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> Glendening Outlines Gun-Control Agenda Built-In Locks, Innovative Technology Part of Governor’s
> Legislative Package
>
> By Matthew Mosk
> Washington Post Staff Writer
> Tuesday, November 30, 1999; Page B02
>
> Gov. Parris N. Glendening announced yesterday that he has settled on a
> road map for gun-safety legislation that would make Maryland the first
> state in the nation to require integrated locks on all new handguns.
>
> Glendening’s proposal, which will become a major component of his
> legislative agenda for next year’s General Assembly session, adopted all 12
> recommendations from the task force he convened to help make handguns
> child-proof.
>
> In addition to requiring that locking devices be built into new handguns sold
> after Jan. 1, 2002, the plan would mandate that weapons sold after Jan. 1,
> 2003, incorporate “smart gun” technology. So-called smart gun
> innovations, many still under development by gun manufacturers, would
> enable a gun to be programmed so that only its owner and other specificed
> users could fire it.
>
> Manufacturers of the integrated locks say requiring their use would add
> $30 to $90 to the price of a handgun, depending on the make of gun and
> the type of locking device used.
>
> Glendening (D) called the plan “aggressive, specific and realistic.”
>
> “This legislation will save our families, communities and police officers from
> more handgun deaths and violence in the future,” he said yesterday in a
> prepared statement.
>
> Given the strong emotions and aggressive lobbying that have surrounded
> gun-control initiatives in Maryland and elsewhere, some legislators are
> predicting a tough battle over the Glendening plan when the legislature
> convenes in January.
>
> In a public hearing before the task force in September, gunmakers
> expressed concern about the feasibility of integrating smart gun innovations
> into their products within three years. The concerns prompted a revision so
> the plan now would require the technology only if it is “commercially
> available.”
>
> Del. Thomas E. Hutchins (R-Charles County), a retired police officer who
> sat on the task force, said “the whole package, together, will be a tough
> sell. There are still concerns about pushing this technology on people
> before it’s ready.”
>
> State Police Superintendent David B. Mitchell, who headed the governor’s
> task force, said the plan includes the option of offering financial incentives
> to companies that speed up development of the technology. He said the
> plan offered “a potential bonanza” to companies that perfect a smart gun in
> time for the 2003 deadline.
>
> Mitchell also called attention to a feature of the governor’s plan that
> requires all guns be “fingerprinted” before sale. Every time a gun is fired it
> leaves signature grooves on the bullet and casing that are as unique as a
> fingerprint. Requiring shop owners to send in a test-fired casing for each
> gun immediately before sale would enable the police to compile a database
> with entries for every new gun sold.
>
> “This way, even if a detective doesn’t recover the gun used in a crime, he
> could use the fingerprint on the bullet casing that could very well lead him
> to the shooter,” Mitchell said.
>
> Mitchell said that supporters of the proposal “aren’t naive enough to
> believe that it will stop crime in its tracks,” but that they are confident it can
> make a dent.
>
> In Virginia, legislators have avoided such aggressive gun-safety measures in
> favor of legislation that increases penalties for felons caught using handguns
> and people using weapons on school grounds.
>
> But members of the Maryland task force said they hope their restrictions
> not only cut crime but also reduce the number of suicides and accidental
> deaths involving young children and teenagers. “It is easier for a child to fire
> a handgun than open a bottle of aspirin,” said Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen
> Kennedy Townsend (D). The plan recommended by the governor’s task
> force takes “a significant step toward helping to stop preventable handgun
> deaths.”