GunsMaryland’s new firearms safety law requires fingerprinting gun buyers

Maryland law requires fingerprinting of gun buyers // Source: 24chasa.bg

The Maryland House of Delegates passed a new law on Wednesday which will require the fingerprinting of gun buyers, mandate background checks, restrict availability of weapons to the mentally ill, and ban certain kinds of assault weapons and magazines of more than ten bullets.

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports that the law was passed with a 78-61 vote. The legislation is now heading to the state Senate, which has already passed a similar version of the gun safety bill.

“Our state shouldn’t settle for being in the top 10 most violent states in America:  There are a lot of lives that can be saved.  The tragedy in Newtown (Conn.) gave us the inflection point, the ability to forge a consensus that prior to that awful tragedy might not have been possible,” Governor Martin O’Malley, told the Washington Post.

Maryland will join Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New York, and New Jersey with its fingerprinting requirement. Some new buyers of guns will be required to take and pass training and testing courses, and will be issued an ID card by the Maryland State Police. The card will need to be renewed every ten years.

Those who own hunting rifles and shotguns are exempt from the legislation.

President Barack Obama spoke in Colorado on Wednesday, urging Congress to pass legislation requiring background checks as well as limiting the size of ammunition clips.

“If we’re really going to tackle this problem seriously, then we’ve got to get Congress to take the next step,” Obama told reporters.  “And as soon as next week, they will be voting.  As soon as next week, every Senator will get to vote on whether or not we should require background checks for anyone who wants to purchase a gun.”

Obama  also noted, however, that passing any federal gun legislation will not be simple.

“This is not easy.  And I’ll be blunt — a lot of members of Congress, this is tough for them.  Because those who are opposed to any form of legislation affecting guns, they’re very well organized and they’re very well financed.  But it can be done if enough voices are heard.”