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Maryland lawmakers reintroduce bill to encourage states to adopt handgun licensing laws

Maryland lawmakers introduce legislation to encourage states to adopt handgun license laws
Maryland lawmakers introduce legislation to encourage states to adopt handgun license laws 00:33

BALTIMORE -- Two Maryland lawmakers reintroduced a bill that would create federal incentives for state and local governments to enact gun licensing laws. 

The Handgun Permit to Purchase Act would require individuals to obtain a license before buying a handgun, Senator Chris Van Hollen and Congressman Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) said. 

Sen. Van Hollen first introduced the legislation in 2015.

Federal grant program for gun licensing laws

The proposed bill would create a federal grant program to incentivize state and local governments across the U.S. to establish handgun licensing laws. The grant recipient would have to require that prospective handgun owners apply for a permit, submit a background check and be 21 years or older. 

The licensing laws must also require individuals to renew their permits within five years. 

According to lawmakers, 14 states, including Maryland - and the District of Columbia, have laws that require handgun licenses.

The proposed legislation comes shortly after the Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to the state's strict gun licensing law, leaving it in place. 

The challenge argued that Maryland's 2013 Handgun Qualification Licensing Law violated the Second Amendment by making it too hard for individuals to get guns. 

The law requires that individuals get safety training, submit their fingerprints and submit a background check before they can buy a handgun. It was passed after the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut in 2012. 

The law was struck down by an appeals court after a 2022 Supreme Court decision that expanded gun rights and was later revived after an appeals court found it fits within historic firearm regulations. 

"Epidemic of gun violence"

"Too many families, loved ones, and communities across America have had their lives forever scarred by the epidemic of gun violence gripping our nation," said Sen. Van Hollen. "Permit-to-purchase laws have been proven to reduce gun violence and help keep firearms out of dangerous hands, and Maryland's handgun licensing law demonstrates that we can take steps to address gun violence while protecting Americans' rights. States require licenses to drive a car in order to protect public safety – requiring a license to buy a handgun should be a no-brainer." 

Handgun licensing laws are proven to reduce firearm homicides, according to a study by the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions in 2015. Between 1984 and 2015, these laws were associated with an 11% drop in firearm homicides in urban counties. 

An analysis of Maryland's Handgun Qualification Licensing Law found it was associated with an 82% drop in the Baltimore Police Department's recovery of handguns with key indications they were used for criminal activities. 

Maryland cracks down on gun violence 

Maryland has cracked down on gun violence in recent years. 

The state created a first-of-its-kind Center for Firearm Violence Prevention in 2024 after the White House urged states to address gun violence. 

In 2024, Gov. Wes Moore signed a measure allowing state and local officials to hold the firearm industry accountable in civil court. Another bill expanded the definition and banned "rapid fire trigger activators" or Glock switches. 

Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown joined a coalition of 16 attorneys general to hold the firearm industry accountable for its impact on gun violence in 2024. 

"Gun violence tears our communities apart and threatens Maryland families' safety," Attorney General Brown said. "The companies that make up the firearms industry must do their part to help us address this life-threatening epidemic."    

The Attorney General also joined a group of a dozen Democratic attorneys general to defend two federal gun regulations being challenged in court.

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