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Letter in Support of House Bill 1298

Cross-Linked to SB 288

March 16, 2004

The Honorable Joseph F. Vallario, Jr.

House Judiciary Committee

Lowe House Office Building , Room 120

Annapolis , MD 21401

Re:  Support for House Bill 1298

Dear Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee:

The Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition, Inc. is a non-profit education and advocacy organization that promotes equity and fairness in the consumer marketplace.  We advocate for the regulation of consumer products to promote safety and reliability in the marketplace.  Today, however, we speak for the total ban of an inherently dangerous consumer product: the assault weapon.  We urge you to support the enactment of House Bill 1298 – The Maryland Assault Weapons Ban of 2004.

Assault weapons are military-styled weapons designed for one purpose: to kill and maim people efficiently and effectively.  They have no place in the marketplace and, certainly, no place on our streets.  They are the weapons of choice for drug dealers and mass murderers and, chillingly, 1 out of 5 police officers killed in the line of duty were found to be killed by assault weapons in a recent study done by the Violence Policy Center .

Congress enacted a 10-year ban of these weapons in 1994 with the substantial help of law enforcement.  The intent of the law was to protect citizens and those who protect us by removing these dangerous weapons from our communities.  The gun industry, however, an unregulated industry with a need for expanding markets like any industry, quickly found ways to modify their products to circumvent the intent of the ban.  Marketing these weapons as “post-ban” weapons, the industry has effectively demonstrated the need for a strong ban such as House Bill 1298.  Like any regulatory bill, the federal assault weapons ban has shown what modifications are needed to fulfill the intent of the law.  House Bill 1298 makes those modifications by employing straightforward criteria for defining what an assault weapon is and, therefore, its efficacy is assured.

The Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition joins forces with other groups concerned with safety and health to urge the members of this Committee to support House Bill 1298.  As you have heard, the public health costs and societal costs associated with assault weapons are costs that Marylanders cannot afford.  The gun industry has shown itself incapable of self-regulation or restraint.  Should Congress fail to renew the federal assault weapons ban, the industry stands ready to capitalize on the opportunity and aggressively market these weapons along with high-capacity magazines capable of killing on a massive scale.  The prospect of a society under siege and an outgunned police force is not the vision we see for our country or state.  You can insure that, at least in Maryland with the passage of HB 1298, we can halt the spread of dangerous assault weapons and promote a state where citizens are safer and more secure.

                                                                                    Very truly yours,

                                                                                    Cheryl L. Hystad

                                                                                    Executive Director       

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