Gun Violence and the 2025 Session
Comprehensive Community Safety Funding Act - Unfortunately, this bill did not pass in the 2024 legislative session, so it is back as HB 387 this year. This bill would direct some funds from the purchase of guns or ammunition to fund assistance to communities impacted by gun violence. We anticipate that the sponsors will simplify some of the requirements, and reintroduce this bill in 2025.
Firearm Safety in Domestic Violence Situations: Guns are a contentious issue in cases of Domestic Violence. The requirements for a domestic abuser to relinquish a firearm are not clear. Who requests that the firearm be relinquished? Who enforces the requirement to relinquish the firearm?
The barriers to safety and justice faced by survivors of domestic violence are multifaceted and deeply entrenched. From systemic discrimination and victim-blaming to the lack of effective enforcement of firearm relinquishment laws, these challenges leave survivors, particularly women of color and LGBTQIA+ individuals, at heightened risk. For More Information, Read the Safe Haven Policy Paper
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Prohibit 3-D Printed "Switches": There are various aspects in our laws that continue to need additional attention. While we have prohibited "Automatic Weapons" and "Bump Stocks" (which convert a semi-automatic weapon into an automatic weapon), technology is always adapting. 3-D printers can make “switches”—a plastic part that can convert a standard firearm into a rapid fire weapon.
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OPPORTUNITIES to get involved
The GVP Issue Lead welcomes individuals to join the GVP team. Individuals can follow one of
the priority issues in order to monitor: (a) committee hearings, (b) monitor monitor amendments proposed to chang the initial text of a bill, and (c) UULM-MD communications and discussions on the issue.
The GVP welcomes support for outreach to interfaith partners. We are more successful when
we have common purpose with other partners.
For more information, please contact Gun Violence Prevention Lead at gunviolence@uulmmd.org.
Subject | Bill Number | XFile Bill Number | Sponsor | Title | Status | Current Location | Priority | Position | Action | Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Assisted Outpatient Tx Respondents | HB0592 | SB0509 | Delegate Phillips | Prohibited Possession of Firearms - Assisted Outpatient Treatment Respondents | Hearing 2/12 at 1:00 p.m. | Judiciary | Prohibiting a person from possessing a regulated firearm, rifle, or shotgun if the person is currently a respondent subject to a court order to comply with certain assisted outpatient treatment; and requiring a court to promptly report certain information through a certain data portal if the court orders a person to comply with certain assisted outpatient treatment. | |||
Assisted Outpatient Tx Respondents | SB0509 | HB0592 | Senator Henson | Prohibited Possession of Firearms - Assisted Outpatient Treatment Respondents | First Reading Judicial Proceedings | Judicial Proceedings | Prohibiting a person from possessing a regulated firearm, rifle, or shotgun if the person is currently a respondent subject to a court order to comply with certain assisted outpatient treatment; and requiring a court to promptly report certain information through a certain data portal if the court orders a person to comply with certain assisted outpatient treatment. | |||
Community Safety Funding | HB0387 | Delegate Mireku-North | Comprehensive Community Safety Funding Act | First Reading Ways and Means | Ways and Means | x | Support | Imposing an excise tax on certain gross receipts of certain firearms dealers derived from the sales of firearms in the State and sales of firearms to residents of the State; etc. | ||
Controlled Sustances and Firearms | HB0413 | Delegate Moon | Criminal Law - Controlled Dangerous Substances and Firearms | Hearing 2/04 at 1:00 p.m. | Judiciary | Authorizing a person who is at least 21 years of age to manufacture a personal use amount of cannabis products or concentrated cannabis for personal use or adult sharing at a private residence if the manufacturing process does not involve the use of a volatile solvent; specifying that manufacturing, distributing, dispensing, or possessing certain large quantities of certain controlled dangerous substances is a felony; altering the penalties for being a volume dealer and drug kingpin with regard to cannabis; etc. | ||||
Gun Theft Felony Act | SB0336 | Senator Ready | Gun Theft Felony Act of 2025 | Hearing 1/30 at 1:00 p.m. | Judicial Proceedings | Classifying the theft of a firearm as a felony; and establishing a penalties for a first conviction of imprisonment of up to 5 years or a fine of up to $1,000 or both, and for subsequent convictions, imprisonment not to exceed 10 years or a fine of up to $2,500 or both, for theft of a firearm. | ||||
Gun buy-back Programs | SB0444 | Senator Smith | Public Safety - Gun Buyback Programs - Destruction of Firearms | First Reading Judicial Proceedings | Judicial Proceedings | Support | Requiring a person or an entity operating a gun buyback program to destroy a firearm, including all components and parts attached to the firearm, that is traded in at a certain gun buyback program; authorizing a certain person or entity to contract with a law enforcement agency, an organization, or a business to destroy certain firearms; and requiring the Secretary of State Police to revoke a certain person's dealer's license if the person violates the provisions of the Act. | |||
Handgun Permit Repeal | HB0353 | Delegate Grammer | Public Safety - Handgun Permit Requirement - Repeal (Maryland's Constitutional Carry Act of 2025) | Hearing 2/12 at 1:00 p.m. | Judiciary | Oppose | Repealing the requirement that a person have a certain permit before the person carries, wears, or transports a handgun; repealing certain criminal prohibitions against a person who is at least 21 years old wearing, carrying, or transporting a handgun; and establishing that a person may not wear, carry, or transport a handgun while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, with a penalty of imprisonment not exceeding 1 year or a fine not exceeding $1,000 or both on conviction. | |||
Literature for Firearm/Ammo Purchasers | SB0577 | HB0713 | Senator Lam | Public Safety - Distribution of Literature to Purchasers of Firearms and Ammunition | First Reading Judicial Proceedings | Judicial Proceedings | Support | Requiring the Maryland Department of Health to prepare certain literature relating to firearms and ammunition and to distribute the literature to all county health departments in the State; requiring each county health department to distribute certain literature to all establishments that sell firearms or ammunition within the county; requiring establishments that sell firearms or ammunition in the State to make certain literature visible and available and to distribute the literature to purchasers of firearms and ammunition; etc. | ||
Penalties for Wear/Carry/Transport | HB0354 | Delegate Grammer | Criminal Law - Prohibitions on Wearing, Carrying, or Transporting a Handgun - Penalties | Hearing 2/05 at 1:00 p.m. | Judiciary | Oppose | Establishing a certain intent element for wearing, carrying, or transporting a handgun in certain prohibited places; repealing a certain rebuttable presumption that a person transporting a handgun under certain circumstances transports the handgun knowingly; and altering certain penalty provisions related to wearing, carrying, or transporting a handgun in certain prohibited places. | |||
Right to Carry | HB0336 | Delegate Grammer | Firearms - Right to Purchase, Own, Possess, and Carry | Hearing 2/05 at 1:00 p.m. | Judiciary | Oppose | Providing that a person may not be denied the right to purchase, own, possess, or carry a firearm solely on the basis that the person is authorized to use medical cannabis. | |||
Tax credit for gun safety devices | HB0250 | Delegate Vogel | Income Tax - Credit for Firearm Safety Devices | Hearing 1/30 at 1:00 p.m. | Ways and Means | Support | Allowing a credit against the State income tax for the purchase of certain firearm safety devices in an amount equal to the lesser of 100% of the purchase price or $200 during the taxable year; allowing an individual to carry over any excess credit to the next taxable year; requiring the Comptroller to establish a process to issue tax credit certificates; limiting the aggregate allowable amount of credits to $250,000 for any taxable year; and applying the Act to all taxable years beginning after December 31, 2024. | |||
Trafficking stolen guns | SB0443 | Senator Smith | Trafficking Regulated Firearms - Felony Classification | First Reading Judicial Proceedings | Judicial Proceedings | Support | Reclassifying the prohibition against transporting a regulated firearm into the State for the purpose of unlawfully selling or trafficking the firearm as a felony; and establishing a penalty on conviction of imprisonment of up to 10 years or a fine of up to $25,000 or both. |