by
Philip F. Lee

The Washington Post advises Maryland to pass a ban on "assault-style" weapons in the editorial "A Roll Call on Weapons." The Post acknowledges a problem with truthfulness from a Violence Policy Center report which appears to have lied about the "one-in-five" number of police officers killed with such firearms. But the Post dismisses that deception by asking, "What if the statistic were one in 20?" That is a question worth exploring.

Maryland is one of the most violent states with the highest rate of robbery for the past 8 years and high rates of murder and assaults. So, the weapons used to kill Maryland police officers should be of interest to Maryland legislators as they consider any ban.

If we look at the Maryland police officers who have died during the period 1988 through 2003 from trauma received in felonious assaults, we have a total of 19 deaths. One was from stabbing, one from stabbing until incapacitation then the officer's handgun was used to finish him off, one assaulted with an automobile and 16 were straight shootings. Of wounds from these 16 shooting deaths 12 were from handguns, 3 from ordinary shotguns and one from a rifle. According to the Post 1 in 20 criteria, handguns should be banned, shotguns should be banned and rifles should be banned by Maryland.

Here we have a moment of unintended truth from the Post. All guns should be banned from ownership by the people. The Post may claim that isn't their intent. If so, they need to explain why they would leave some firearms, handguns say, in the hands of the people which are involved in more officer deaths than the ones they recommend banning.

Perhaps the Post might want to exempt rifles from its one-in-20 criteria when it hears that the one officer dying from a rifle wound was actually shot in 1977 and died 23 years later and 10 years after retiring with 20 years on the force. If we remove that one death from the list, then no officers died from rifle wounds received in the 16 year period cited.

That's right, Maryland officers have not been shot and killed with AK-47s, AR-15s, M-1As... or any rifle whatsoever during 16 years examined (and this is the record in one of the most violent states in the union). Perhaps the Post should re-think its support for banning "assault-style" firearms.

+1 EXCELLENT !

Kinda hard to stand behind statistics when they can't even stand up on their own.

What is t the source of this information?

Thanks for posting from a free state.

Quoted: What is t the source of this information? Thanks for posting from a free state.

WE ARE ALL FREE STATES THE GOVMNT IS ONE BREAKING THE LAW !


A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed. A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.


The bill of (rights ) was written by the people for the people!!

Quoted: What is t the source of this information? Thanks for posting from a free state.

WE ARE ALL FREE STATES THE GOVMNT IS ONE BREAKING THE LAW !


A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed. A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.


The bill of (rights ) was written by the people for the people!!

Advocates hopeful on gun ban

O'Malley support could give bill on assault weapons chance to pass
By Jennifer Skalka
Sun reporter
Originally published February 28, 2007
With the support of a new Democratic governor, advocates for a state assault weapons ban said yesterday that they have the legislative backing and momentum to pass a bill this session.

"We are hopeful that the new political landscape will make a difference this year," said Sen. Michael G. Lenett, the Montgomery County Democrat sponsoring the proposal.

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Gov. Martin O'Malley and state Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler are behind a proposal that would forbid the transport, sale, possession or purchase of military-style assault weapons. The 11-member Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee, which heard hours of testimony yesterday on the proposal, appears split on the matter. If the bill were defeated in committee, it would take 16 senators to petition the initiative to the floor; the bill has 21 co-sponsors.

A proposed state ban died last year in the General Assembly. Then-Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., a Republican who had voted in 1996 while a member of Congress to repeal the federal assault weapons ban, didn't push for tougher state legislation.

The proposed assault weapons ban is the latest issue that had fizzled under Ehrlich to be resurrected with O'Malley at the helm. Tougher emissions standards for automobiles is another. Stem cell research will benefit from an additional $10 million commitment from O'Malley, a promise he made since being sworn in last month. And the governor lobbied last week for repeal of the death penalty.

O'Malley submitted a letter of support to the Senate committee yesterday, urging passage of the assault weapons ban, which designates 45 firearms as assault weapons.

"More than 600 people die in Maryland each year from gun violence -- on average, more than 50 victims every month," the governor said in a statement. "Assault weapons are so frequently used in crime that one assault rifle is traced back to a Maryland crime every 48 hours. This legislation will help prevent these guns from reaching Maryland streets and will therefore assist law enforcement efforts to keep our communities safe."

Gansler, a Democrat and former Montgomery County prosecutor, provided the committee with his endorsement as well. "Weapons optimized for killing large numbers of people as quickly and efficiently as possible have no place on the streets of our communities," he wrote in a letter.

In addition to the ban, the bill would impose a registration requirement and give gun owners a 60-day period, effective Oct. 1, to file the required information with the secretary of the state police.

Opponents, who packed the committee room and adjoining lounge wearing buttons with a slash through the bill number, testified yesterday that their Second Amendment rights would be violated should the bill be passed.

"We as abiding citizens will not be controlled by criminals," said John Hutchinson, a Montgomery County hunter and competitive marksman.

Clyde Lutter, a Gaithersburg engineer, said the proposed ban would "make us all less safe."

"The Second Amendment is not about hunting. It's not about sport. ... It's about self-defense," he said. Supporters of the ban testified that it would keep dangerous weapons off the streets and out of criminals' hands, that civilians have no need for weapons that are used in warfare in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Dale Miller, a 20-year-old from Calvert County, tearfully told the committee about her father, an FBI agent who was murdered in Washington police headquarters in 1997. The shooter was carrying a compact assault weapon, according to news reports.

"No little girl should have to grow up without her father, should have to walk down the aisle alone on her wedding day," she said.

Proponents also lauded Maryland for the 1994 passage of a ban on assault pistols but urged that the law be expanded to prevent tragedies such as the 2002 Washington-area sniper shootings.

Paul Helmke, president and CEO of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, said most big-city mayors and police chiefs around the country are supportive.

"Maryland's doing a lot better than most states, but it could be doing better," said Helmke.

Representatives of the Maryland State Police testified in favor of the Maryland ban, saying it would help keep officers safe. A spokesman for the Fraternal Order of Police lobbied against it, however, arguing that it would be difficult to enforce.

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the governor said in a statement. "Assault weapons are so frequently used in crime that one assault rifle is traced back to a Maryland crime every 48 hours. "

Where the hell did they pull this bullshit "fact" from?

I find it odd that they say 1 in 20, but that is not per year. If you look at the total for each year, you get less than 1% across the nation even. 1 in 20 is nothing if the stats are for a long period of time. I still contend that police officers are not 1st class citizens that deserve to be placed on a pedastol. They really should look at all firearms deaths. I don't give a crap about the LEO, they are no better than the rest of us. I would be interested in stats that show total deaths from assault rifles, handguns, and knives. Anyway, they looked at a 5 year period, so that is 1 death out of 20 in 5 years from assault weapons. That  doesn't come out too bad on a per year basis. I've always read that more people die from Asprin overdose each year, so I'll take the low odds of an LEO getting shot and killed with an assault rifle over his chances of popping too many aspirin any day.

Quoted: the governor said in a statement. "Assault weapons are so frequently used in crime that one assault rifle is traced back to a Maryland crime every 48 hours. " Where the hell did they pull this bullshit "fact" from?

I think Maryland Shall Issue .org should put some ads out in the Sun and on some billboards exposing his lies. It could discredit their cause. I'd donate some dollars for that.

What would you expect from the Baltimore scum paper?  Researching what MOM says?  To them, he speaks nothing but the truth, even if he gets the facts from ceasefire.