O’Malley’s plan for guns, schools and mental health
O’Malley’s plan is as follows:
1.) Gun safety: We should ban military-style assault weapons, limit large ammunition capacity, and require licenses for handgun purchases. We respect the rights of hunters and sportsmen and that’s why our licensing requirements will not apply to shotguns or rifles.
2.) School safety: We will invest in security upgrades for schools, including cameras at entrances, automatically locking doors, shatterproof glass and buzzer entrance systems. We will also establish a “Maryland Center for School Safety,” which will amplify our efforts by gathering meaningful data and serving as a central hub for collaboration between our federal, state and local law enforcement partners.
3.) Mental heath: We will improve data sharing practices between federal and state officials. In addition, we will invest more to improve mental health services so we can intervene early and reduce the potential for violent behavior. We’ll expand crisis intervention teams, expand response services and establish a center for excellence on early intervention for serious mental illness. This is a complex problem and we need a comprehensive approach. I look forward to hearing from you in the days ahead as we work to build a stronger, safer Maryland.
Million Mom Gun Control March
Meanwhile, the group of Washington D.C. area citizen activities known as A Million Moms for Gun Control has organized a March in Washington.
The March is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 26 from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and will start at
Union Square on 3rd St. NW across from the Indian Museum, and proceed west on Pennsylvania Avenue to Constitution Avenue, concluding with speeches and performances at the Washington Monument.
Following the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, the March is to support these legislative changes:
• Reinstate the assault weapons ban
• Ban high-capacity ammunition magazines
• Enforce a 28-day waiting period and required background checks
• Require gun-safety training Outlaw bullets that shatter in the body
For details visit the March on Washington for Gun Control Facebook page.
