Maryland Felons, Fugitives and Wife-beaters Bought Guns During Backlogs

The Baltimore Sun

More than 300 people banned from owning guns were able to buy them last year because the state police were overwhelmed with background check requests, police said Wednesday.

People with histories of mental illness or convictions for violent misdemeanors, felons and fugitives were able to obtain and keep guns for three months or longer before state police reviewed the sales, according to records released by request to The Baltimore Sun.

Maryland State Police finally cleared the backlog of background-check requests last week that began more than a year ago and once stood at more than 60,000, leading to months-long delays in investigating thousands of firearm transactions.

Police say a team of undercover troopers has recovered nearly all of the 364 firearms sold to people barred from owning them, but four guns have not been retrieved. "To us, the danger has not passed," state police spokesman Greg Shipley said.

Nine transactions have been referred to prosecutors as knowingly illegal sales, he said.

Over the course of last year, dealers released 51,812 guns before a background check was completed. They could legally do that because of a loophole that allows them to give out firearms after waiting a week, regardless of whether the check is done. Normally, the seven-day waiting period provides plenty of time for state troopers to conduct the check and notify dealers.

It seems the law in Maryland is that The State Police conduct the background check INSTEAD OF depending on the federal NICS check. Sounds pretty crazy to me.

Maryland Man Shoots his Roommate by Accident - Faces Minor Charges

Shooting at the Columbia Mall (Maryland)

I had to think if I really wanted to post that there was a mass shooting at the Columbia, Maryland shopping mall, but I thought about it and it makes loads of sense.

If you are unfamiliar with Columbia there was this link below the Baltimore Sun story when I first saw it:

Columbia: 10th most perfect suburb?

This is the start of the Wikipedia Article about Columbia:

Columbia is a planned community comprising 10 self-contained villages, located in Howard County, Maryland, United States. It began with the idea that a city could enhance its residents' quality of life. Creator and developer James W. Rouse saw the new community in terms of human values, rather than merely economics and engineering. Opened in 1967, Columbia was intended to not only eliminate the inconveniences of then-current subdivision design, but also eliminate racial, religious, and class segregation.
Columbia proper consists only of that territory governed by the Columbia Association, but larger areas are included under its name by the U.S. Postal Service and the census. These include several other communities which predate Columbia, including Simpsonville, Atholton, and in the case of the census, Clarksville. The census-designated place had a population of 99,615 in 2010,^[4] making it the most populous community in Maryland after Baltimore.^[5]

In other words, Columbia was supposed to be the perfect suburban space.  A place which is family friendly and relatively crime free.  It is a place where people move so they can raise families away from Urban problems.

In other words, this shit ain't supposed to happen in places like Columbia.

But, it does, it can happen anywhere.  That's what this shooting should hit home to you, but I know that you are a little too biased to believe the bullshit you spout without criticism.

Do guns really make people safer?  If that is the case, why are these incidents so common in the US, but not other developed nations?  Why not let the research speak for itself rather than silence it?

It's nice to say things, but not when objective facts contradict them.

Maryland Man Dead from Accidental Gun Shot Wound - No Charges (Yet?)

Local news reports

Prince George's County police said an accidental shooting led to the death of a man in Brandywine, Md., Thursday morning.

He has been identified as Errick Lamar Pratt, 23, of Fort Washington.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.  "It's an unexpected tragedy," Pratt's aunt told News4.

"This group [of five] was playing around with a gun and that gun went off and tragically, it hit the 23-year-old man in the head," police spokesperson Julie Parker said.

4-year-old Boy Injured in Accidental Shooting in Charles County, Md.

Washington Post

A woman in Charles County was watching her 4-year-old grandson play one evening last week when he went into a parked car and she heard a gunshot, the county sheriff’s office said.

The child was flown to a hospital, where it was determined that he had suffered a graze wound in the accidental shooting. The injury was not regarded as life-threatening.

Detectives went to Hopewell Place and found a 9mm semiautomatic handgun in the car. The gun was registered to a member of the boy’s family, the sheriff’s office said in its statement.

In the statement, which was released Friday, the sheriff’s office said it was investigating.

Maryland Weapons Purchases Soar in Anticipation of New Laws

Tea Party dot Org

This year, Maryland passed strict gun-control legislation. In response, residents have flooded the state police with applications to purchase weapons, before the new law takes effect. Through August, more than 85,000 residents have made new requests to purchase firearms. This is almost double the amount who sought buy guns in all of 2011.

The Maryland law, pushed through by Democrat Gov. Martin O’Malley and a Democrat legislature, bans 45 types of “assault weapons” and limits ammunition magazines to a maximum of ten rounds. Possessing these weapons and magazines would be legal, however, if purchased before the law’s October 1 effective date. Residents in Maryland have responded to this incentive by stock-piling guns.

Something's wrong here. Every time there's a new gun law going into effect, especially if it's to make possession of certain guns illegal, gun sales soar beforehand. This obviously diminishes whatever good the new law will do.  In some cases the benefits of the new law will never catch up with the increased sales that took place leading up to the implementation of the law.

The solution is obvious. Restrictions on certain kinds of guns and accessories cannot allow the grandfather clause.  If something is so bad that it has to be outlawed, what sense does it make to allow those who already possess it to continue doing so? 

Voluntary surrender of outlawed weapons must accompany any new laws prohibiting their possession. This is exactly what Chris Christie did not want to do with the .50 caliber sniper rifles, but at least he didn't outlaw them with a grandfather clause built in.

What's your opinion?  please leave a comment.

Murder - Attempted Murder - Suicide in Maryland

Local news reports

Ryan Shallue has been identified as the man behind the Salisbury, Md., shooting that left former Salisbury University student Charles Abbott dead and student Kristen Loetz wounded before he turned the gun on himself.

Lawful Maryland Gun Owner Accidentally Shoots Cyclist Passing By his House

Local news reports

The shooting happened at about 7 p.m. in the 1200 block of Summerfield Drive when a man was loading his gun inside his house when it accidentally fired, Herndon police said. 

The bullet exited the house and struck a passing cyclist in the abdomen area. The cyclist was transported to the hospital.

The man who discharged the weapon has been identified as 49-year-old John Albers, of Herndon. Police said Albers didn’t know the cyclist and that the shooting was accidental. 

Albers has been charged with willfully discharging a firearm in a public place resulting in bodily injury.

This is a good example for Kurt, who seems to be having a hard time understanding that the world isn't simply divided between good guys and bad guys. Up until the moment of this irresponsible and criminal act, Mr. Albers was one of the many law abiding responsible gun owners, the ones who make us all safer. Then, suddenly he became a criminal.

It's not fair to him, to Albers, to say that because he committed a criminal act he was a criminal. Even now he's only charged with a crime. But, before the negligent action, he was one of the good guys.

As I've explained many times, the group called "good guys" is plum full of irresponsible and negligent idiots as well as out-and-out law breakers who just haven't been caught yet.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

First Ad about Maryland's New Gun Laws from the Marylanders to Prevent Gun Violence Education Fund

This is the first ad from the Marylanders to Prevent Gun Violence Education Fund, focusing on the effectiveness of the fingerprint licensing provision in Maryland's Firearms Safety Act, which was signed into law by Gov. O'Malley on May 16, 2013. In the five states where fingerprint licensing is currently required for handgun purchases, gun death rates are among the lowest in the nation. According to experts at the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research, cities in states with handgun purchaser licensing laws have much lower rates of within-state illegal gun trafficking than those without licensing.

Maryland Gun Rights Groups Splintered by New Gun Laws

No surprises from Gov. Martin O'Malley

I've mentioned that I know Martin O'Malley and my connections to him.

If you think I'm anti-gun: Martin makes me look like one of you lot!

Anyway, he has just signed into effect some of the strictest gun laws in the nation, which comes as no surprise to me.  I'm not sure where Maryland fell in the gun law pile, but I thought they were somewhat strict.

Now, Gun magazines will be limited to 10 bullets, gun ownership by people who have been involuntarily committed to a mental health facility will be banned, and Maryland State Police will be able to suspend the licenses of gun dealers who fail to comply with recordkeeping obligations.

This says several things to me with the main one being that there is the political will to get stronger gun laws in place.

Martin is a politician (I'm too smart to be one).  He wouldn't do something if it were going to cost him political points.  And I think he wants to emulate the Kennedys and take a stab at the presidency.

Well, with some politicians seeing the blowback from failing to vote for background checks--he may have a point.

The real question is where will gun politics go in the US?  Especially now that there may be an end to the Public Health research ban.

Maryland About to Abolish Capital Punishment

Reuters

Maryland's Senate voted on Wednesday to repeal the state's death penalty, putting it on a path to becoming the 18th state to abolish executions.

The Senate voted 27 to 20 to repeal the law, according to a legislative spokesperson. The bill next goes to the state House of Delegates, where supporters believe they have enough votes for it to pass.

The measure would likely be signed by Governor Martin O'Malley, who opposes capital punishment.
Maryland's last execution was in 2005.

Maryland is among 33 states with a death penalty, according to Richard Dieter, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center.

Maryland Student Arrested for Making General Threatening Remarks

The Washington Post reports

A Montgomery College student was taken into custody by Rockville police Monday afternoon after commenting that he “felt like shooting people just for fun,” a spokeswoman for the school said.

The student said he was upset over a breakup, according to Elizabeth Homan, the college’s communications director. No weapon was found, she said.

People the student spoke with on Montgomery College’s Rockville campus were concerned and went to the campus’s security office, and officials called in the Rockville police. Police and campus security eventually found him eating lunch, Homan said.

Rockville Police Lt. Eric Over said a decision on whether or not the student will face criminal charges is expected to be made Tuesday following an investigation.

Police issued a “letter of trespass” that prevents the student from coming onto campus for three years without permission of the college, Homan said.

It sounds a bit invasive, but how else are they going to prevent spree shootings unless they pursue leads like this? I'm a little uncomfortable with it, though.

What do you think?  Please leave a comment.

Accidental Shooting of Maryland Teen during Halloween Spook Walk - Shooter not Arrested

Local news reports 

Police here are investigating what appears to be an accidental shooting Friday night at a longtime Halloween happening that benefits the Rock Hall Volunteer Fire Company. 

A 16-year-old Chestertown boy was struck in the lower leg while attending the Spook Walk. 

The alleged shooter was someone who was helping with the Spook Walk. “He was using a real shotgun and live ammo as part of the character he was portraying,” Capt. William Dempsey said in a telephone interview Tuesday. 

A 12-gauge shotgun, which Dempsey described as “a hunting weapon,” and other evidence were recovered. Dempsey said the boy was struck by a blast of 7.5 birdshot. He said the shooting did not appear to be malicious.

This was one of your lawful and responsible gun owners who thought it would be a good idea to use a real gun and keep it loaded during this event with the local kids.

The overly defensive and fanatical gun rights folks recently argued that most gun accidents only harm the gun owner.  They also resist any suggestion that gun owners need to be better qualified to exercise their gun rights. The result is an increase in death and suffering. The gain, convenience for them.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Maryland 12-year-old Shooting at Roosters Hits Dad

Local news reports

The Frederick County Sheriff’s Office is investigating an incident in which a 12-year-old boy accidentally shot his father in the chest while firing at roosters on a farm in Thurmont, authorities said Thursday.

The boy and his father, a 48-year-old Frederick resident, were outside at the farm, where the boy was shooting a .22-caliber rifle, said Cpl. Jennifer Bailey, a spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office.

“What they were shooting at were Bantam roosters, which were very aggressive on the property,” Bailey said.

The father was struck when one of the bullets ricocheted off a truck and hit him in the chest, she said.

Don't you think that boy was taught gun safety even the rule about being sure of your target and what's behind it? Sure he was.  That's how good education and safety training works with some people.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

The Homelife of Robert Wayne Gladden Jr.

The Washington Post reports on the young man we talked about the other day.

The teenager accused of shooting an intellectually disabled classmate at a suburban Maryland high school was accustomed to firearms in the home and had endured his parents’ contentious divorce, court documents show.

After 15-year-old Robert Wayne Gladden Jr. was taken into custody Monday, police executed a search warrant at the Kingsville home where he lives with his mother and stepfather. What they found, according to court documents: 11 guns, including shotguns, rifles, a 9mm handgun and two antique pistols.

Gladden’s 41-year-old father, Robert W. Gladden, also has a history of trouble with the law. In 2010, the younger Gladden answered the door when police executed a search warrant at his father’s home, looking for drugs and guns, documents show. Police seized a 12-gauge shotgun during that search along with marijuana, and prosecutors later sought the forfeiture of the shotgun and a .45-caliber handgun.

Meanwhile, Gladden’s stepfather, 43-year-old Andrew Piper, faces new charges of illegal gun possession and drug possession stemming from Monday’s search. Piper was prohibited from possessing firearms because of a previous conviction for grand theft, documents show.

Do you think it matters to a troubled teenager if his step dad is a legal gun owner or a criminal? I don't.  The only thing that matters is that guns are available and the gun-loving mentality is prevalent.

Guns are the answer, aren't they? Isn't this what connects lawful and unlawful gun owners together? They both understand this.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Maryland School Shooting

The Associated Press reports

At 6:27 a.m. on his first day as a sophomore at Perry Hall High School in the Baltimore suburbs, Robert Wayne Gladden Jr. updated his Facebook status.

"First day of school, last day of my life," he wrote. He then typed a symbol resembling a person with two middle fingers extended before adding "f--- the world."

Gladden, a pale youth with long, dark hair who turned 15 just three weeks ago, has been charged as an adult in the shooting of a 17-year-old classmate, who was hit in the back with a shotgun blast in the school's cafeteria Monday morning. The victim, Daniel Borowy, remained in critical condition Tuesday afternoon.

While authorities did not discuss a motive for the shooting, Baltimore County Police Chief James Johnson said Gladden planned the attack and fired a shot at random before school staff rushed him. A second shot hit the ceiling during the struggle, police said.

This one had all the markings of another school mass shooting. Luck and timing and quick intervention on the part of the staff averted a much worse situation.

It offers a good example to discuss one of the most popular pro-gun arguments, that mass shootings usually happen in gun-free zones.

On the surface, this is a fact that cannot be refuted.  Our commenter Frail Liberty recently took the trouble to prove it using Google.  Fair enough.  Although there are many cases in which mass shootings, those involving 4 or more victims, take place at various locations in which guns are not prohibited, the major incidents have happened on school campuses where guns are not allowed.

But, it's the implication that I would like to refute.  The argument seems to be that mass shooters choose these locations for their "target rich" environment and because no resistance would be expected. If only we did away with gun-free zones these deranged shooters wouldn't act, or if they did they'd be stopped in their tracks by a johnny-on-the-spot gun owner.

Gun-rights activists love to blame the gun-free zone for the problem of mass shootings.

I submit that this is false reasoning.  Look at the details of today's story.  The young man was suicidally depressed. He wrote "last day of my life," and "fuck the world" on Facebook. He, like most of the school shooters, was not concerned with selecting just the right place to unleash his murderous rage.  He was going to the place of his troubles, whether they were about bullying or inadequacy or perceived romantic rejection.

The same is true of the fairly common mass shootings that take place at the work place.  Some of them prohibit guns, others do not, but that fact is irrelevant.  When someone decides to kill a bunch of people they are not thinking about gun-free zones.

This brings up another question, if the argument that most mass shootings happen in gun free zones and therefore gun-free zones have to go is false, why do the pro-gun folks keep pushing it.

It's simple.  This is one of the smoke-screen attempts at obfuscation in order to avoid the real issue which is gun availability.

Gun availability to unfit people is the true gun control issue involved in these cases.  Run-rights activists fear this issue because they realize the remedy, although it would save countless lives, would also inconvenience them a bit. Putting up with such regulations as licensing and registration is unacceptable to the biased gun lovers even though it would result in nothing more than a minor inconvenience.  Such incredible levels of self-centeredness is embarrassing, further increasing the need to keep the focus on gun-free zones and other nonsense instead of where it belongs, on gun availability.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Accidental Shooting of Young Maryland Girl by her Brother - She's Dead - No Charges

 Delmarva Now reports

A clearer picture was beginning to emerge Friday into how a 12-year-old girl was shot and killed at her Willards home.

Wicomico County Sheriff Mike Lewis said the 13-year-old boy, who accidentally shot her Thursday, was moving items from the floor of his bedroom to clean.

"He went to move the gun to a location where he could clean his bedroom floor," Mike Lewis said. "While moving that gun, his sister actually said something to him and he turned to answer her and, when he did, he accidentally discharged the firearm."

The .22-caliber rifle belonged to the boy, who used it to go hunting and who had completed a hunter's safety course. The brother and sister were reportedly home-schooled.

"Home-schooled," you know what that means, right? Parents who do that are convinced they can do a better job with their kids than the local government-run schools.They even sent this boy to the hunter's safety course.  It's probably safe to assume that long before that they taught him basic gun safety themselves.

Yet, he killed his sister in a moment of unforgivable gun negligence.  In my opinion, the parents share in that responsibility.  This is more than a "tragic accident."  This is gross negligence, not only on the part of the 13-year-old who took the fatal action, but on the part of his parents.

These are people who cannot be trusted with guns.  Do we need any more proof that what happened?
The gun-rights fanatics keep telling us we cannot punish people for things they haven't done yet. But they also say we cannot punish people like this who are responsible for death. 

The bias of the pro-gun folks is blatant and nonsensical.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Nail Gun Shooter Arrested in Maryland

Huff Post reports

Police have arrested a Maryland construction worker for shooting a co-worker with a nail gun following an argument at the site where the two were working. 

Guillermo L. Lopez-Molina of Hyattsville, Md., has been charged with first and second-degree assault and reckless endangerment. 

The 34-year-old victim was found just before 11:30 a.m. on Monday, "suffering from injuries to the upper body sustained from a nail shot from a nail gun while framing a house.

Are those charges enough to have gun rights removed? I mean if and when he's convicted, of course.

What do you think?  Please leave a comment.

Accidental Shooting of Maryland 11-Year-old by his Little Brother - No Charges

The Washington Post reports

An 11-year-old boy was killed by his 8-year-old brother in an accidental shooting Saturday in Harford County, Md.

The 11-year-old, who lived in Pylesville, was shot in the head in local woods, the authorities said.

Deputies were told at first that an unknown person had fired from an unknown direction, but they found a handgun hidden in the woods.

Authorities said the older boy was shot accidentally by his brother as they were playing.

The gun had been taken from a secured area on the property of an elderly neighbor when the boys went to his house to help with yardwork.

No charges had been filed, and the county prosecutor’s office would review the incident, authorities said.

First of all, the gun was obviously NOT stored in a secure area. Secure means little kids cannot get it. The gun owner should be held responsible.

Secondly, where do you think an 8-year-old learned to hide a gun and lie about the shooting shortly after such a traumatic event? That sounds nearly impossible unless he had adult assistance. That person should be held accountable.

What is it with the response to these offenses of negligence? Is everybody so shocked and saddened that they lose their minds?  Are they so overwhelmed by the tragedy of it that they fail to see whose responsible?

It was just an accident, they say.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.