A proposed bill that would force gun owners to report a weapon lost or stolen was met with harsh criticism Tuesday by opponents who see it as a way to strip responsible gun owners of their rights.
“I don?t know how you would prove someone knew their firearm was missing. You can harass legal gun owners,” Henry Heymering, president of Maryland Shall Issue, told the House Judiciary Committee.
The measure is one of four gun bills under consideration by state lawmakers intended to keep violent gun offenders off the streets. The statewide bills were introduced by Baltimore City Del. Curt Anderson. City officials also lobbied aggressively for the bills. The “lost gun bill” requires owners to report loss or theft of their guns within 72 hours after discovering it.
John Josselyn of Associated Gun Clubs of Baltimore Inc. called the bill “essentially unenforceable.”
Allegany County Del. Kevin Kelly described his district as “awash in guns.”
“Our people don?t kill one another,” he said. “Criminals get guns.”
Some gun owners can?t afford heavy-duty locks and may not know their weapons have gone missing until months later, Kelly said.
Baltimore City Police Commissioner Frederick Bealefeld said the measure isn?t aimed at responsible gun owners and allows police to investigate a report of a stolen gun before it turns up in a crime.
A second bill would reduce the amount of “good time” credit earned by someone serving a mandatory five-year sentence for a gun offense, preventing early release. Under a third measure, someone with a prior gun offense conviction would not be granted bail when arrested again. A fourth bill would ban the possession of a firearm by anyone who is the subject of a final protective order.
