On October 1, 2018, Maryland enacted one of the loosest red flag gun laws in the country. Since then, 788 petitions have been filed to remove property from law abiding citizens who “may” be high risks of committing violence to themselves or others with a firearm. Around half have been granted.
Baltimore, one of the most dangerous cities in the country, accounts for around 10% of the entire state’s population. As a result, it’s seen as the litmus test for tough anti-crime legislation (or in the case of red flag gun laws, tough anti-citizen legislation) enacted by the state. It’s also the one that has the most prominent data to the point that homicide numbers have to be updated daily.
This year, Baltimore is on pace to eclipse its firearm homicide rate of 2018. According to the Baltimore Sun’s homicide tracker, there have been 193 homicides by shooting, pacing for 309 for the year. Last year, without the red flag gun law in place for the first nine months, Baltimore’s total homicides by shooting was 274.
Baltimore is pacing for a 13% increase in gun-related homicides since the red flag gun law went into effect.
Following the mass shootings two weeks ago in El Paso and Dayton, emotions have been high. Even many 2nd-Amendment-defending Republican lawmakers are starting to bend in favor of embracing red flag gun laws. They’re an ideal choice for trying to look like they’re fixing the mass shooting problem, but despite 17 states enacting the law since 2012, there have been zero examples of a potential mass shooter who was stopped.
One would think we’d hear reports of police issuing an Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) and finding somebody with a cache of weapons or a notebook with detailed plans for carrying out domestic terrorism. We haven’t. Instead, we hear about Gary J. Willis who died because he may have committed a crime sometime in the future. Oddly enough, this was heralded by local politicians as an example of a red flag gun law victory.
There are better solutions. As our EIC noted, we need to loosen gun laws, not make them stricter. He also noted there are ways to mitigate mass shootings without gun control.
Emotions following a mass shooting prompted Maryland’s red flag gun law. Now hundreds of law abiding citizens have had their property confiscated, but gun violence has actually increased. Let’s rethink this before moving forward with more.
We are currently forming the American Conservative Movement. If you are interested in learning more, we will be sending out information in a few weeks.
[gravityform id=”2″ title=”true” description=”false”]
We Often Feel Like David Taking on Giants
Today’s Goliath is the Mainstream Media Industrial Complex that brainwashes the masses.
Our mission is very straightforward: To counter the false narratives and nefarious agendas destroying America today. It isn’t easy for obvious reasons; despite incredible growth over the last year we are still a very tiny fish in a huge media pond. But we’re fighting and we will continue to do so, Lord willing, for as long as we possibly can. The battle for America’s present and future is too important for us to back down to the giants that stand in our way.
We need help. I don’t want to say “desperately,” but the need is definitely great. If you have the means, please donate through our GivingFuel page, PayPal, or our brand new GiveSendGo page. Your generosity is what keeps these sites running and allows us to get the truth to the masses. We’ve had great success in growing but we know we can do more with your assistance.
Thank you, and God Bless!
JD Rucker
