ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Today, Senate Minority Leader Steve Hershey and Senate Minority Whip Justin Ready responded to reports that charges had been brought against four individuals who stole 81 firearms that were then passed on to other bad actors prohibited from possessing them. Of the 81, only six have been recovered.
“As the adage goes, we hate to say it, but we told you so. While yesterday’s announcement of the arrests by the Attorney General is good news for public safety, it could have been even better if the General Assembly had passed legislation to make the theft of a firearm a felony. Then, prosecutors would be able to seek stronger penalties to keep these criminals from returning to our streets and communities,” said Senate Minority Leader Steve Hershey.
Since 2018, Senate Republicans have championed legislation to make the theft of a firearm a felony, not a misdemeanor governed by the standard theft statute where penalties are dictated by the monetary value of the stolen item. Despite strong public support, year after year after year, the General Assembly has refused to pass this commonsense legislation that would bring strong consequences for those who contribute to the proliferation of illegal firearms in our communities.
“As communities across the nation and in Maryland continue to combat violent crime, it is incredibly frustrating that these individuals will not receive the strongest possible penalties. Maryland Democrats claim that they want illegal firearms off our street, but they outright refuse to hold those who steal firearms fully accountable. Bad actors have no fear of consequences because there are none,” said Senate Minority Whip Justin Ready.
America’s gun problem keeps rising!!!
lol. Look at who the problem is. And it isn’t legal gun owners, businesses, or manufacturers. You know it too.
The laws target legal gun owners saying we who follow the law are the problem, our property is the problem. You do not see legal gun owners shooting up places/carjacking or committing robberies. Yet those who commit said crimes and more know they will get nothing more than a slap on the wrist and be back out on the streets soon. There are plenty of laws on the books, but they are selectively enforced. The Police do their job and what the public expects but there is no support from the politicians or the courts, that is just a revolving door. Prosecute those who commit the crimes to the full extent of the law, you would see change then. Do you blame a drunk driving incident on the driver or the car? You probably correctly blame the driver not the tool, guns are the same thing. Let’s do the same thing here, go after the criminal not the object.
There is no “Gun Problem”, it is a people problem and non-enforcement of the existing laws by the liberal judicial system.