I watched the circus in Annapolis yesterday as the Joint Committee voted to send SB281 with amendments to the full house for a vote next week.
I listened to an exchange between legislators regarding the bill's requirement to limit magazine capacity to 10 rounds. The argument in favor was that the shooter in Phoenix that shot Congressman Giffords had to stop and reload which caused him to be tackled and stopped and that was why she was in favor of limiting capacity. She explained that she wanted the bad guys to have to stop and reload.
Another legislator responded that the VA tech shooter had 10 magazines and stopped to reload many times and that the only reason he was able to kill 32 people was due to the fact everyone on the campus was disarmed (crowd applauded), and that the only thing that stopped a bad guy with a gun was a good guy with a gun (more crowd applaud).
Lastly, another legislator added that making criminals stop to reload makes no sense because when a law abiding citizen such as his Wife is defending themselves from attack, she will also have to stop and reload when the attacker will not likely have limited themselves to a 10 round magazine. They then voted and the 10 round limit stayed in the bill. That was when 12 people stood up shouted something and walked out.
It was pretty much like that the entire time. At the same time this fiasco was taking place. the MD Senate passed another gasoline tax increase bill that raises the price of a gallon of gas about 4 cents per gallon starting 1 July with set increases taking place periodically. It will now be sent to Governor O'Malley for signature. I have always heard MD was a crazy place to live, now I know it. This will inevitably wind up in the supreme court which will take years.
Here is how they each voted to approve the bill w/amendments and send it to the full House for vote next week:
