SB1

  Once again, I'm listening to the politicians and just shaking my head. The governor of Maryland just signed a bill into law to "get the illegal guns off the streets." How is this bill going to do that? This bill prevents legal gun holders, with legal concealed carry permits, from carrying their gun legally in certain areas. It's sort of like giving you a driver's license and saying you can only drive on certain roads. The intent is to cut down on wrecks. That would make as much sense. I'm trying to wrap my head around that logic. We are going to stop illegal guns from being carried by restricting legal gun owners from carrying their gun. The bill is already being challenged by the NRA and other groups as unconstitutional. The supreme court already ruled that way in at least two other instances with two other states. But the lawyers are having a ball and making a ton of money. 

 In order to purchase a gun I have to pass a background check. That being done and my criminal history being reviewed I am issued a permit to purchase. Now if I want to carry my weapon that I just legally purchased I have to apply for another permit, the concealed carry permit. The requirements and qualifications for obtaining that permit are far more stringent than just the ability to buy the gun. If I am granted that permit doesn't that mean the state determined I was qualified, justified and trustworthy enough to be given that permit? Certainly, seems that way to me. So just how can the state then restrict that, after the fact, and say where you can use that permit? One of those places on the extensive list given is government buildings. You know the buildings with the politicians in them that are guarded by armed security. The security guards are allowed to conceal carry anywhere, at any time, for any reason whatsoever. 

 As far as getting the illegal guns off the street they will not do what needs to be done. It has already been decided that stop and frisk is a violation of the criminals' constitutional rights! Yes, it is being said that the 4th amendment protects those people from unreasonable search and seizure. Just because a person is walking around with a pistol bulging out of their waistbands, engaging in illegal activities, and displaying all the signs of being a criminal, you can't stop and frisk them! You have to wait for reasonable cause, like they just shot someone. If you do anything before that, based on experience and your gut instinct as a police officer, you are profiling! You can't be profiling people. Just because he looks like a thug, acts like a thug, and sounds like a thug, he might be a choir boy. The Baltimore police department has decided that nothing is illegal unless you are caught! That's the attitude of the Governor, the States attorney, the Chief of Police and the commissioner. And we can't catch you until you do whatever it is you are doing. So, we can't take that gun until you shoot someone with it. And then wonder why so many illegal guns are on the street. I'll tell you why there are so many guns on the street. They are there to defend themselves against the other criminals and crooks carrying guns. Who is shooting whom? 

 Yes, innocent people get caught in the crossfire. It's also true that innocent people will shoot back if they are armed! More lives have been saved by the good guy with the gun than any bad guy. While we hear about all these mass shootings the vast majority of them were committed by people with a long history of mental illness. In some cases, mental illness that some are calling perfectly fine and normal! Not supposed to talk about that. The bottom line is easy enough to understand. Criminals don't care about the law! Restricting legal guns will do nothing to stop illegal guns! It won't! It's that simple. It's like getting pregnant. If you don't have sex, you won't get pregnant! You can use all the prevention you want, be careful, and still wind up pregnant because, wait for it, you had sex. You can make all the laws you want, create all the obstacles to gun ownership you like, but still get shot! You know why? Because the criminal with a gun doesn't care about the law. 

 Want to get illegal guns off the street. Target the illegal gun owners. That's how you do that. Stop, frisk and remain vigilant. Catch someone with an illegal gun, lock them up! The only trial held should be for the number of years you are going to jail. First offense, five years seems right, no parole, no pardons, no excuses. An armed citizenry is a whole lot safer than one that isn't. Statistics from other nations prove that out. When the criminals know that others are armed the instance of a gun being involved declines significantly. That's just a simple fact. Google it! 

 Yup, that's Senate Bill One. Governor Moore signs into law. The legal gun owners are being penalized for the acts of criminals. In order to obtain a wear and carry permit in Maryland you have to attend 16 hours of professional training, register online, provide a passport type photograph, pass a comprehensive background check and pay seventy-five dollars. Now after doing all of that you are only being allowed to exercise that permit in certain areas. If you read the list of places where you can not wear or carry it's just about everywhere you might go on a typical day. Pretty much you can only wear and carry in your backyard! It's what the criminals are doing with their guns, just illegally. See how that works?