Legislative News
The following are a few bills that are going through the Maryland General Assembly that are very important; your opinions and action are needed:
- SB 33 (Right to Hunt, Fish, and Harvest Wild Game)
Proposing an amendment to the Maryland Constitution that establishes the right of every person to hunt, fish, or harvest wild game, subject to State law.
If this bill passes through the General Assembly, a ballot question will be submitted to the qualified voters of the State of Maryland for their adoption or rejection. If this amendment is not ratified then anti-hunting groups will continue to come to the General Assembly in attempts to slowly chip away at the rights of Marylanders to hunt, fish, and/or harvest wild game.
- SB 516 (Maryland Assault Weapons Ban of 2010)
Designating specified firearms as assault weapons; prohibiting with specified exceptions a person from transporting an assault weapon into the State or possessing, selling, offering to sell, transferring, or receiving an assault weapon; requiring the Handgun Roster Board to compile and maintain a roster of prohibited assault weapons; etc.
- SB 645 (Firearm Safety Act of 2010)
Authorizing an investigative or law enforcement officer acting in a criminal investigation to intercept a wire, oral, or electronic communication in order to provide evidence of the commission of specified offenses relating to the sale, rental, purchase, or transfer of a regulated firearm under specified circumstances; prohibiting a person who has previously been convicted of specified crimes from possessing a firearm; requiring a valid Maryland handgun purchase permit for the purchase or receipt of a regulation firearm; etc.
These two bills are attempts to further restrict Marylanders from legally possessing handguns. If these two bills pass, Marylanders will face harsher restrictions on their Second Amendment right to bear arms.
Again, your opinion and voice on these bills are extremely important. We urge you to contact your representatives and inform them of your opinion on these bills. To contact or find your representatives, please visit the Maryland General Assembly Homepage (http://mlis.state.md.us/) and click on the link to either "Contact" or "Find" a Legislator. Thank you for your interest and support in protecting the right to hunt.
Maryland Legislative Sportsmen's Caucus Triumphs for 5th Consecutive Year in Annapolis
Advancing the Sportsmen's Agenda in the Halls of State Government
Maryland remains at the forefront of policy-related achievements for its sportsmen's community. What makes this so remarkable is the fact that Maryland is the home of the Humane Society of the United States - this country's premiere animal-rights organizations whose National mantra is to "eliminate hunting one state at a time".
With the 2006 Maryland General Assembly having adjourned on Monday, April 10th, we can now reflect on another year of impressive policy-related achievement for sportsmen's rights in Maryland.
Minimum Age Hunting: Maryland does not have a minimum age hunting law. Instead, youth under the age of 16 must posses a Hunter's Safety Course in order to hunt. In October 2006, an 8-year old girl harvested the first black bear in Maryland's second open season in far Western Maryland - prior to last year, the season had been closed for 53 years for conservation purposes.
Afterwards, an uproar resonated throughout the State for a minimum age hunting law to be enacted by the 2006 Maryland General Assembly. Due diligence by the Caucus/Foundation partnership prevented the bill from even being introduced.
Tidal Fisheries Management Strategy: Maryland's Department of Natural Resources announced in Fall 2006 that two Rivers - Choptank and Nanticoke - would be open for commercial harvesting of yellow perch for the first time in 17 years. The recreational fishing community of Maryland loudly voiced its opposition and sought intervention by the Caucus. Hovering in the background was serious consideration to advancing statutory restrictive measures on DNR via the 2006 Session. However, the Caucus intervened and prevailed in securing language in the State's fiscal year 2007 State Budget that requires DNR to work with specific organizations - commercial and recreational interests - on enhancing the State's method of managing for tidal fisheries, in the meantime, the proposed expansion of commercial harvesting in the two Rivers was put on hold.
The Governor has no official role in approving the budget language, meaning it is already approved and awaiting the action of the impacted parties, a good thing for the recreational fishing community of Maryland which has already expressed widespread appreciation.
| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HB 3 | Business Regulation - Employees Who Carry Firearms - Protective Body Armor | Requiring an employer to provide protective body armor to an employee who is required to carry a firearm loaded with live rounds; and defining terms. |
| 2 | HB 52 | Regulated Firearms - License Issued by Delaware, Pennsylvania, or Virginia - Reciprocity | Specifying that a license to carry a regulated firearm, including a concealed regulated firearm, issued by Delaware, Pennsylvania, or Virginia to an individual is valid in Maryland. |
| 3 | HB 98 | Department of Natural Resources - Tidal Fish Licenses - Transfer and Suspension | Prohibiting a specified temporary transferee of a tidal fish license from using the license or receiving a transfer of a license during a period of suspension under specified circumstances; altering the grounds for the suspension of a tidal fish license; altering the requirements for specified regulations adopted by the Department of Natural Resources relating to the suspension and revocation of a tidal fish license or authorization; etc. |
| 4 | HB 119 | Department of State Police - Firearm Applications - Authority of Secretary | Providing that, in addition to the current methods of certified mail or facsimile machine for transferring a firearm application to the Secretary of State Police, a firearm application may be transferred to the Secretary by any other method preapproved by the Secretary. |
| 5 | HB 246 | Allegany County and Garrett County - Deer Hunting on Private Property - Sundays | Authorizing a person in Allegany County or Garrett County to hunt for deer on private property with a bow and arrow during open season on the last three Sundays in October and the second Sunday in November. |
| 6 | HB 301 | Calvert County and St. Mary's County - Deer Hunting on Private Property - Sundays | Authorizing a person in Calvert County to hunt deer on private property with a bow and arrow during open season on the last three Sundays in October and the second Sunday in November; and authorizing a person in Calvert County and St. Mary's County to hunt deer on private property on the first Sunday of bow hunting season in November and each Sunday during the deer firearms season. |
| 7 | HB 673 | Hunting and Fishing - Veterans - Complimentary Licenses | Expanding the pool of veterans eligible for lifetime complimentary hunting or fishing licenses. |
| 8 | HB 683 | Public Safety - Handgun Permits - Repeal of Finding Requirement | Repealing the requirement that the Secretary of State Police find that a person has a good and substantial reason to wear, carry, or transport a handgun before issuing a handgun permit to the person. |
| 9 | HB 686 | St. Mary's County - Wild Waterfowl Hunting | Altering the distance that a person must be from shore when hunting wild waterfowl by specified methods in specified waters of St. Mary's County. |
| 10 | HB 689 | Natural Resources - POWs and Disabled Veterans - Exception to Trout Stamp Requirement | Creating an exception for a holder of a lifetime complimentary angler's license for former prisoners of war or service disabled veterans to the requirement to obtain a trout stamp before catching or possessing freshwater trout. |
| 11 | HB 776 | Criminal Law - Home Invasion Crime of Violence | Prohibiting a person from breaking and entering the dwelling of another and committing a crime of violence against a victim who is the lawful occupant of the dwelling; prohibiting a person from employing or displaying a dangerous weapon while committing a home invasion crime of violence; establishing criminal penalties for violations of the Act; and requiring a sentence imposed under the Act to be imposed consecutive to and not concurrent with any other sentence imposed for any crime based on the act establishing a violation of the Act. |
| 12 | HB 851 | Talbot County - Deer Hunting on Private Property - Sundays | Authorizing a person in Talbot County to hunt deer on private property with a bow and arrow during open season on the last three Sundays in October and the second Sunday in November. |
| 13 | HB 876 | Department of Natural Resources - Deer Hunting Licenses and Permits - Crossbow | Prohibiting the Department of Natural Resources from requiring a person who holds a specified license or permit to hunt deer with a bow and arrow during bow season to obtain a separate license or permit to hunt deer with a crossbow during bow season. |
| 14 | HB 877 | Baltimore County - Deer Hunting on Private Property - Sundays | Authorizing a person in Baltimore County to hunt deer on private property with a bow and arrow during open season on the last three Sundays in October and the second Sunday in November; and removing Baltimore County from a list of counties in which specified Sunday deer hunting privileges do not apply. |
| 15 | HB 905 | Criminal Law - Prohibitions on Wearing, Carrying, or Transporting Firearms - Exceptions | Establishing an exception to the prohibition against wearing, carrying, or transporting a handgun or other regulated firearm for a person who is carrying a specified court order requiring the surrender of the handgun or other regulated firearm and who has notified a specified law enforcement unit that the handgun or regulated firearm is being transported in accordance with the court order, the handgun or regulated firearm is unloaded, and the person transports the handgun or regulated firearm directly to the law enforcement unit. |
| 16 | HB 1047 | Family Law - Protective Orders - Annual Report | Requiring the Governor's Office of Crime Control and Prevention to compile an annual report that is to include specified statistical information, to submit the report to the Governor and General Assembly on or before December 31 of each year, and to make the report available to the public on request; etc. |
| 17 | HB 1158 | Natural Resources - Commercial Finfish - Bycatch | Clarifying that tidal fish licensees are prohibited from catching or possessing tidal finfish in violation of specified size limits; and creating an exception to the prohibition by authorizing tidal fish licensees to possess a specified bycatch of individual species of tidal finfish. |
| 18 | HB 1191 | Natural Resources - Oyster Poaching - Hearing | Providing that a person who is cited for unlawfully catching oysters may have a specified license revoked under specified circumstances; establishing specified grounds for license revocation; requiring the Department of Natural Resources to hold a hearing under specified circumstances in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act; requiring the Department to revoke a person's license to catch oysters under specified circumstances; authorizing aggrieved persons to obtain judicial review of a specified decision; etc. |
| 19 | HB 1229 | Truth in Sentencing - Criminal Gangs and Gun Crimes | Prohibiting the earning of diminution credits by an inmate who is serving a sentence for violating a specified offense prohibiting participation in a criminal gang if the inmate's sentence includes a consecutive or concurrent sentence for specified offenses involving a firearm; etc. |
| 20 | HB 1268 | Regulated Firearms - Ammunition | Making it a misdemeanor to knowingly participate in the illegal sale, rental, transfer, purchase, possession, or receipt of ammunition solely designed for a regulated firearm; and providing a penalty. |
| 21 | HB 1328 | Firearms - Knowing Violation of Specified Prohibitions - Penalty | Specifying that it is a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to 5 years or a fine of up to $10,000 or both to knowingly violate the prohibition against the possession of a regulated firearm or ammunition solely designed for a regulated firearm by a person who is under the age of 21, or to knowingly violate the prohibition against obliterating, removing, changing, or altering the manufacturer's identification mark or number on a firearm. |
| 22 | HB 1345 | Recreational Fishing Licenses - Licensing and Registration | Expanding the requirement to obtain recreational fishing licenses or authorizations to apply to fishing activity in the State waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Atlantic coastal bays and tributaries; altering the duration of the short-term freshwater angling license and the short-term tidal sport fishing license; altering the fee schedule for the nonresident trout stamp and the nonresident sport fishing license; altering exemptions from the requirement to obtain a tidal sport fishing license before fishing in tidal waters of the State; etc. |
| 23 | HB 1207 | Deer Hunting on Private Property on Sundays | Authorizing a person to hunt deer on private property in specified counties on specified Sundays using a crossbow; and authorizing a person to hunt deer in Calvert County on specified Sundays using a bow and arrow. |
| 24 | HB 1512 | Frederick County - Archery Hunting - Safety Zone | Establishing for archery hunters in Frederick County a 50-yard safety zone within which archery hunting may not take place except under specified circumstances. |
| 25 | SB 22 | Criminal Law - Prohibitions on Wearing, Carrying, or Transporting Firearms - Exceptions | Establishing an exception to the prohibition against wearing, carrying, or transporting a handgun or other regulated firearm for a person who is carrying a specified court order requiring the surrender of the handgun or other regulated firearm and who is in the immediate process of surrendering the handgun or other regulated firearm to law enforcement; etc. |
| 26 | SB 29 | Department of Natural Resources - Preparation of Fishery Management Plans - Authority | Authorizing the Department of Natural Resources to prepare fishery management plans for any species of fish under specified circumstances. |
| 27 | SB 33 | Natural Resources - Right to Hunt, Fish, and Harvest Wild Game | Proposing an amendment to the Maryland Constitution that establishes the right of every person to hunt, fish, or harvest wild game, subject to State law; and submitting the amendment to the qualified voters of the State of Maryland for their adoption or rejection. |
| 28 | SB 44 | Criminal Law - Use of Firearm in the Commission of a Crime of Violence or a Felony | Prohibiting the use of specified firearms in the commission of crimes of violence or felonies; and defining "firearm". |
| 29 | SB 84 | Tidal Fisheries Advisory Commission - Sport Fisheries Advisory Commission - Membership | Staggering the terms of members of the Tidal Fisheries Advisory Commission beginning on a specified date; providing for the succession of members of the Tidal Fisheries Advisory Commission; increasing the size of the Sport Fisheries Advisory Commission from 12 to 15 members; staggering the terms of members of the Sport Fisheries Advisory Commission beginning on a specified date; providing for the expiration on a specified date of the terms of specified members of the Tidal Fisheries Advisory Commission; etc. |
| 30 | SB 125 | Criminal Procedure - Strip Search or Body Cavity Search of an Arrestee - Restrictions | Prohibiting a police officer from conducting or supervising a strip search or body cavity search of a person arrested for a misdemeanor or traffic offense under specified circumstances, or of a minor detained for an act that would be a misdemeanor if committed by an adult or for a specified traffic offense under specified circumstances; providing for specified exceptions under the Act; authorizing strip searches and body cavity searches only if specified conditions are met; etc. |
| 31 | SB 167 | Regulated Firearms - Application for Dealer's License - Record-Keeping and Reporting Requirements | Requiring the Secretary of State Police or the Secretary's designee to disapprove an application for a State-regulated firearms dealer's license if the Secretary or designee determines that the applicant intends a specified person to participate or hold a specified interest in the management or operation of the business for which the license is sought; requiring licensed dealers to keep records of specified information; etc. |
| 32 | SB 191 | Weapon-Free Higher Education Zones | Prohibiting the carrying or possession of firearms, knives, and deadly weapons on the property of public institutions of higher education; providing for exceptions to this prohibition for law enforcement officers, a person hired for the purpose of guarding the institution's property, a person engaged in shooting activity for educational purposes, and a person who has a written invitation from the president of the institution to engage in a historical demonstration; etc. |
| 33 | SB 274 | Criminal Law - Violation of Restriction Against Possession of Firearms - Penalties | Expanding a prohibition against the possession of regulated firearms by a person convicted of a crime of violence or specified drug-related crime to apply to all firearms; increasing the maximum penalty for a violation of the Act; creating an exception regarding eligibility of a specified person for parole; etc. |
| 34 | SB 259/ HB 502 | Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary's Counties - Deer Hunting | Requiring the Department of Natural Resources to establish a program in Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary's counties to train rifle shooters to hunt deer during daylight hours for the purpose of controlling the deer population in those counties; requiring the Department to give applicants who hold a Deer Damage Permit priority in acceptance to the program; requiring the Department to adopt specified regulations; etc. |
| 35 | SB 289/ HB245 | Allegany County and Garrett County - Turkey Hunting - Sundays | Authorizing, a person to hunt turkey in Allegany County and Garrett County on the last Sunday in April and the first Sunday in May, except Easter Sunday. |
| 36 | SB 342 | Natural Resources - Oyster Poaching - Hearing | Providing that a person who is cited for unlawfully catching oysters may have a specified license revoked under specified circumstances; establishing specified grounds for license revocation; requiring the Department of Natural Resources to hold a hearing under specified circumstances in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act; requiring the Department to revoke a person's license to catch oysters under specified circumstances; authorizing aggrieved persons to obtain judicial review of a specified decision; etc. |
| 37 | SB 362/ HB 636 | Natural Resources - Suspension of Hunting Licenses and Privileges | Authorizing the Department of Natural Resources to suspend for up to 5 years the hunting license or privileges of a person who is convicted of a State or federal hunting violation; requiring the Department to suspend for between 1 and 5 years the hunting license or privileges of a person who receives in any 12-month period a second conviction for a hunting violation; repealing the authority of the Department to impose a specified fine and specified hunting license suspensions for a conviction for hunting violations; etc. |
| 38 | SB 422 / HB 1049 | Dorchester County - Choptank River - Soft-Shell Clam Harvesting | Altering the time periods during which and the locations in which soft-shell clam harvesting using specified types of gear is prohibited under specified circumstances in the Dorchester County portion of the Choptank River. |
| 39 | SB 516 | Maryland Assault Weapons Ban of 2010 | Designating specified firearms as assault weapons; prohibiting with specified exceptions a person from transporting an assault weapon into the State or possessing, selling, offering to sell, transferring, or receiving an assault weapon; requiring the Handgun Roster Board to compile and maintain a roster of prohibited assault weapons; etc. |
| 40 | SB 563/ HB 354 | Public Safety - Possession of Ammunition for Firearms - Penalties | Prohibiting a person from possessing ammunition for a firearm if the person previously was convicted of specified crimes; defining terms; and providing penalties for a violation of the Act. |
| 41 | SB 645 | Firearm Safety Act of 2010 | Authorizing an investigative or law enforcement officer acting in a criminal investigation to intercept a wire, oral, or electronic communication in order to provide evidence of the commission of specified offenses relating to the sale, rental, purchase, or transfer of a regulated firearm under specified circumstances; prohibiting a person who has previously been convicted of specified crimes from possessing a firearm; requiring a valid Maryland handgun purchase permit for the purchase or receipt of a regulation firearm; etc. |
| 42 | SB 743 | Criminal Law - Handguns - Transport in Motor Vehicle by Nonresident | Establishing that a nonresident may transport an unloaded handgun in a motor vehicle only for specified purposes and uses allowed under law and only if the nonresident complies with specified requirements; etc. |
| 43 | SB 808 | County Oyster Committees - Public Shellfish Fishery Area - Power Dredging | Authorizing specified county oyster committees to authorize the use of power dredges to catch oysters in public shellfish fishery areas under specified circumstances. |
| 44 | SB 842 | Regulated Firearms - License Issued by Another State to Current or Former Member of the Armed Forces - Reciprocity | Specifying that a license issued by another state to an individual who is a current or former member of the armed forces of the United States to carry a regulated firearm, including a concealed regulated firearm, is valid in Maryland. |
| 45 | SB 847 | Hunting Licenses - Exemption for Disabled Armed Forces Members | Creating an exemption from the requirement to obtain a hunting license under specified circumstances for a person who serves in the armed forces and has a service-connected disability; providing that the exemption applies only to hunting on private property; and requiring a person who hunts under the exemption to possess valid military identification. |
| 46 | SB 978 | Talbot County - Deer Hunting on Private Property - Sundays | Authorizing a person in Talbot County to hunt for deer on private property with a bow and arrow on the last three Sundays in October and the second Sunday in November. |
| 47 | SB 987 | Natural Resources - Conservation Law Enforcement Act of 2010 | Establishing specified responsibilities of the Natural Resources Police Force; stating specified findings of the General Assembly relating to conservation law enforcement; authorizing the Department of Natural Resources to audit the books of specified individuals who sell fish resources at retail; providing that a specified audit shall be conducted for law enforcement purposes; providing specified penalties and sanctions; etc. |
| 48 | SB 1043/ HB 1472 | Hunting Wild Waterfowl - Dorchester, Somerset, and Wicomico Counties | Altering the location in which a person may hunt wild waterfowl by specified methods in the waters of Dorchester, Somerset, and Wicomico counties; and decreasing the distance from shore that the Department may authorize by regulation for the hunting of wild waterfowl by specified methods in the waters of Dorchester, Somerset, and Wicomico counties. |
| 49 | SB 1096 | Natural Resources - Fishery Management Reform Act - Task Force and Sunset Repeal | Repealing the termination provision relating to the Fishery Management Reform Act; and repealing provisions that established the Task Force on Fishery Management because of the completion of the work of the Task Force and the submission of a report of its findings and recommendations dated December 1, 2008. |