Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. form letter to constituent, March 2, 1992

Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. TENTH LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT BALTIMORE COUNTY JUDICIARY COMMITTEE GOVERNOR'S COUNCIL ON CHILD ABUSE MARYLAND JUVENILE JUSTICE ADVISORY COUNCIL M House of Delegates Annapolis , Maryland 21401-1991 March 2, 1992 Dear Constituent: Thank you for your letter or phone call concerning the Governor's latest gun control initiatives. I apologize for responding with a "form letter" but the volume of letters and calls received necessitates that I respond in this manner. This year, as in prior years, I have opposed the Administration's gun control bills for many of the same reasons cited in your letters. Simply put, these bills affect only those law abiding citizens who already own a semi-automatic weapon - not the criminals whose misuse of firearms gives impetus to the gun control movement. As many of you know, Maryland already has statutes in place to deal with the misuse of assault weapons, including mandatory penalties for commission of a controlled dangerous substance offense with an assault weapon. Moreover, purchase of these weapons is governed by the seven day waiting period. In my view, further regulation of law abiding citizens (as represented by HB 481) will most likely be met with the same degree of civil disobedience seen when similar bills were passed in New Jersey and California. Simply put, I do not believe respect for the law is strengthened by criminalizing the deeds of law abiding people. I would like to tell you that "the end is in sight" concerning the Administration's annual effort to pass ineffective gun control bills. Alas, I hold little hope that we have seen the last of this familiar refrain. I can only hope our next Governor will focus his efforts on the root cause (s) of violent crime, rather than concentrate on passing ineffective bills that allow some groups in our society to feel better about themselves. Until we reach that point, however, I promise to continue sponsoring and supporting laws that (1) punish those who misuse