Reader MigraineMan writes . . .

Maryland’s 2023 Legislative Session jumped right into full gun control mode with Senator Jeff Waldstreicher collaborating with soon-to-be Secretary of State (nee Senator) Susan Lee on the unconstitutional Senate Bill 001 (read the full bill here). The coveted “first bill” designation was secured by Waldstreicher pre-filing the legislation back in August of 2022.

The executive-summary of the proposed legislation is that, if passed, those who own firearms in the state of Maryland may not wear, carry, or transport them onto private property without securing the explicit permission of the property owner prior to doing so.  

Because that limit on the right to keep and bear arms isn’t nearly stringent enough, SB1 has a companion bill, SB118. The bill imposes similar wear, carry, and transportation prohibitions on properties owned by a federal, state, or local government entity. 

Additionally, SB118 has a “presumption of guilt” rider. The two bills, filed jointly by Waldstreicher and Lee, are the embodiment of “tell me you haven’t read the Constitution without telling me you haven’t read the Constitution.”

To make matters worse — and they’re going to get much worse here in the Crab Cake State — Senator Waldstreicher conducted an interview with Baltimore’s Fox45 affiliate wherein he made this bold statement . . .

So the question is, do we want everyone carrying guns everywhere? Do we want guns in our hospitals, in our libraries, in our schools, churches and synagogues? My answer is ‘no’ and if your answer is ‘no’ too, I think we should pass SB1.

This is followed by an inquiry about accusations that the bills target the wrong people with this legislation . . .

As Senator [Justin] Reedy well knows, we can walk and chew gum at the same time. You mentioned in your previous segments, uh, the work that Ivan Pay … Bates is doing, to crack down on illegal gun crimes. We can both support Ivan Bates, uh, our State’s Attorney in Baltimore City, as well as State’s Attorneys across the State in cracking down on gun violence while still addressing the Bruen decision that was a terrible and wrong decision coming down from the Supreme Court. So the answer is ‘we can do both.’

That’s some nice shade he’s throwing directed at the US Supreme Court. And since that interview was held well after the Bruen decision was handed down, it’s pretty clear that Senator Waldstreicher intends to forge ahead in spite of the SCOTUS ruling, rather than in compliance with it.  

So what, exactly, will be the impact if SB1 and SB118 are written into law? Here’s a partial map of federal- and state-owned properties (libraries, schools, recycling centers, parking garages, etc.) that will become prohibited areas . . .

Maryland prohibited carry map
Courtesy “mvee” at MDShooters.com

Where does this all go, ultimately? If passed into law, clearly the Maryland General Assembly intends to declare virtually the entirety of the state as a “no firearms” zone.  Undoubtedly, there will be a handful of formerly law-abiding citizens who will then become “justice-involved.” 

Also undoubtedly, some of these individuals will be targeted by law enforcement personnel via data mining of the Handgun Qualification License database. And it’s reasonable to expect that the justice-involvement intercept rate won’t come close to meeting the expectations of the members of the General Assembly. 

So to further increase the efficacy of the firearms transportation prohibitions of the Gun Safety Act of 2023, it will probably be further enacted that firearm owners shall be required to affix a symbol on their outer garments indicating that they own firearms. How else will private property owners know which patrons need to be explicitly allowed or disallowed to carry on their property?  

Courtesy MigraineMan

Don’t laugh. Before you start screaming “hy-per-bo-LEE” at your computer monitor, consider that this wouldn’t be the first time Maryland has attempted to yellow-badge firearm owners.

Back in 2010, then-Senator Brian Frosh introduced a bill that would have required the Maryland Vehicle Administration (MVA) … the DMV in most normal states … to add a yellow star to the driver’s licenses of firearm owners. 

Both Maryland Shall Issue (MSI) and Associated Gun Clubs (AGC) of Baltimore obtained draft copies of the legislation and wrote commentaries at the time (see here and here).

7(A) A regulated firearms dealer or person may only sell or transfer a handgun to another person if the purchaser or transferee presents to the seller or transferror a valid Maryland driver’s license with an approved handgun purchase designation or photographic identification card with an approved handgun purchase designation issued to the purchaser or transferee by the Motor Vehicle Administration.

Neither 2010/SB645 nor 2010/HB820 made it past the first reading in their respective chambers. But they’ve tried it before, and I have every expectation that they will try it again.

Senator Waldstreicher is exactly the kind of up-and-coming, chomping-at-the-bit, liberal legislator we can expect to pull something like this again.

Members of the Patriot Picket and other concerned citizens will be on the bricks in Annapolis on Monday evenings during the General Assembly session. Feel free to join us in peaceful assembly for the redress of grievances outside Lawyer’s Mall at the intersection of Bladen Street and College Avenue circa 7:30pm.

The legislators walk from their respective office buildings to the State House at 8:00pm.  We should have firearm-owner yellow-badge stickers printed up in the next week or so.  They will be available to those who participate. If you’d like to make your own, I will attach the artwork below.

 

 

49 COMMENTS

    • Your side is crushing human and civil rights. The Star of David is just a historic reminder of your nazi roots.

    • On my church security team’s roster posted in the office, there is a small yellow star next to the name of each individual who’s a sworn LEO, to differentiate them from the non-sworn members of the team. There is also a small symbol to designate if a person is carrying, as some LEOs prefer not to on church property, and some non-sworn have CCWs and do choose to.

      The selection of a six-sided yellow star – a widely recognizable symbol of a classic Sheriff badge – in and of itself is not necessarily a straight line to the Star of David and the Jewish Holocaust. Context matters.

      That being said, it was still a dumb decision by that Maryland Senator to choose it for his bill. But then, there are certainly a lot of dumb politicians across the land.

        • Helps Dacian and his “Caravan of Death” find their targets for liquidation.

          Although I think they are more likely to use the line “kill them all, their sky-daddy will know their own”.

        • Waldstreicher ran on a campaign of hard-line gun control. He recently posted on his Facebook page about antisemitic violence, then followed with a statement about prohibiting firearm possession in the very places that violence is occurring. There’s nothing quite as effective in combatting antisemitism as making the victims more vulnerable, right? The yellow star carries a powerful historical context, one that is disturbingly similar to what’s going on in Maryland right now. We are wearing the symbol, voluntarily.

        • Southern Cross, Wow! Love the historical reference! Lil d won’t, once he googles it enough to figure out what you are talking about.

      • The six pointed star has many different meanings in many different cultures and uses.

        Judaism doesn’t have a monopoly on six pointed stars.

        For example;

        In Indo-Persian culture it symbolizes unbroken strength and was traditionally inscribed on higher quality and fine crafted weapons as a testament to their strength.

        In alchemy it symbolized the balance between the 4 classical elements (earth, air, fire, water), masculinity, and femininity.

        In astrology it represents the 7 classical heavenly bodies (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Moon, with Earth at the center)

        In Germanic culture it was believed to provide protection from the Evil Eye.

        It was also known as the Brewer’s star and used as a sign on taverns in the Middle Ages.

        In Roman mythology ceremonial ‘magic’ it’s the Seal of Saturn. In Kabbalah ‘magic’ it’s the Seal of Solomon.

        Other religions (e.g. Hinduism) also use the six pointed star to symbolize the merging of spiritual elements such as the male and female and God and humanity.

        A six point star into a ‘cop’ badge was based on a combination of convenience to manufacturing actually and to ‘symbolize’ some connection to a ‘code of honor and ethics’ usually based in religion’. In the earlier days of our industrialized nation and in the old west a lot of ‘law enforcement’ wore badges fashioned as stars, five and six point mostly. The easiest to design and manufacture in the times was a six point star rather than a five point star because a six point star was more easily and quickly designed and ‘molded’ or stamped because its simply an arrangement of two overlapping triangles which were already among common shapes used to form other things that were manufactured so stamps and molds were more quick and easy to make. An odd number of points (e.g. five) meant more time to design and manufacturer back then, although some sheriffs back then did wear a five point star overall and generally deputies wore a six point star.

        The law enforcement badges, the number of points, had some basis in religion that varied, and over time the number of points have changed. For example, the San Francisco Police Department used a seven pointed star. The seven points represents the “seven seals” of the Book of Revelation in the New Testament that include virtue, divinity, prudence, fortitude, honor, glory and praising God.

        For Judaism, the six pointed star, commonly referred to as the Star of David, is a reference to the Biblical king and his legendary “shield”, although there are more complicated interpretations from Jewish mystics of that but this is basically it for Judaism overall.

        The earliest uses of the Star of David in Jewish culture had nothing to do with religion. It was originally used by Jewish printers to decorate their books to differentiate themselves from their competitors. It was during the 19th century, when European Jews became more integrated with Christian communities, that Jews began to use the star as a religious symbol.

        The Jews needed a symbol of Judaism parallel to the cross which was used as the universal symbol of Christianity. They wanted something to adorn the walls of the modern synagogue and places of Jewish worship that would be symbolic like the cross and this is why it became prominent in the 19th century and was later used ritual objects.

        But, during the Holocaust the Nazis tried to subvert its significance by forcing Jews to identify themselves by wearing variations on a yellow six pointed star.

        • NOBODY but nobody thinks anything other than Jews being slaughtered in Deutchland after seeing the yellow 6 pointed star.

        • @former water walker

          “NOBODY but nobody thinks anything other than Jews being slaughtered in Deutchland after seeing the yellow 6 pointed star.”

          That true. Not saying otherwise.

    • The gun-owner star is the perfect analogy. Like Jews in 1930s Germany, gun owners in Maryland are being singled out. Waldstreicher is Jewish. He seeks to make Jews defenseless at the same time he laments attacks against Jews. Oh, the irony…..

  1. March 20th for quite a bit of NY’s law hearings on this topic and likely on to 2nd circuit from there. We will likely be precedent for Maryland on this topic but they are likely to be precedent for us re assault weapons so it evens out.

  2. All of these blue states are undergoing one last massive spasm of gun control tyranny, coughing up a huge loogie of unconstitutional phlegm to see what sticks to the the wall. They way they see it, under Bruen they have everything lose, so might as well give it shot and see what sticks.

    Give more money to GOA, FPC, and SAF to sue these tyrants into oblivion.

  3. here i fixed the headline:
    :The Next Logical Step: Maryland Bills Would Designate Much of the State a No-Go Zone for Law Abiding Citizens”

    • I’m a gun owner and Maryland is a no go zone.
      I no go there even if the trip is free and I’m getting paid.

  4. Republicans should include a mandatory minimums rider for every crime committed with a gun but simple possession and CC violations. Make them own their “we’re being tough on crime” stance and see if they whine about “equity” or something.

    • They try. For years. Rs tried to make it prohibiting if convicted of firearm theft. In the super-majority D General Assembly, thats a big nope.

  5. It is too bad we can’t charge all legislators who violate SCOTUS rulings with contempt of SCOTUS and send them to prison. Felons can’t serve in office so that gets rid of many traitorous Demorats.

  6. From SB 118: “ON PROPERTY CONTROLLED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, THE STATE GOVERNMENT, OR A LOCAL GOVERNMENT”

    Um… virtually every highway, street, road, and alley in the state is controlled by one of these levels of government.

    You don’t need to draw a map with red property blocks, you just need a road map.

  7. Don’t forget all the state rivers, Chesapeake Bay, state forest, state game lands, national forests. No more hunting unless you use archery.

  8. Migraineman should give people a choice and add the pink triangle homosexuals were forced to wear in concentration camps. I second the comment of jsled.

  9. Modearation for what? Using the term homosexual or agreeing with jsled calling out jsled for being an idiot?

  10. I have to say I am still very impressed, by the number of attempts at channeling Adolf Hitler, that the gun grabbers use. In order to justify their attempts at Nazi style gun control.
    Perhaps I need to market this and make a small fortune. And along the way I can give a history lesson to people who disagree, what my product looks like. Or what my product seems to imply.

  11. I’ve driven up and down the eastern seaboard a couple of times. Went out of my way to avoid some states. Maryland was one of them.

  12. Yellow star? No, that’d be a crazy allusion to psychotic tyrants if days done by.

    This is a GOLD star. It means you’re special.

    • “This is a GOLD star. It means you’re special.”

      Nice one! I LOLed.

      OUT LOUD… 🙂

  13. If the Maryland Legislature can’t fix Baltimore then what is the purpose of that institution?

    • Fix it??? They are just now getting it back to the way they like it. So many normal people fail to understand that Democrats just love the Utopia that places like Baltimore and Chicago have become. It makes them feel all warm and special to see blood in the streets from all the crime their Soros-inspired Attorneys General have engendered.

  14. I feel like whenever a lawmaker says the quiet part out loud- that they’re just giving the middle finger to SCOTUS’s decisions- the lawyers that have to defend those laws facepalm a little more each day

  15. the more outrageous the restrictions the sooner it gets to the supremes…looks like the new blue state strategy is to go all-in…

  16. If you’re going to post mvee’s work, at least mention that the map is for Montgomery County and a separate-but-related fight against Bill 21-22.

  17. The first step to implementing a tyranny the ignorant weak minded in society will accept is making a ‘group’ ‘the enemy that is causing the problem’

    The second step to implementing a tyranny the ignorant weak minded in society will accept is to use emotional slants and half truths and falsehoods to provoke public fear of and outrage against that ‘enemy’.

    The third step to implementing a tyranny the ignorant weak minded in society will accept is to separate ‘the enemy’ from ‘the rest of society’ by making them ‘more easily recognized’ in some fashion so as to be treated ‘differently and viewed more harshly and subject to more scrutiny’ (dacian’s people, the nazis, made the Jews wear yellow six pointed stars)

    Basically, the old Hitler ‘hearts and minds’ strategy. Focus the ignorant weak minded in society attention on ‘the enemy’ to capture the minds then strum their heart strings with emotional slants and half truths and falsehoods to provoke fear and outrage and those ignorant weak minded fools will be in lock step with a government ‘something’ all the way into a tyranny.

    And here we are today with Maryland with six pointed yellow stars for the ‘enemy’ of the liberal left which is millions of law abiding gun gun owners. Its for the common good – that’s what Hitler said in reference to the Jews wearing their six pointed yellow stars. What was old is new again.

  18. i’d s**t in maryland from a safe altitude & speed, or from outside the state using an elevated trough

  19. Get home from grocery store, find burglary in progress. Guns in the house, not the car. Because grocery store don’t like em on their property, includes parking lot. Can’t park on street, too far, physically disabled.

    Go to hell, Maryland.

  20. This reminds me of the Nazi’s putting yellow stars on Jews during WWII! This is despicable and completely unamerican! A total and complete violation of the 2nd amendment not to mention the total ignorance of weapons! I challenge any and all legislators to show me a gun lying loaded on a table to do anything other than just lay there without any human intervention! The emphasis is completely misplaced the problem is not the weapon but the individual using it!!!! Wake up idiots!

  21. Maryland legislators didn’t learn anything from SCOTUS decision against New York State when the “sensitive” areas were deemed too “general”. You can’t make the whole state a “gun free” zone.

  22. There’s only one real answer to the Tyranny and Despotism, and it comes from the barrel of a gun.

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