New Gun Laws in the State of Maryland

I will start this lengthy rant by saying that I do not personally own any firearms, but I grew up in a household with people who do. We store our weapons and ammunition in a gun-safe. I know the location, but I can probably count the times I've seen the safe on two hands. To my knowledge, I do not know anyone who has shot and killed a person - even by accident (the only exception being a family member in the military).  I do not mind some restricting of gun ownership (for instance, a *child* should not have access to a firearm without parental supervision), but these new laws are over the top.

First, the law changes the legal age to purchase/own firearms and ammunition from the age of adulthood (18) to 21 years of age. In addition to this being very unfair to our soldiers (they can go to war at 18, but they can't OWN their guns until they're 21?), I don't think this will make any difference, especially due to the fact that most gun related violence is caused by people who don't actually own guns themselves. They obtain them from family or friends - or steal them. According to these websites ( http://www.dontlie.org/faq.cfm and http://gunvictimsaction.org/fact-sheet/fact-sheet-illegal-gun-trafficking-arms-criminals-and-youth/), 40% of criminals obtain their guns from family or friends through **straw purchasing** and another 40% of criminals obtain their guns through illegal vendors.

That said, I also do not feel as though fingerprinting people will keep guns out of the wrong hands, nor will  mental health restrictions.

I am willing to compromise with the clip restrictions. I don't agree with it, but I'm not going to put up much of a fight over it.

I am perfectly fine with training required to own firearms. In fact, I believe such classes should be a part of mandatory schooling or, at the very least, offered for free. These classes are NOT focused on how to use a gun, but how to operate one safely and how to clean one properly. For instance, plenty of people don't understand they can loose or seriously damage their hearing when near someone firing a weapon. Proper hearing protection is important. They also probably don't know that cleaning a firearm regularly will help prevent misfires, which can cause serious injuries.


*child* - In this instance, I am defining a child as someone who is not mentally capable of understanding proper gun safety and who is not mentally capable of handling dangerous situations seriously. There is no set age for this, but it will vary depending on the mental capacity and maturity of the individual.

**Straw purchasing** -  is akin to telling your 21 year old friends what liquor you want, handing them the money, and them buying it for you.