Thanks for your advocacy during the Maryland General Assembly session!
GVP action during Maryland's 2025 legislative session
After two state legislators spoke about their upcoming bills at a St. John's forum in early January, 15 of us joined Moms Demand Action for Advocacy Day [pictured] in Annapolis. We met with our state legislators, asking them to pass bills that would: a) protect victims of domestic violence from gunfire; and b) tax gun dealers to raise funds for addressing the cost of gun violence in our state, estimated at $10.5 billion per year. In March, many of you contacted the committees considering the bills, asking for passage.
Unfortunately, neither bill moved forward, primarily because the General Assembly was focused on balancing the state budget and responding to massive layoffs of federal workers. Nevertheless, we educated both the public and lawmakers on the need to protect domestic violence victims and continued the fight to hold the gun industry accountable through a fair tax bill that would help cover the societal costs their products inflict. Both bills will be ready for pre-filing next year, meaning we’ll hit the ground running in 2026.
Progress made, progress threatened
In 2023, the General Assembly passed a law, requiring Marylanders seeking a concealed carry permit to be 21, undergo a background check, and complete 16 hours of training, and prohibiting firearms in schools, hospitals, state parks, government buildings, and other sensitive places. Thanks to this and other strong state laws, gun violence is down in Maryland. From 2021 to 2024, homicides fell by 25% and non-fatal shootings by 12%, with even larger declines in Baltimore City.
Now, this progress is threatened by concealed-carry reciprocity bills introduced in the U.S. House and Senate. If passed, the federal law would require Maryland to recognize the weak or non-existent concealed carry laws of other states. Research demonstrates that states with "open carry" laws (i.e., no regulation of carrying firearms) have higher violent crime rates than other states, partly because unsecured guns are left in vehicles, where criminals access them.
Advocate now
Please help keep our state safe by asking your Senators and Congressperson to oppose concealed-carry reciprocity. Send messages to your legislators now via this easy form: https://act.everytown.org/sign/CCM-25/
Thank you for working to prevent gun violence, and let me know if you have any questions.
- Margaret Hilton, Convener, St. John's Gun Violence Prevention Ministry
Questions?
Complete this form to connect with parishioner Margaret Hilton.