There are all kinds of gun control laws on the books in Maryland, from “universal background checks” to bans on so-called assault weapons and ghost guns, but those statutes have had little-to-no impact on violent criminals in the state. Baltimore, for instance, has now had 300+ homicides for eight years in a row, but politicians like Mayor Brandon Scott have continued to claim that more gun control laws are the answer; if not imposed at the state level, then by Congress.

The few remaining Republicans in Maryland politics, on the other hand, point to a lack of consequences for violent offenders, including juveniles who’ve been accused of offenses as serious as murder. Given the fact that we’re now seeing kids who aren’t even old enough to drive, much less legally purchase a firearm, charged with things like armed carjacking, I think its safe to say that Maryland’s gun laws aren’t stopping criminals from illegally obtaining firearms, and the state’s criminal justice system isn’t doing much to dissuade potential offenders from targeting innocent victims.

Police said two boys face charges after they carjacked a rideshare driver at gunpoint in Temple Hills on Saturday.

The Prince George’s County Police Department said the 14-year-old boys got into the car in the 6400 block of Gifford Dr. around 12:20 p.m. The driver told investigators the teenagers both pulled out guns and demanded her car. She gave it to them, and she wasn’t hurt.

Maryland lawmakers declared their 2023 gun control agenda to expand gun-free zones where law-abiding citizens will not be able to carry for self-defense. This attempt flies in the face of the U.S. Supreme Court’s NYSRPA v. Bruen ruling, which affirmed that the Right-to-Carry applies outside the home. Gun control advocates have seized on the “sensitive places” language in an attempt to lend legitimacy to blanket restrictions on the Right-to-Carry for self-defense. As we have seen in other states, banning firearms in so-called “sensitive places” does nothing to promote public safety. Most concerning for Maryland, “sensitive places” legislation has had large portions struck down in court.

This patchwork of so-called “sensitive areas” does nothing more than create confusion for law-abiding citizens, while being ignored by criminals. The proponents seek to ban the Right-to-Carry in schools, places of worship, parks, libraries, and hospitals.  Some have gone even further, introducing a measure to ban possession within 100 feet of not only those locations, but also places of “public accommodation,” such as restaurants. The reasoning? “It is a very serious public safety issue.” Proponents, however, fail to explain how disarming law-abiding, trained, and licensed individuals will accomplish safety from criminals who do not obey the law. They present no plan to disarm violent criminals, who already ignore existing laws.

NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action is right to call out the Democrats’ upcoming attempt to limit where law-abiding citizens can carry in self-defense now that the Supreme Court has struck down their may-issue laws limiting who can exercise that fundamental right, but with a sizable majority in both chambers and a newly-elected Democratic governor, it’s likely to be open season on the right to keep and bear arms (and those who want to peaceably exercise that right) once next year’s session gets underway.