My testimony in front of the Maryland House of Delegates

[noslolo]

Hey Doc, have you heard any follow up to HB-9? Once again I have to thank you and all of those that had to guts to stand up talk about a subject that is not very popular in MD.

[aray]

Hey Doc, have you heard any follow up to HB-9? Once again I have to thank you and all of those that had to guts to stand up talk about a subject that is not very popular in MD.

No word yet. Sometimes they vote on it - last year's version almost made it out of committee but fell one vote short. Sometimes they don't vote on a bill - the committee chair can kill a bill unilaterally by simply not calling it up for a vote. One guy.

The MD General Assembly is in session for only 90 days a year so we won't have too long to wait to find out the fate of the bill. It's not clear Governor O'Malley would even sign it if it did get all of the way through the GA.

Ultimately we're staking our best hopes on the Second Amendment Foundation lawsuit (http://saf.org/viewpr-new.asp?id=334) but ya still gotta try the legislative route as well.

Thanks to all for all of your kind words.

[CarlCyrus]

aray,

Good work. However, in this state the chances of a change are almost nil. That is whay I've purchased land in VA and will retire there. I'll take two pensions, two IRAs, and two 401ks with me. VA will get the fruits of my taxes...not MD.

Carl

[aray]

Yeah, when I retire I'm headed out too - probably either to Tennessee or to Kentucky.

I'm cautiously optimistic however that before that happens we'll get to carry in Maryland. The Second Amendment Foundation is suing Maryland for their "good and substantial" requirement for CCW permits. Since that term is not defined by the MD General Assembly, it has led to arbitrary and gross inequities in granting permits. Now that the Supreme Court has ruled in Heller and in McDonald that the 2A is a "fundamental right" that applies to "individuals" you can't pick & chose who gets to exercise that right and who can't without clear due process - nor can you a priori deny someone a fundamental Constitutional right. An undefined "good and substantial" phrase will no longer pass Constitutional muster - or so we hope.

Postscript to HB9: looks like the chairman of the committee is going to pocket veto the bill by not calling it up for a vote this year. Not too surprising in this state.

So Carl - looks like you're a citizen of Maryland too?

[bonjorno2]

good job