Cecil GOP Opposes Senate Bill 1 - Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 23, 2023
Cecil GOP Opposes Senate Bill 1
Elkton, MD - Maryland Senate Democrats are seeking to put the final nail in the coffin of Maryland citizens’ Second Amendment rights. The vehicle for this latest attempt is Senate Bill 1 (SB-1). Prefiled by Senators Waldstreicher and Lee on August 16th, 2022, SB-1 is currently sitting in the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee. If passed into law, the bill will make it virtually impossible for a law-abiding citizen to carry a firearm in Maryland even with a permit.
The Second Amendment rights of Maryland citizens are already significantly infringed upon by existing law. Annapolis has long treated the right to bear arms as a government-granted privilege rather than a God-given right. Maryland citizens must undergo a background investigation, extensive training, and obtain approval from the Maryland State Police simply to carry a firearm. Under this new legislation, even the “privilege” would be taken away. SB-1 would make it illegal to wear, carry, or transport a firearm onto the real property of another unless given express permission. It would also be illegal to wear, carry, or transport a firearm within 100 feet of a public accommodation. Since this legislation defines everything but one’s personal residence (and possibly vehicle) as a public accommodation, the end result is the inability to carry a gun in Maryland even with a permit.
The Cecil County Republican Central Committee condemns and denounces this legislation in the strongest possible terms. It amounts to a complete elimination in the state of Maryland of those rights afforded to us by the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. It reveals that our Democratic opponents, far from effectively addressing societal ills, seek nothing less than the disarmament of a free citizenry, rendering us defenseless against the rise in violence enabled by their own policies which favor criminals at the expense of the law-abiding. It is, in short, anarcho-tyranny.
We therefore urge the citizens of Cecil County to contact the members of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee and tell them to kill this bill in committee. Bear in mind, when sitting on a committee, the members represent you and are your voice in the General Assembly regardless of which district elected them. It is imperative that we stand up and protect our right to bear arms legally and peacefully, lest it be completely taken from us. The U.S. Supreme Court favors a robust interpretation of the rights afforded by the Second Amendment. Annapolis has forgotten that. Remind them.
