This measure is an "assault weapons" ban which is so draconian that it punishes law-abiding gun owners whose guns are stolen from their homes."In this way, the legislation not only bars the procurement of new "assault weapons" but also turns ownership of weapons acquired before the ban into a risky proposition.
Republican delegate Mike Smigiel offered an amendment that would have changed the language in S.B. 281 so as to protect gun owners by punishing criminals who steal guns instead, but Democrats mounted a push keep Smigiel's amendment from passing.
Former Secret Service Agent and 2012 candidate for U.S. Senate in Maryland Daniel Bongino spoke to Breitbart News and described the antics behind the defeat of Smigiel's amendment:
Political cowards in the Maryland legislature scheduled a gun hearing on Good Friday to avoid media attention after a massive public outcry against this overreaching legislative firearm grab. Then...they broke their own parliamentary procedures in order to punish legal firearm owners and protect criminals.
Republican delegate Mike Smigiel introduced a common-sense amendment to Gov. O'Malley's S.B. 281--an amendment that would have punished criminals who steal guns from the homes of their owners. The original bill only punished the firearm owner for having his or her home broken into, but contained no punishment for the actual criminal. Smigiel's amendment passed on a proper committee vote. But the committee Chair then took the unprecedented step of ordering a new vote. The Chair was then able to use bullying tactics to force two Democrats to change their votes which, in turn, killed the amendment.
The day before the vote on S.B. 281 took place, the NRA used similar language in warning of Gov. O'Malley's "deceptive tactics and political bullying"."
