Maryland Gun Control Program Analysis

State Issues Maryland is said to have some of the strictest firearm laws in the country, on the issues of carrying, buying and the possession of firearms. Earlier this year many mass shootings occurred all over in Maryland, overall leaving nine dead and forty-four injured. Just in Baltimore shootings, five were wounded. These are a few of eleven mass shootings in Maryland so far in 2015. This year nine were killed and forty-four people in total were left with injuries and this is just in the state of Maryland. This is a big issue in the United states and in Maryland specifically. There are issues with who can purchase guns, what should be sold, and restrictions on firearms. This debate is continuous because in the U.S. Constitution we have

According to the law center to prevent violence, Maryland had the 15th lowest rate of gun deaths among the states in 2013. In that year, 578 people died from firearm-related injuries in Maryland. According to data compiled by Mayors Against Illegal Guns, in 2009, Maryland supplied the eighteenth lowest number to other states and it imports many more crime guns from other states than it exports. This means Maryland has very particular and strict views on firearms. This program is just one of many ways Maryland has tried to decrease unsafe people from having firearm use and purchasing them.

There are many current laws on firearms in Maryland to prevent gun violence. Including, requiring firearm owners to report the loss or theft of their firearms, demands of all dealers in handguns and assault weapons and imposes design safety standards for handguns. The others include that all private transfers of handguns and assault weapons be processed through a licensed dealer or designated law enforcement agency who must conduct a background check on the purchaser through the state police and requires purchasers of handguns and assault weapons to complete certified firearms safety training

Allowing local governments to regulate firearms. Maryland currently prohibits local governments from regulating the purchase, sale, taxation, transfer, manufacture, repair, ownership, possession, and transportation of handguns, rifles, shotguns and ammunition. Allowing local governments to regulate these actions would only have a positive effect on gun violence. The effect would be a drop in mass shooting rates and an increase in safety for citizens. Local governments should be allowed to regulate these actions in order for a safer environment, by being able to keep track of firearms locally and in small