By KAREN SIMPSON
CAPITAL GAZETTE |
JUL 12, 2019 | 10:16 AM
Karen Simpson: Maryland can plug the loopholes in its gun violence laws
How do we comfort a grieving widow, child or co-worker? What would comfort you if a gunman with a history of violence or threats of violence legally purchased a gun to kill someone you love at work, your place of worship or school?
After the Capital Gazette shooting that took five members of our local journalism family, the survivors asked us to comfort them by working with them to plug the loopholes that enabled a shooter to murder the people they love.
When we prevent a dangerous individual who threatens to harm the people we love from purchasing or gaining access to a gun, the people we love are more likely to still be around to sing happy birthday, give us a kiss, tell a joke or read a bedtime story, than if the dangerous individual is able to purchase a gun.
Our Constitution gives us many rights, including the right to a well-regulated militia. However, none of our rights is supposed to infringe upon the rights of anyone else.
One mass shooter takes an average of five rights to live along with the rights of all of the victims’ family members and friends to continue their life with their loved one. Does the right of one shooter to own a gun outweigh the rights of their victims to live?
A pattern in many mass shootings and the Capital Gazette shooting is a legally purchased gun by a mass shooter with a history of violence or threats of violence against women.
Federal and Maryland law is supposed to restrict someone from owning a firearm if they are a threat to themselves or others. Someone like the Capital Gazette shooter who stalks and harasses others is not supposed to be able to “legally” receive, purchase or own a firearm to kill three men and two women. Yet he did.
These laws are basically statements because they lack enforcement mechanisms. Enforcement of the law relies solely on the honesty of a dangerous person to not buy a gun, check a box or confess their crimes to the sale person.
Maryland and other states allow anyone to purchase or exchange long guns through a private dealer without a permit, registration or background check.
Maryland law allowed the man charged in the Capital Gazette shooting who harassed, stalked and threatened other people to legally purchase the shotgun police say he used to kill and end the right to live of five people.
This year, the Maryland House of Delegates tried to pass a bill that would require background checks for all purchases of long guns, including shotguns and rifles.
The bill would have closed a gap in state law that allows private sales of shotguns and rifles without background checks.
Del. Vanessa Atterbeary, a Howard County Democrat, was the bill’s main sponsor. Her bill included creating a long-gun license and a registry of long-gun owners. However, the license and registry requirement was stripped from the bill before Maryland State Senator Bobby Zirkin left the bill to die in the Senate.
Maryland also needs a threatening persons registry to enforce our federal and Maryland laws restricting someone from owning a firearm if they are a threat to themselves or others. Persons listed on the registry would be prohibited from receiving, purchasing and owning a firearm, including long guns.
We help survivors who seek justice by working with them to plug the loopholes that enable a shooter to murder someone we love. We will not forget. Press On.
Karen Simpson of Pasadena is a member of the Anne Arundel County Democratic Central Committee and president of the Anne Arundel County Democratic Women.