support of this effort.

At best, it will bring this movement to their attention; at worst, they'll say no.



It was something that occurred to Chris the other day and I figured I'd voice that to you folks. What do you think?

I want Gayle Trotter to be my friend.

I really, really do.