ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Maryland chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, part of Everytown for Gun Safety, released the following statement praising the Maryland House Judiciary committee for advancing HB 786, a bill that would close a dangerous loophole in state law and require a background check on all sales of rifles and shotguns. Under current Maryland law, sales of rifles and shotguns by unlicensed sellers do not require a criminal background check. That makes it easy for convicted felons, domestic abusers and other people who are legally prohibited from having guns to purchase these deadly weapons by finding unlicensed sellers through sales arranged online or at gun shows.
“The deadly attack on the Capital Gazette in Annapolis tragically demonstrated the destructive power of a shotgun,” said Jan Donohoe McNamara, a member of the Everytown Survivor Network, whose brother-in-law was killed along with four other staff members of the Capital Gazette newspaper in June 2018. “Rifles and shotguns are every bit as dangerous as handguns, and should never be sold without a background check. I am grateful to the lawmakers of my home state — especially Delegate Vanessa Atterbeary, who sponsored the legislation — for their efforts to keep our communities and our families safe.”
