Supporters and opponents of a ghost gun ban in Maryland lined up on Zoom Wednesday to make their voices heard during a Judiciary Committee hearing on the legislation.
Lawmakers in Annapolis are considering a bill that would ban the sale, purchase and transfer of unfinished frames and receivers by June 1, 2022. Starting Jan. 1, 2023, possession of ghost guns would be banned outright.
Lisa Lowman, a mother from Glen Arm, said her daughter was threatened by a high school classmate with a gun a few years ago. With the proliferation of these unregistered guns that can be assembled at home from parts bought online, Lowman is worried it’s becoming even easier for teenagers to access weapons.
“Children look to us, the adults in their lives, to take care of them,” Lowman told lawmakers. “We call on you, our elected officials here in Maryland, to protect us and our families. Do the right thing.”
Prosecutors said last month’s shooting at Magruder High School in Rockville involved a 9 mm firearm a student built at home and then used to shoot and wound a classmate.
Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy said after the shooting that at least five ghost guns had been found at Montgomery County schools since the start of the academic year.
The weapons, which have no traceable serial numbers, are also a growing problem in Prince George’s County and Baltimore, according to law enforcement officials.
But opponents of the ban said it would turn otherwise law-abiding hobbyists into criminals without penalizing those who use those weapons to commit crimes.
“It’s not about the criminal; it’s about trying to bludgeon the firearm owners of Maryland,” Thomas Kasuba said.
Kasuba, who is from Ocean City, said gun-making has been a tradition in his family going back generations.
Others said that the bill also makes it too difficult to legally register homemade weapons and needs to be reworked.
Lawmakers and gun-control advocates have been pushing for legislation to curb ghost guns for the past five years.
You can watch the hearing here.
