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MARYLAND: From The Front Lines


Dogmeat Dad, SASS #48563L

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UPDATED 02/22/2013 Starting On Post #17

 

 

Howdy from the front lines in Maryland!

We just had the first hearing on the gun bills in Annapolis this past Wednesday and the turnout was so good, the Police had to close the Senate Building because we exceeded the Fire Code Capacity. Depending on which report you read, there were between 1,000 (The media) to as many as 4,000 people in attendance. I overheard one of the lawmakers say we broke the process. Everybody that showed up was well dressed, well spoken, and well behaved. There were so many people that the exit off the main highway into the Capitol was backed up for miles.

The NRA-ILA helped the Maryland State Rifle & Pistol Association get the word out and Maryland Shall Issue helped with detailed analysis of the bills. This is the way it works best. Keep the NRA in the background for the local fights and let them help the residents of the state fight their own battle. Otherwise, the Media accuses the NRA of drowning out the voice of the people. Make sure that your State Legislators know it is YOU not some big organization that they can accuse of working soley off of the money of the manufacturers.

The committee chairman, who is blatantly anti-gun, decided that they would hear testimony one hour anti-gun (starting with the Governor) and one hour pro-gun, back and forth for 8 hours. It was the only way to make the anti's few attendee's (all but a few were either paid or political) to seem larger than they were. They expected the rest of us to pack-up and go home, but we stayed. At the end, they let all of us who remained stand in front of the committee; state our names and place of residence, and our position (Oppose!) and that lasted for almost another hour at about 10 seconds a piece. I was really proud of my fellow Marylanders!

Support your local State Rifle & Pistol Association. Support the NRA. I know it's a pain, that it may involve travel (and for you pards in CA a LOT of travel!), that it may mean you need time off work, but
GET OFF YOUR BUTTS AND PUT YOUR FACE IN FRONT OF YOUR LEGISLATORS
. The battle is not lost, we have a long way to go, and at best we end up with a draw (i.e. No New Laws!), but that will be a victory this time around.

You can make a difference. Read the reports below from our Rally!

Dogmeat Dad







This is from the Maryland Shall Issue legislative group.

"I will tell you that I have never seen anything like this. Not even during the 60s," says an elder Democratic Senator.

Ladies and gentlemen...we were heard.

The Maryland Department of General Services estimates our attendance at 4,000. As of last count, more than 1,770 of you signed up to testify. The number may reach 2,200, according to a senior Senate Democrat.

You literally broke the process. They have never seen so many people sign up to testify - most rallies end with people getting back on a bus and going home.

We demanded to be heard. We stood in line for hours to get our name down. We did not back down. The look of astonishment was real, as Senators found hundreds of people still waiting to testify at 9 PM. Their staffers rushed to the hallways with video cameras, because this has never happened.


http://marylandshallissue.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f9a3fb0d5de76b58560e66d8e&id=2cce8d5fe9&e=9b5ad3beb2'>View Pictures of the Event

"These people are serious."

Gun Control Advocates are doing their best to spin your involvement - they get friendly media to downplay our numbers, and then went so far as to get on the floor of the Senate and claim the NRA made you do it via some kind of "robo-call." They have the Baltimore Sun editorializing that this was just a bunch of "angry white men" trying to keep their guns. Did they see our crowds? Did they not see our diversity, our good nature and our respectful appearance?

They did. They are just doing anything they can to publicly minimize your role. Privately, they acknowledge that they woke a sleeping tiger. Gun Control will not be a cake walk in the 2013 General Assembly.

Your Effect

Your determination and stamina had a profound impact. Lawmakers in both chambers were knocked back on their heels, and the education we provided in written and verbal testimony not only highlighted significant failings in the text of the Governor's proposals, but also called into question the entire premise of his plan.

Yesterday, the Governor decried to a national newspaper about how we are "drowning out Gun Control in Maryland." Yes, sir, that is exactly what we aim to accomplish.

These proposals will not stop a Newtown in Maryland. They do nothing to address serious deficiencies in the identification, evaluation and treatment of people with dangerous mental health issues. They do nothing about the "catch and release" judicial system that places violent gun offenders back on the street within days of their arrest. Even Baltimore Mayor Rawlings-Blake has made clear that without a forceful effort to keep violent people locked up, the violence will continue. Sadly, the Governor's entire strategy addresses none of this, but ironically looks to convert lawful gun owners into criminals who will face prison time and the confiscation of all of their firearms under federal law for the mere act of owning a gun that Maryland once told them was legal. While the Governor brazenly denies that his bill would affect hunters, in fact, it would ban hunting by any person under the age of 21 by banning the possession of any type of ammunition by such young hunters unless they were "under the supervision" of someone 21 and older. The Governor apparently doesn't realize that the lawfully owned long gun is useless for hunting without ammunition.

You had an impact. The Senate will not move on the Governor's bill absent a major change. They are playing hot potato and asking the House to go first. They wish to bring into the Senate a House version of the bill that allows them claim "momentum."

The House cannot move these proposals out of their Judiciary Committee, so they are stacking the deck. The Governor's Gun Control proposals are going to be heard in a special committee stocked with hand-picked acolytes of the Governor. This is more than merely gaming the system - it is tearing up the rules and cheating democracy until they get the outcome they desire. This is not representative democracy, and we cannot let them succeed.

Next Steps

We must do this again. A number of bills have already been submitted in both the House and the Senate that breaks apart the various provisions of SB 281 into smaller pieces, in theory allowing them to pass as much as they can without a single politically costly provision killing an entire omnibus bill. They aren't stopping. Neither will we.

More than just rally, we are going to testify. More than testify, we are going to go into their offices and tell them what we expect them to do. And when we are done knocking on their comfortable office doors, we will go into their home districts and educate any and all about the Governor's "2013 Public Criminal Conversion Act."


They think we do not have the stamina. They think we had our fun and will walk away.

They are wrong.




This is from the Maryland State Rifle & Pistol Assocation.


There have been very important developments in Annapolis regarding Governor O'Malley's ill-judged gun control legislation. On February 6, the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee held a hearing and received a major surprise --perhaps a shock-‐ as about two thousand supporters of the Second Amendment rallied in Annapolis in a effort that was well prepared by careful ground work by Shannon Alford of the NRA‐ILA and other participating organizations, including the Associated Gun Clubs and Maryland Shall Issue, in addition to the Maryland State Rifle and Pistol Association.



The rally filled the Lawyer's Mall completely and we heard legislators and private citizens leave no doubt about where they stood. After the rally, there were so many people that lined up to enter the Senate Office Building to testify that the line stretched around the block and out of sight. After the hearing had begun, they were forced to close the doors to the Senate Office Building because we had so many people inside filling the "overflow" rooms and winding up the stairs to the JPC office were we signed up to testify. The photo shows the crowd that was not allowed inside. Closing the doors is something that has not happened in recent memory. One Senator told us today that he had not seen anything like it his fifty plus years in Annapolis. Shouts of "O'Malley Must Go" could be heard clearly inside the anteroom to the Judicial Proceeding Committee hearing room. Importantly, our supporters were well behaved, presentable and made a good impression on everyone, including the senior police officials who were supporting Governor O'Malley.



This turnout got their attention, probably more so than our fact based testimony. Governor O'Malley has claimed that the NRA has drowned out the voices of Marylanders. Perhaps he will check our citizenship papers at the next rally. In any event, this week worked out as well as we could have hoped, but it is only the opening move. This will be a six week marathon, not a sprint. We need you to mark Friday, March 1 on your calendar when we expect the House JPC to have a hearing and Tuesday, March 5 when we think the Senate JPC will have a second hearing on the Governor's bill. It will be critical to sustain the effort. We need you to come on each day, March 1 and March 5 and to bring your family and friends. We will continue to provide updates as amendments to the bill are proposed and circumstances evolve. There will also be moments when we will ask you to call or e--‐mail your representatives or members of the respective Judicial Proceedings Committees. This will be a major effort and we do not underestimate the sacrifice you will make in =me off work, but the stakes are very high for all of us regardless of race, creed or gender. We do not want to look back later this year and say "If only I had done...." Stand fast and keep your powder dry.

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Howdy Dogmeat Dad

 

BIG CONGRATULATIONS!

 

Keep up the good work.

This war will be won in battles in the States.

 

Your work in Maryland is to be commended.:FlagAm:/>

 

 

Waimea

 

:FlagAm:/>

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Well Done!

 

The lawmaker may think you "broke the process" but the reality is that all y'all made the process work the way it is supposed to, not just be a rubber stamp for special interests.

 

 

ADDED: It took the liberty of stealing the text that seems to be from the groups and put it on my Facebook page, along with a link to the photos.

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Your work in Maryland is to be commended.:FlagAm:/>/>

 

 

Waimea

 

:FlagAm:/>/>

 

 

Thanks pards,

 

I wish I could take the credit, but I was just one among the many, and that is what made us strong. Good luck in your own battles. Hopefully, this will just be the tip of the iceberg.

 

Dogmeat Dad

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Fantastic news and a big pat on the back to Maryland GUNOWNERS. Hopefully Ca. and other states can follow your lead.

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:FlagAm: 'ATTABOYS ALL AROUND!!! :FlagAm:

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outstanding!!!! One thing "they" understand is NUMBERS.

 

thank you

 

Cheyenne

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We held a rally in Delaware...word of mouth...2,000 people and media reported several hundred. We are focused. Next rally 2-23. Unbelievable response from every corner of society. Doctors! , Lawyers, Educators, engineers and farmers...house wives , politicians and students! Doubled our membership in State association as well. I'm on the phone 4-5 hours a day with news media...interviews and members working hard. We are in a fight.... don't doubt it.

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I made a PDF of this post and am forwarding it to all of my friends and relatives in California, New Mexico and Colorado who are facing the same fight.

 

Olen

 

 

Olen,

 

I hope it encourages them to get active. It is easy to get discouraged, but if we can get enough people involved, we can turn the tide. The politicians understand numbers and right now they only believe their own rhetoric, but number will make them wake up and pay attention to us. We still have a long battle ahead, but I still believe we can win this one.

 

Best of Luck to all who are fighting this battle!

 

Dogmeat Dad

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A really great effort!!!!

 

To be additionally effective, specific Senators and Reps who are undecided or not firmly against the Gun Bill should be targeted (OOPS, wrong word, I mean identified) who are in nominally conservative leaning election areas, and let them know that they will face well supported opposition in their primary elections, where they would be more vulnerable than in a general election.

 

Some politicians cannot be influenced because they are secure in their re-election prospects. Put pressure on the vulnerable in a way that will get their attention. That is how the game is played, and be sure the gun control people (starting with the Governor who is trying to make a name for hinself) are using the same type of pressure (money, endorsements, re-election machine support, etc.) to get their votes. Play hardball!

 

Although I no longer reside in Maryland, I will gladly contribute to a PAC set up to fund the resistance to defeat this Bill. Let us know.

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Marylanders need to stay active. The House hearings are on March 1 and the second day of Senate hearings are currently scheduled for March 5.

 

The omnibus bill looks dead, but the bums have split the proposals into separate bills. Some bills concern mental health, another magazine capacity, handgun licensing, fingerprinting, etc.

 

We're fighting it all.

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Marylanders need to stay active. The House hearings are on March 1 and the second day of Senate hearings are currently scheduled for March 5.

 

The omnibus bill looks dead, but the bums have split the proposals into separate bills. Some bills concern mental health, another magazine capacity, handgun licensing, fingerprinting, etc.

 

We're fighting it all.

 

 

I also heard that the Governor was thinking about appointing a hand picked committee to pass the bill out of the Senate and/or House to get it on the floor, but I don't have any actual details.

 

What I want to see is everyone who was there on the 6th come back and bring 2 friends and bring written testimony from two more. If 4,000 people broke the process, 12,000 will stop them in their tracks, and written testimony from 8,000 more should end this nonsense. But having lived in Maryland my whole life (I know, too stupid to move, but it's MY HOME!) I realize that it ain't over until the legislature adjourns, and then it's only over until the next session!

 

Dogmeat Dad

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  • 2 weeks later...

UPDATE: 02/22/2013

 

Even with the overwhelming opposition shown by the Citizens of Maryland, the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee (Under extreme pressure from the Governor) passed the Assault Weapons Ban / Magazine Limit / Gunowner Registration / etc bill out of committee and onto the full Senate. It passed by a vote of 7 to 4, should have been 6 to 5 but one of "Our Guys" turned traitor at the last minute, not that it would have mattered, but we need to remember him come election time!

 

So now the battle turns to the House. Briefly stated, here is the situation:

 

A total of 51 bills will be heard over 2 days in 3 Committees. Each day we will have bills being heard in 2 different Committees at the same time. This tactic is intended to dilute our numbers, which is why a strong "boots on the ground" turnout is so important. This is especially true on March 5th because the hearings will be in different buildings.

 

Friday, March 1st, 2013

 

4 Bills in the House Health & Government Operations Committee

7 Bills in the House Judiciary Committee (Including the Governor's Gun Ban)


Tuesday, March 5th, 2013

 

15 Bills in the House Judiciary Committee

25 Bills in the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee

 

Details can be seen on the Associated Gun Clubs Of Baltimore website:

 

http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=p85wsocab&v=001F21jA-5PIHYgVSoD5tcnzarPJ1zCtYiFofGkaV7ZaihOAKvIJCoBfj1htl3Fvxs8x77Xj1Ajl3cphy9fInCwxKQufPcJzODS8K03N83bNRYb_EWbzVnQQ1Vuo5CRDtUi9Y6KKvF4dAr2Zay_yu2rHyC8HjVUqb3p4luhGgJL17MYKCAhbHQWckcbJJ3Z-YPW9IzpIp3hMCJNqp-eo6ujlw%3D%3D


The legislature is making an all out assault on the rights of the citizens of Maryland. They are using tactics designed to greatly minimize the voice of the Citizens and push their own agenda regardless of how they trample the rights of the Citizens.


GET ACTIVE, EMAIL, WRITE, CALL, GET YOUR BUTTS DOWN THERE ON BOTH DAYS. Trust me on this one, they are going to pass something not matter what we do! At this point, I fear all we will be able to do is minimize the damage.

 

 

Dogmeat (Not A Criminal, but might soon to be legislated as one) Dad

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