The Next Logical Step: Maryland Bills Would Designate Much of the State a No-Go Zone for Gun Owners

Reader MigraineMan writes . . .

Maryland’s 2023 Legislative Session jumped right into full gun control mode with Senator Jeff Waldstreicher collaborating with soon-to-be Secretary of State (nee Senator) Susan Lee on the unconstitutional Senate Bill 001 (read the full bill here). The coveted “first bill” designation was secured by Waldstreicher pre-filing the legislation back in August of 2022.

The executive-summary of the proposed legislation is that, if passed, those who own firearms in the state of Maryland may not wear, carry, or transport them onto private property without securing the explicit permission of the property owner prior to doing so.  

Because that limit on the right to keep and bear arms isn’t nearly stringent enough, SB1 has a companion bill, SB118. The bill imposes similar wear, carry, and transportation prohibitions on properties owned by a federal, state, or local government entity. 

Additionally, SB118 has a “presumption of guilt” rider. The two bills, filed jointly by Waldstreicher and Lee, are the embodiment of “tell me you haven’t read the Constitution without telling me you haven’t read the Constitution.”

To make matters worse — and they’re going to get much worse here in the Crab Cake State — Senator Waldstreicher conducted an interview with Baltimore’s Fox45 affiliate wherein he made this bold statement . . .

So the question is, do we want everyone carrying guns everywhere? Do we want guns in our hospitals, in our libraries, in our schools, churches and synagogues? My answer is ‘no’ and if your answer is ‘no’ too, I think we should pass SB1.

This is followed by an inquiry about accusations that the bills target the wrong people with this legislation . . .

As Senator [Justin] Reedy well knows, we can walk and chew gum at the same time. You mentioned in your previous segments, uh, the work that Ivan Pay … Bates is doing, to crack down on illegal gun crimes. We can both support Ivan Bates, uh, our State’s Attorney in Baltimore City, as well as State’s Attorneys across the State in cracking down on gun violence while still addressing the Bruen decision that was a terrible and wrong decision coming down from the Supreme Court. So the answer is ‘we can do both.’

That’s some nice shade he’s throwing directed at the US Supreme Court. And since that interview was held well after the Bruen decision was handed down, it’s pretty clear that Senator Waldstreicher intends to forge ahead in spite of the SCOTUS ruling, rather than in compliance with it.  

So what, exactly, will be the impact if SB1 and SB118 are written into law? Here’s a partial map of federal- and state-owned properties (libraries, schools, recycling centers, parking garages, etc.) that will become prohibited areas . . .

Where does this all go, ultimately? If passed into law, clearly the Maryland General Assembly intends to declare virtually the entirety of the state as a “no firearms” zone.  Undoubtedly, there will be a handful of formerly law-abiding citizens who will then become “justice-involved.” 

Also undoubtedly, some of these individuals will be targeted by law enforcement personnel via data mining of the Handgun Qualification License database. And it’s reasonable to expect that the justice-involvement intercept rate won’t come close to meeting the expectations of the members of the General Assembly. 

So to further increase the efficacy of the firearms transportation prohibitions of the Gun Safety Act of 2023, it will probably be further enacted that firearm owners shall be required to affix a symbol on their outer garments indicating that they own firearms. How else will private property owners know which patrons need to be explicitly allowed or disallowed to carry on their property?  

Don’t laugh. Before you start screaming “hy-per-bo-LEE” at your computer monitor, consider that this wouldn’t be the first time Maryland has attempted to yellow-badge firearm owners.

Back in 2010, then-Senator Brian Frosh introduced a bill that would have required the Maryland Vehicle Administration (MVA) … the DMV in most normal states … to add a yellow star to the driver’s licenses of firearm owners. 

Both Maryland Shall Issue (MSI) and Associated Gun Clubs (AGC) of Baltimore obtained draft copies of the legislation and wrote commentaries at the time (see here and here).

7(A) A regulated firearms dealer or person may only sell or transfer a handgun to another person if the purchaser or transferee presents to the seller or transferror a valid Maryland driver’s license with an approved handgun purchase designation or photographic identification card with an approved handgun purchase designation issued to the purchaser or transferee by the Motor Vehicle Administration.

Neither 2010/SB645 nor 2010/HB820 made it past the first reading in their respective chambers. But they’ve tried it before, and I have every expectation that they will try it again.

Senator Waldstreicher is exactly the kind of up-and-coming, chomping-at-the-bit, liberal legislator we can expect to pull something like this again.

Members of the Patriot Picket and other concerned citizens will be on the bricks in Annapolis on Monday evenings during the General Assembly session. Feel free to join us in peaceful assembly for the redress of grievances outside Lawyer’s Mall at the intersection of Bladen Street and College Avenue circa 7:30pm.

The legislators walk from their respective office buildings to the State House at 8:00pm.  We should have firearm-owner yellow-badge stickers printed up in the next week or so.  They will be available to those who participate. If you’d like to make your own, I will attach the artwork below.