I gotta scratch my head sometimes. I think this law will overall be good:
Gov. Martin O’Malley on Thursday signed the gun control bill that he promised he would. “We’ve chosen to take action by advancing the strategies that work to save lives,” he said in a statement.
The new law bans 45 types of assault weapons, decreases the number of bullets allowed in magazines and requires handgun buyers to undergo safety training and submit fingerprints to obtain a license.
Among the assault weapons banned is the AR-15
Oh yeah the law is stupid and terrible…so why good?
The National Rifle Assn., the leading gun rights advocacy group, has already announced it will seek a legal challenge to the Maryland law.
Banning magazines that hold more than 10 rounds, as well as rifles with one of the standard “Evil” Features (PDF of the Bill) definitely goes directly against Heller and McDonald’s “Common Use” test. So a state getting swatted post-McDonald is nothing but good for all of us.
And then there’s this!
A House Democrat inspired by the last James Bond movie has offered legislation to produce handguns with “personalization technology.”
The idea is to produce guns that can only be used by the gun’s owners. Rep. John Tierney (D-Mass.) cited the latest James Bond movie, “Skyfall,” as inspiration for the bill.
“In the most recent James Bond film, Bond escapes death when his handgun, which is equipped with technology that recognizes him as its owner, becomes inoperable when it gets into the wrong hands,” Tierney’s office said in a statement introducing the bill. “This technology, however, isn’t just for the movies — it’s a reality.”
No, its just a movie, and I’m very happy to say I get to vote against you next election (as well as every previous election).
Yeah, Movies are totally real. Good job!
Don’t forget that the police will be exempt.
Ironic given that the example being held up here is a goverment agent.
There’s also even more fantasy in the idea that the hundreds of millions of existing guns can simply and cheaply be converted. Nevermind that there’s thousands of different types of guns many of which have been out of production for decades.
Which ties into the delusion that these conversions are a “minor” inconvenience to gun owners, but cannot be defeated by criminals.
It’s almost like the real aim is to increase the hassel and price of guns beyond the means of the commoners. While also giving the oprotunity for creating a new registry.
But hey, why not mandate all new cameras be sold with an AI that prevents the creation of child porn!
What do you hate TEH CHilDRen?
I find it really sad that in a Constitutional Republic, we have to pass stupid laws just so that they can be challenged. Are we so “set” that the legislature has nothing more important to do than continually dredging up old, failed policies that infringe rather than aid? And the concept of “passing it so we can find out what’s in it” still boggles my mind.
Freedom? Oath of Office? Republic? Honor? Constitution? These words might as well be Disney character names.
As a computer engineer and an individual who can think of plenty of reasons I WOULD want someone else to be able to use my guns, the idea of biometric lockout technology(WHICH REQUIRES BATTERIES!) disturbs me. The fact that someone actually thinks it’s a good idea makes me glad I don’t live in Maryland.(in Colorado, they subvert rights the old-fashioned way.)
+1 these features add failure points to a gun in a critical time, and unlike say the grip and thumb safety on a 1911, these devices fail routinely in ideal situations.
Also with the biometrics, it means you can never teach a new shooter, or allow test firing of a gun for sale….and with the RFID devices they can not only fail unsafe if the RFID is simply near, but not worn by the user, or likely simply be stolen by the unauthorized user when the gun is in storage.
It really only makes sense to people who believe Hollywood movies actually happen.
Inspired by “Skyfall”, huh?
I just want to say to him, “Dude, I heard about the whole ‘smart gun’ idea in a little Stallone movie called ‘Judge Dredd’, which was released almost two decades ago. Theirs would do a DNA test and deliver a debilitating electrical shock to any unauthorized users. It even microstamped! And you know what? In the movie, the bad guys still found a way around it!”