GUN laws change ( biometric finger print ) the new way
Gun Sales Soar Ahead Of New Firearms Law
A new state law will require handgun buyers to be fingerprinted and ban 45 types of assault weapons being sold.
45 types of assault weapons will no longer be available
Residents in Maryland have been buying guns in record numbers before a new law comes in on Tuesday aimed at keeping firearms away from criminals and the mentally ill.
Opponents say the legislation will make it harder for citizens to exercise the Second Amendment, which guarantees an individual’s right to gun ownership.
The law will require handgun buyers to be fingerprinted, making Maryland the sixth state to do so after Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York.
It will also stop someone who has been involuntarily committed to a mental health facility owning a firearm.
Some 45 types of assault weapons will be banned, although people who already own them will be able to keep them, which has led to a huge increase in sales before Tuesday’s deadline.
Maryland State Police have received 106,772 gun purchase applications so far this year, compared with 70,099 applications last year – the previous annual record.
“There’s never been this kind of increase,” said state police spokesman Greg Shipley. He said people have been applying for guns at the rate of about 1,000 a day over the past two weeks.
Frank Loane, owner of Pasadena Pawn and Gun in Pasadena, said it has been his best year for firearm sales in the seven years he has run the store.
“Everybody’s trying to get in to either get an assault rifle or a handgun that they’ve always wanted, and they know the deadline is coming,” he said.