ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland lawmakers are closing in on banning the sale of handguns that can be easily modified to shoot faster.
Both chambers have passed different versions of the legislation that need to be reconciled after Republicans tried multiple amendments to stop the bill from passing.
Maryland lawmakers want to ban handguns that can be modified to shoot faster
The legislation is being framed as a ban on Glocks, which are among the most purchased firearms in the state, though it goes beyond that specific manufacturer. The goal is to ban switches, which lawmakers say can increase the rate of fire on a semi-automatic handgun.
"This applies to any gun manufacturer that designs their guns in a way that would allow for these types of what we call Glock switches, auto sears, to be attached to the back of the gun. This bill is not targeting Glock, it applies to a number of different gun manufacturers," Delegate Nicole Williams said.
Republicans argue that making this type of gun sale illegal does not harm criminals, but rather law-abiding gun owners.
"And once we start down this slippery slope, how far do you go before you basically say, we ban anything that could potentially be converted into an illegal weapon," Delegate Jason Buckel said.
"This is about limiting accessibility to do the most harm. I think that's what we're really talking about right now," Williams said.
Senate Republicans called the legislation virtue signaling, adding that it might have backfired.
"We've gotten some very interesting data from these dealers that say that it has increased gun sales dramatically," Senator Steve Hershey said.
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