David Hill
The Washington Times ^[1]
February 6, 2013

Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley ^[2] will urge state lawmakers on Wednesday to pass legislation requiring residents to obtain a license before purchasing a handgun, but Second Amendment advocates hope to drown out his message.

Mr. O’Malley ^[2], a Democrat, will testify before the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee ^[3] in favor of his bill, which would also ban assault weapons, limit magazine capacities to 10 rounds and require prospective gun buyers to complete a safety course and pay a $100 application fee.

However, gun-rights advocates will descend upon Annapolis to rally against a bill that they say tramples on gun owners’ rights and won’t stop criminals who carry illegal guns.

“The overriding problem with the governor’s bill is that it does little to address the bad guys with the guns,” said Delegate Michael D. Smigiel Sr. ^[4], Cecil Republican, who said rally organizers are expecting 1,000 to 3,000 people. “It deals with ways of curtailing law-abiding citizens from being able to exercise their full Second Amendment rights.”

Full story here. ^[1]