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Maryland gun dealers have sold more firearms in the first nine months of this year than in all of 2011 and 2012 combined, the state police said Wednesday.
Buyers have applied to purchase 117,009 guns this year as lawmakers debated and enacted some of the toughest new gun laws in the country. More than 15,000 gun purchase applications were sent to the state police in the 10 days before Maryland's ban on assault rifle sales and a new handgun licensing requirement took effect Tuesday.
"Maryland is armed to the teeth," said Del. Luiz Simmons, a Montgomery County Democrat who voted for the law but argued that the assault rifle ban was not strong enough. "We caused this rush, this stampede really, to purchase guns."
Buyers have applied to purchase 117,009 guns this year as lawmakers debated and enacted some of the toughest new gun laws in the country. More than 15,000 gun purchase applications were sent to the state police in the 10 days before Maryland's ban on assault rifle sales and a new handgun licensing requirement took effect Tuesday.
"Maryland is armed to the teeth," said Del. Luiz Simmons, a Montgomery County Democrat who voted for the law but argued that the assault rifle ban was not strong enough. "We caused this rush, this stampede really, to purchase guns."
More than 4,300 gun purchase applications were filed on Saturday and Sunday alone, doubling an already unprecedented rate of 1,000 purchases per day earlier in the month.
Western Maryland Del. Kevin Kelly, a Democrat, voted against the measure and helped convince his colleagues to let people with orders for assault rifles pick them up after the ban took effect. Kelly said Wednesday he was surprised gun sales for the year weren't even higher.
"Anyone who could not have foreseen that is nothing short of a lunatic," Kelly said. "Only a moron would have not foreseen that. … Do I think it's less safe because there are 117,000 more guns out there? Absolutely not. You could make the argument that it's more safe."
More than half the state's dealers have turned over firearms to buyers without waiting for background checks — which can take months — to be completed, police have said. By law, dealers are required to wait only seven days.
A constitutional challenge to the assault rifle ban is still pending in court, though a federal judge declined Tuesday to issue a temporary restraining order to block the law from taking effect.
"Anyone who could not have foreseen that is nothing short of a lunatic," Kelly said. "Only a moron would have not foreseen that. … Do I think it's less safe because there are 117,000 more guns out there? Absolutely not. You could make the argument that it's more safe."
More than half the state's dealers have turned over firearms to buyers without waiting for background checks — which can take months — to be completed, police have said. By law, dealers are required to wait only seven days.
A constitutional challenge to the assault rifle ban is still pending in court, though a federal judge declined Tuesday to issue a temporary restraining order to block the law from taking effect.
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