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Firearm Policy Proposals in Maryland, 2013 Jon S. Vernick, JD, MPH Associate Professor Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Co-Director Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research
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Suicide: 19,392 Unintentional: 606 Homicide: 11,078 Distribution of Firearm-related Deaths in the United States, 2010 Total Firearm Deaths = 31,672
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Non-Fatal Firearm Injuries About 2.3 non-fatal firearm injuries for every fatality An estimated 73,505 in 2010 (requiring at least ED treatment) Source: CDC, WISQARS
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Firearm Homicides by Type of Gun, 2010 Total Firearm Homicides for which Type of Gun is Known = 6,836 Handgun: 88% Rifle: 5% Shotgun: 5%Other guns: 2%
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Maryland Gun Deaths 538 deaths by gunshot in 2010 (NCHS) 312 homicides and 222 suicides Age-adjusted death rate (9.26/100,000) is 17 th lowest among 50 states in 2010
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Banning Assault Weapons An assault weapon is a civilian version of a military-style weapon Maryland currently bans assault “pistols” but not other types of assault weapons: i.e., rifles and shotguns Federal assault weapons ban allowed to expire in 2004.
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Evaluation of 1994 Federal AWB AW rarely used in crime prior to ban (1-8% of all crime guns) Decrease in use of AW in crime post-ban Non-significant 6.7% reduction in homicides associated with the law Copy-cat weapons readily available (Koper and Roth, NIJ Research-in-Brief 1999)
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Banning Large Capacity Ammunition Magazines Federal law outlawing future purchase or possession of LCMs >10 rounds allowed to expire in 2004. Current law in Maryland bans >20 round magazines. Proposal would reduce limit to > 10 rounds. LCMs applicable to many more types of shootings than assault weapons.
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Permit-to-Purchase Licensing of Gun Owners States with both licensing and registration have a smaller proportion of crime guns coming from in-state (Webster & Vernick, Injury Prevention 2001) States with licensing laws have much less gun trafficking both within-state and to other states Maryland does not currently license owners Governor’s proposal would add licensing
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Child Access Prevention Laws Maryland has a CAP Law. Penalty is currently a misdemeanor (max $1,000 fine). Bill would enhance penalty to a felony (max 3 years or $5,000 fine) Good research evidence that CAP laws reduce unintentional deaths among children and teen suicides. Evidence that stricter penalties help.
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Mental Health and Guns Federal law prohibits those “adjudicated as a mental defective” or committed to a mental institution from owning guns. Information often missing from background check databases. Most persons with mental illness are not dangerous.
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Mental Health and Guns, cont. MD law currently: 30 consecutive days in a medical institution for mental disorder Governor’s bill would add additional categories, including: not criminally responsible; incompetent to stand trial; involuntary admissions; guardianships A controversial area: need to balance public safety with desire to minimize stigma and not discourage care seeking
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Reporting Lost and Stolen Guns Theory is that requiring gun owners to report lost/stolen guns enhances accountability. Maryland currently has no such law. Bill would mandate reporting within 72 hours of discovery. States with theft/loss reporting have 30% lower rates of gun trafficking.
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Conclusion Many evidence-based policies proposed Center for Gun Policy and Research providing data, testimony, interviews. Also working at the federal level: universal background checks, etc.
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