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The Maryland General Assembly advanced bills on Friday that would ban the sale and ownership of unserialized firearms, or 鈥済host guns.鈥�
The Senate preliminarily approved a聽聽introduced by Attorney General Brian Frosh (D) and Sen. Susan C. Lee (D-Montgomery) during a floor session on Friday morning, while the House of Delegates gave final approval to a聽.
In the Senate, Sen. Johnny Ray Salling (R-Baltimore County) and Sen. J.B. Jennings (R-Baltimore and Harford) asked questions about the policy, but there was no debate.
Lee鈥檚 bill was amended in a bipartisan manner in committee to include provisions that:
- Delay the prohibition on possession to March 1, 2023;
- Allow judges to determine if a person knew or reasonably should have known that they were in possession of an illegal, unserialized firearm;
- Specify that any imprinted serial numbers can鈥檛 duplicate the serial numbers on another firearm by the dealer or licensee;
- Require state police to keep data about previously unserialized guns in a database, which would trigger background checks;
- Change the penalty for possession to a misdemeanor punishable by up to two years imprisonment; and
- Alter the penalty for the sale or transfer of unserialized guns, parts or gun kits to a misdemeanor punishable by up to five years imprisonment or a $10,000 fine.
The bill is expected to receive final approval from the Senate next week.
Lee鈥檚 legislation, which聽聽as the House bill sponsored by Del. Lesley Lopez (D-Montgomery), was more appealing to House Republicans, who say the process was flawed.
Lopez鈥檚 bill passed out of the House Judiciary Committee last week unamended, and resisted four amendments and a motion to recommit on the House floor on Wednesday.
鈥淲e offered several amendments 鈥� and there was no movement on this 鈥� there was no working together on this bill,鈥� Del. Wayne A. Hartman (R-Lower Shore) 鈥淥ur friends in the Senate, they came up with a bill that was palatable.鈥�
Lopez鈥檚 bill passed out of the House chamber Friday on a vote of 94-41.
As the chamber transitioned from a final vote on ghost guns to abortion access, Del. Mark N. Fisher (R-Calvert) stood on 鈥渁 point of personal privilege鈥� to 鈥渞espectfully ask鈥� that the House consider removing the mask mandate.
鈥淢adam Speaker, I respectfully request this, it鈥檚 very important to us and it鈥檚 very important that we no longer wear these obedience masks when we鈥檙e debating in a free speech environment,鈥� Fisher said.
Jones did not respond.
Fisher was setting up an argument for Del. Matt Morgan (R-St. Mary鈥檚) as the chamber began to make their final arguments for or against the Abortion Care Access Act sponsored by Del. Ariana B. Kelly (D-Montgomery).
House Bill 937 would allow nurse practitioners, nurse midwives and physicians assistants to provide abortion services. The bill would also provide $3.5 million in financial support to clinically train health care professionals from other states to offer services in Maryland.
Additionally, it would require private insurance plans 鈥� barring those with legal exemptions 鈥� to cover abortion care without cost-sharing or deductibles and make the state鈥檚 existing abortion care coverage under Medicaid permanent.
When House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore County) acknowledged Morgan to speak on the bill, he asked permission to remove his mask. Her answer was no.
鈥溾�t鈥檚 interesting we have some freedom of choice bills here,鈥� Morgan retorted. 鈥淪o much for 鈥榤y body, my choice.鈥欌��
The debate continued masked, with lawmakers making final efforts to sway their colleagues for or against Kelly鈥檚 bill.
鈥淢aryland already has some of the most liberal abortion laws in place,鈥� Del. Kathy Szeliga (R-Baltimore and Harford) 鈥淲e do not need this bill. This is not women鈥檚 health. 鈥his bill is radical and drastic and completely unneeded.鈥�
Kelly had the final say before the vote.
鈥淲e should stop stigmatizing and shaming women for needing abortion care,鈥� Kelly said emotionally. 鈥溾�ecoming pregnant does not take away any woman鈥檚 ability to conduct moral decision making, and it should not take away her autonomy and freedom as a human being to make the life choices that are right for her considering her own unique circumstances.鈥�
After an hour and 15 minutes of discussion, the bill passed out of the chamber on a vote of 89-47.
House Bill 1171 鈥� Jones鈥� ballot referendum bill to enshrine access to reproductive care into the state constitution 鈥� received less debate, but the same fervor as Kelly鈥檚 bill.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 just fall off the turnip truck, so I know there鈥檚 a political calculus to this and having marijuana on the ballot this year 鈥� I get that, I understand that,鈥� House Minority Whip Haven N. Shoemaker Jr. (R-Carroll) said. 鈥淏ut aside from the suspect timing of this, let鈥檚 talk about the euphemistic language that will be on the ballot.鈥�
Shoemaker noted that the word 鈥渁bortion鈥� does not appear in Jones鈥� referendum bill, called the bill 鈥渦nnecessary鈥� and said it is 鈥渄riven by politics.鈥�
House Health and Government Operations Committee Chair Shane E. Pendergrass (D-Howard) stood for a point of order to note that the chamber has a rule prohibiting members from 鈥渋mpugn[ing] other people鈥檚 motives.鈥�
Shoemaker interrupted, saying he wasn鈥檛 鈥渋mpugning鈥� any motives. The two began to talk over each other.
鈥淏y saying it鈥檚 political, is impugning the motives,鈥� Pendergrass said, her voice growing louder. 鈥淭he motive is to do the right thing that we all believe, whatever that is.鈥�
The bill passed out of the chamber on a vote of 93-42.
