Feature Article: Legislative Victory Honors Victims with Action

Don't miss the 10:00 am forum on St. John's Wear Orange Sunday (May 31), when we honor the victims and survivors of gun violence and hear from two special guests: 

• Ms. Rosemary Lytle, a survivor of gun violence, will share the story of losing her father in a robbery gone wrong when he was only 46. This personal tragedy, along with her experience as a reporter in Colorado where she interviewed survivors of the Columbine school shooting, inspired a career in social justice. While leading a chapter of the NAACP, she wrote this letter opposing the death penalty.
• Maryland State Senator Sara Love (District 16) will share her recent legislative victory: passing a bill (SB 334) that bans convertible pistols in Maryland. Criminals can easily install a tiny, inexpensive switch on a convertible pistol, converting it to a fully automatic machine gun that shoots a spray of bullets with a single pull of the trigger. These guns have been used to kill, injure, and intimidate people in Baltimore, Prince George's County, and Montgomery County.
  
  In 2023, Baltimore police recovered over 65 converted machine guns from crime scenes, nearly twice as many as they had recovered the previous year. Senator Love's new bill (which Governor Moore is expected to sign into law on May 26) builds on a lawsuit against Glock brought by the State of Maryland and City of Baltimore in 2025. Check out this video to see the rapid machine gun fire:  https://youtu.be/GGp9KJ_tNm8?si=7UEMHOm6cgan25f2

There will be time for Q&A after the two short talks. Please join us this Sunday, May 31, at 10:00 am in the Parish Hall or on Zoom (link: bit.ly/STJNmain).

► This forum is open to the community! Please share this flyer with your friends and networks.

- Margaret Hilton, convener of St. John's Gun Violence Prevention Ministry

About St. John's Gun Violence Prevention (GVP) Ministry

The St. John's GVP Ministry monitors—and educates the parish about—national developments in gun violence and related federal policies. We focus primarily, however, on the state and local level, where we can have the greatest impact. We partner with Maryland Moms Demand Action and Marylanders to Prevent Gun Violence to identify key GVP bills being considered during the legislative session and advocate for passage of these bills. Over the past five years, several strong bills have passed and annual gun deaths in Maryland have declined.

For more information and to join the GVP Ministry, use the form below to contact Margaret Hilton.