It's going to be a long day.  I'm giving testimony on HB1163 (CCW Shall Issue) and HB12 (IBIS repeal).  The AWB is a pretty weak bill this year compared to previous ones and I will of course speak against it, but I don't think that there's much chance this year of it going anywhere.

All the saem, everyone should check out Phil Lee's site at rkba.org/GunBills.html and contact their reps as advised by Phil.  He's probably they most thorough researcher on firearms related subjects in the state and his site is my first stop resource for info.

Sooo...How'd it go, sorry i couldnt be there, i had work orientation.

Quoted: Sooo...How'd it go, sorry i couldnt be there, i had work orientation.

+1 ... how did it go?  I couldn't make it either.

-C4-

Quoted: Quoted: Sooo...How'd it go, sorry i couldnt be there, i had work orientation. +1 ... how did it go?  I couldn't make it either. -C4-

+2

I will give my take on Gun Bill Day. There was alot of thoughtful testimony from the pro-gun side. However, there was several things which I think really hurt our cause. First, laughter and negative comments while the opposition was speaking made us look bad, especially when several of our people had to be corrected for this. In a small way, it showed a lack of  respect and an unwillingness to obey the rules. Second, it was extremely obvious, especially as the proceedings wore on, that Delegates wanted speakers  to get to the point and be succint. Many pro-gun speakers were totally oblivous to this, going on and on and on, with one guy having to be literally dragged from the table. I think we should have been thinking more about what the Delegates wanted and less with the need to make lengthy speeches. Anyway, the above is just  my opinion-  others may disagree and have a completely different perspective.

How did all the votes turn out though? I was there since 1:20, however i had to leave at 5:10 because i was called into work.

There won't be any votes today.  There may not be any votes on this stuff at all.

I'm a little disappointed that people couldn't follow decorum - couldn't make it this year, but previous years things went fairly well for our side.

Yea im not very familiar with the whole procedure. In fact today was my first time ever at any political event. I was under the impression that they would all end with a vote.

Re: The decorum statement.  That was a tame as I've ever seen things at these hearings.  Vallario didn't get involved until Brown raised an objection.  Brown is anti-gun and is posturing for the Lt Gov spot and had to put in a punch for the Ceasefire crowd.  Believe me, if we had been out of line Vallario would have hammered us down very quickly.

Those outbursts are almost expected when they start spouting their obvious lies.  The committee knows it's lies, we know it's lies, and the antis know that they are liars.  It's part of the performance.

Regarding the guy that had to be removed.  All he had to do was shut up and he would have been fine.  That Patrick Henry liberty or death stuff doesn't fly too well at these things.  Besides, he was a perfect example of how a search engine can be your worst enemy when the substance of your testimony is nothing more than quotes from the Federalist Papers.

All in all, a good day with much help from Delegates Smiegel, Kelley, Dwyer, McMillan (too some degree) and the lady from Carroll County.  I think that we're in pretty good shape.

over all a good day ...

I was disapointed in the lower turn out this year. Seemed the last couple of years there was 4 times the number of pro-gun people in attendance.  We outnumbered the gun-control crowd 10 to 1, but we need MORE PEOPLE BEING ACTIVE IN THIS STUFF ... letters, attending hearings, phone calls, emails, etc.  Or there may no longer be a need for a Maryland section on AR-15.com.

also a little disapointed in the decorum ... the old under the fake cough "bullshit" thing got old. And things only got loud a couple of times; over all it wasn't very bad and was just background chatter.

There were positives... as they did last year, the MSP testified against the ballistic fingerprinting. They also testified against the AWB... which I don't recall that they did last year... IIRC they had no stance last year (but my memory sucks and it's been a whole year).

I feel were in good shape on the AWB ... 25 or so less co-sponsors than last year, the MSP against the BAN, and nothing but rhetoric from the antis...   we really put them in their place on the "sporting uses" of ARs, etc... even though I thought we spent too much time on the "sporting use" issue and not the RKBA/self defense issue.

Shall-issue CCW, while still a "shot in the dark" (not an intentional pun!), is in a better position than ever.

Call and/or write your elected officials soon! Also contact those delegates on the House Judiciary Committee!

rvb

So what happens with all these issues now? When are they heard again? When do they vote, etc. Im new to this stuff.

The chairman of the committee (Vallario) will decide if and when to vote on the bills.  Last year there was not even a vote on any of the gun bills (pro or anti).  I would not be shocked if it was the same outcome this year.

If we are successful at holding the line this year, the important thing is to get involved in key elections this year in MD (it's a state election year) starting with reelecting Ehrlich and getting more pro gun members in the General Assembly.

The Texas statistics have been handily disproved.  As suspected, the numbers that Ceasefire MD gave were for arrests that had no correlation to convictions.  

A packet of information is being mailed to every member of the committee that disputes point for point all of the statistics given by that horsefaced wench.  The Texas Department of Justice has the numbers right there in plain sight.  Her lies weren't even good ones.  She won't last long.....

lol, she really came off as a snooty bitch, and thats the first time ive ever seen her. hat

Norton, which guy were you at the hearings? Im wondering how many people from the forums actually went.

I was the tall guy with goatee in the black suit who went up a few times to talk.  I busted Duncan on the AWB being in effect during the sniper shootings and put in a plug with Brown when I said I was a teacher in PG County and how I would like to see the wasted IBIS money spent on schools (it's for the children, after all)

For the record....the cow faced heifer in red is the new Exec Director of Ceasefire.  She took the Gail Gunn creature's place.  The blonde is just a do-gooder minion.

I got there at 1:20 but i had to leave at 5:20 because i got called into work...have
Ive never heard so many half truths in my life than what i did from those two women.  They were just downright nauseating.

I had to sit next to the lady in the red too! hats
FWIW, i was the guy in the grey suit with black hair. Probably the youngest one in the room (18).

Next time, im gonna find out all the details about this stuff ahead of time. I got into annapolis a little after 1 and drove around looking for a parking spot for a while. Then i accidentally went to the state house thinking it was there.

Quoted:
I got there at 1:20 but i had to leave at 5:20 because i got called into work...  I must have missed that testimony. What time did it end?

Ive never heard so many half truths in my life than what i did from those two women.  They were just downright nauseating.

I had to sit next to the lady in the red too!

Thats the first time ive ever been to a political event of any kind. I was there for 4 hours and it held my attention the whole time, which really is unusual. I cant even play games for more than a few hours.

FWIW, i was the guy in the grey suit with black hair. Probably the youngest one in the room (18).


I saw you back there.....sorry I didn't get a chance to talk with you.  I was trying to make it around the room to meet everyone that I diidn't know.  I was trying to send you some goood vibes since you were sentenced to being next to her.  Suprised you had any room to your self since she sort of spilled over hers  

Good to see some younger folks coome out.....gives me hope for the next generation of activists.  Where do you hail from?

Quoted: Quoted: The chairman of the committee (Vallario) will decide if and when to vote on the bills.  Last year there was not even a vote on any of the gun bills (pro or anti).  I would not be shocked if it was the same outcome this year. If we are successful at holding the line this year, the important thing is to get involved in key elections this year in MD (it's a state election year) starting with reelecting Ehrlich and getting more pro gun members in the General Assembly. That's for committee vote not a floor vote correct?

Yes, I'm not 100% but I assume the House leadership (Busch) schedules floor votes and whatnot.

Thanks to everyone here who took the time and effort to speak out for us all.  

There is still time to make those phone calls and e-mails. Cmon folks! Lets press this issue.