Maryland Lawmakers Back Gun-Lock Measure

The Maryland state Senate gave preliminary approval Friday to a proposal that would make Maryland the first state in the nation to require that all new handguns be sold with built-in locks.

Beginning in 2003, all new handguns sold in Maryland would have to have built-in mechanical locks that opened by combination or with a key. Until then, Maryland would join four other states in mandating that new pistols and revolvers be sold with separate trigger locks.

However, the legislation does not require Maryland gun dealers to sell personalized, smart guns that allow only authorized users to fire them. Gov. Parris Glendening had made that a centerpiece of his gun control package this year but was unable to gain enough support in the Senate.

The Senate will take a final vote Monday on the weakened version of Glendening’s proposal. The compromise package was brokered just 30 minutes before the start of Friday’s Senate session to avert a filibuster. Both sides predict it will pass.

But the bill still faces consideration in the House of Delegates, where some members want to develop their own proposal and not simply accept the Senate’s compromise version. Speaker Casper R. Taylor Jr., a Democrat, said he wants to take up the Senate version of the legislation.

No matter what version the House considers, opponents led by the National Rifle Assn. have promised a vigorous fight.

Glendening said the Senate proposal “will ensure that Maryland becomes the national leader in gun safety and responsible gun ownership.” Though it fell short of mandating personalized guns, he said, “it’s a very strong bill, 90% of what we wanted. It will save lives.”

The Senate’s approval came a week after Smith & Wesson negotiated a deal with the federal government in which it agreed to begin selling all its new handguns with built-in locks within two years and to have personalized guns for sale in three years.

The Maryland legislation would require the state Handgun Roster Board to review personalized gun technology annually, but it would not mandate the technology any time in the future, placating critics who say the technology is not yet feasible.

The proposal would add a mandatory sentence of five years for the illegal possession of a firearm by someone convicted of a violent crime or drug offense. It also would prohibit someone convicted of a violent crime as a juvenile from possessing a handgun until turning 30 years old.

Gun manufacturers or dealers would be required to provide shell casings from new handguns to the state police to help identify the weapons if they should later be used in a crime. And most persons seeking to buy a handgun would have to undergo two hours of safety training. Exceptions to this would be law enforcement officers, active, honorably discharged or retired military personnel or those who already have a concealed-weapon permit.

The integrated gun locks actually will be less safe because “people will get a false sense of security,” said J. Edward Kiser Jr., of the Maryland State Rifle and Pistol Assn. Gun control opponents say many owners would leave guns unlocked, defeating the purpose of having the locks.

NRA lobbyist Greg Costa, whose organization has launched a phone campaign to urge members to call their legislators, said the built-in locks are untested.

“It’s a de facto gun ban. This type of lock is very dangerous,” he said.