The Gun Safety Act of 2023 could bring about more trouble than it’s actually worth.
In the city of Annapolis, Maryland, Senate President Bill Ferguson has presented a number of gun control proposals that could be a hassle for private gun owners and Concealed-Carry citizens.
Titled the Gun Safety Act of 2023, the bill, if passed, would prohibit those with permits for Concealed-Carry to take their firearms within 100 feet of any public place. In other words, it would pretty much prohibit anyone, even those with a permit, from practically walking around town with a firearm.
These places would include “schools, hospitals, libraries, synagogues, churches, mosques. Also parks, restaurants, anywhere the public is gathering.”
“It is a top primary concern for us. It has been, it will continue to be,” Ferguson said. “If people don’t feel safe, nothing else matters.”
However, gun advocates, as well as gun owners, believe the bill holds no weight, and would actually create more trouble for the state of Maryland if passed. “I think we are a safer society if people have the ability to protect themselves,” Senate Minority Leader Stephen Hershey, R-District 36, said in a statement. “If you look at celebrities and heads of state, they have people that are armed, people that are able to protect them. Why should we, all of a sudden, limit ourselves?”
Joining us now is a representative with the Second Amendment Foundation, a group that believes in the rights of the Second Amendment, as well as those that bear firearms. Their expertise will be most useful with this topic.
Q&A:
- Some believe that Senate president Bill Ferguson is introducing the Gun Safety Act of 2023 in an effort to thwart “active shooter” events. But is there a distinct possibility this is simply asking for trouble?
- If the bill passes, this could actually stop Concealed-Carry citizens from bringing their firearm pretty much anywhere within the city. How troublesome is this, especially considering their effectiveness as of late with “active shooter” events?
- If passed, the bill would also introduce the Gun Industry Accountability Act of 2023, where surviving family members of shootings could sue the gun makers. How wrong and unlawful does this sound to you?
- Do you agree that the problem with introducing a restrictive gun bill like this is that, if people are still able to get their hands on firearms to do wrong, they could do so? Especially with the availability both online and with pawn shops?
- What should Maryland do in terms of making things right here? Encourage Concealed-Carry?
- Where can we learn more about the Second Amendment Foundation and its members?
Those interested can visit http://www.saf.org/.
Second Amendment Foundation spokespersons available to be your guest:
ABOUT CHRIS CHENG (In Pacific Time)
Chris Cheng serves on the advisory council to the Second Amendment Foundation’s Board of Trustees. He is the History Channel’s Top Shot Season 4 Champion and author of the book “Shoot to Win.” Cheng is an Asian D&I advocate in the gun community; a former Google employee who went from self-taught amateur to pro shooter.
ABOUT CAM EDWARDS (In Eastern Time)
Cam Edwards is the editor at Bearing Arms-dot-com and hosts the popular podcast Cam & Company that focuses on Second Amendment news and information. Cam is originally from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and has worked in radio, television, and online media for over two decades. He currently lives on a small farm with his family near Farmville, Virginia, and is a member of the board of Citizens Committee to Keep and Bear Arms.
ABOUT MARK WALTERS (in Eastern Time):
Mark Walters is a member of the board of directors for the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. As a nationally syndicated host of two talk radio programs, Armed American Radio and Armed American Radio’s Daily Defense, Mark is heard on hundreds of stations weekly across the country. Mark is the co-founder of Armed American News and the recipient of the 2015 “Gun Rights Defender of the Year award.” In addition, Mark Walters is co-author of three books, including Lessons from Armed America, Lessons from Unarmed America, and Grilling While Armed.
ABOUT LEE WILLIAMS (In Eastern Time)
Lee Williams is also known as The Gun Writer and has been writing about the Second Amendment, firearms, the firearms industry, and the gun culture for more than ten years. He is the Chief Editor of the Second Amendment Foundation’s Investigative Reporting Project and is a frequent contributor to Ammoland News and Armed American Radio. In addition, Lee serves as a board member of Florida Carry, Inc. He was also an editor for a daily newspaper in Florida. Before becoming a newspaper editor, Lee was an investigative reporter in three states and a U.S. Territory. Before becoming a journalist, he worked as a police officer. Before becoming a cop, Lee served in the Army. Lee has earned more than a dozen national journalism awards as a reporter and three medals of valor as a police officer.
ABOUT DAVE WORKMAN (In Pacific Time):
Dave Workman is an award-winning career journalist and senior editor of TheGunMag.com. He writes for Liberty Park Press, Conservative Firing Line, and is communications director for the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. He has authored Op-Ed pieces in several major newspapers, including the Chicago Tribune, Seattle Times, and Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and co-authored seven books with Second Amendment Foundation Alan Gottlieb. Workman’s beat is firearms, from politics to the outdoors. He is widely considered an authority on firearms, concealed carry, and gun politics.
The Second Amendment Foundation (www.saf.org) is the nation’s oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing, and legal action group focusing on the Constitutional right and heritage to privately own and possess firearms. Founded in 1974, The Foundation has grown to more than 700,000 members and supporters and conducts many programs designed to better inform the public about the consequences of gun control.
CONTACT: To schedule an interview, contact Jerry McGlothlin of Special Guests PR Agency at 919-437-0001 or jerry.specialguests@gmail.com
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