The state of Maryland is about as anti-gun as they come. They might not have all the restrictions a state like California, New York, or New Jersey has, but they’ll most definitely get around to it.
As it is, they continue to pass numerous anti-gun laws, none of which have done much of anything to reduce crime in cities like Baltimore, which is one of the more dangerous cities in the nation.
What’s more, no one there seems to see the connection to extreme gun control measures and their continued issue with violent crime.
So it was kind of surprising to see that the Maryland state Senate is taking up a pro-gun bill.
Maryland senators took up two GOP-led marijuana bills on Friday: one that would let police search vehicles based on the smell of cannabis and another that’s meant to protect gun rights for medical marijuana patients.
Members of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee discussed the legislation during a hearing, listening to testimony in support and opposition, but did not vote on the proposals.
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At Friday’s hearing, members also briefly considered a separate proposal from Sen. Mike McKay (R) that would protect the rights of registered medical cannabis patients to buy, own and carry firearms under state law.
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The issue was previously raised in the Maryland legislature around this time last year, with the House Judiciary Committee holding a hearing on a separate but related measure to ensure medical marijuana patients’ gun rights are protected.
Now, there’s no guarantee this will go anywhere, and if it does, it’ll probably be because it’s a pro-marijuana bill and not because it’s a pro-gun bill.
Regardless, it’s still a bill that preserves the right to keep and bear arms for a whole lot of people who are currently denied it. That’s a good thing no matter how you cut it, especially because there is no historical precedence for such a restriction.
Sure, historic laws against shooting while drunk existed, but that was shooting while currently impaired. The restrictions for marijuana users go beyond impairment and seek to restrict them from having a gun even when they’re not actively under the influence.
No one cared all that much so long as marijuana was restricted across the board, but with states legalizing it for even recreational use, we get into a thorny situation.
Maryland is looking to potentially fix that, as have a number of other states.
The feds could address this easily simply by recategorizing pot. Unfortunately, that’s not happening, which means a lot of people in states like Maryland have to decide whether they want the benefits of cannabis use or whether they want to keep their right to bear arms.
It shouldn’t be this way.
But no one should see this as a shift in the state’s politics on guns. Should this pass and be signed into law, the Second Amendment ramifications will be a side benefit, not the primary motivation. This is a state that has no problems infringing on gun rights with every step they can think of and nothing has changed in that regard.
That said, the phrase “any port in a storm” comes to mind.
It’s not so much that they’re now pro-gun or something, but if they’re going to make a move that might be pro-gun, I’ll take what I can get.
The people of Maryland deserve better than what they’ve gotten. The fact that a law like this might open opportunities down the road is just a pleasant bonus, at least from my perspective. Here’s hoping this passes and lawmakers there are clever enough to use it to their advantage for other guns rights.
