County Council takes up gun safety measure

By Ashley de Sampaio Ferraz and Khadean Coombs,br>Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writers

Members of the public voiced their concerns about the proposed SAFE Act to the Baltimore County’s Council on Monday.

The SAFE Act, or the Secure All Firearms Effectively Act, is a bill that would “require firearm retail establishments in Baltimore County to install responsible security measures to protect their inventory from potential burglaries,” according to the county’s website.

The bill was formally introduced during the council’s legislative session on Monday evening. During the meeting, five members of the public came forward to express their opinions and share why they either support or oppose the bill.

County resident Jerome Payne, who opposed the bill, said that he believes the legislation would make it difficult or impossible for Baltimore County residents to legally purchase guns.

“This legislation is a backdoor attempt at denying access for people to access their Second Amendment right,” Payne said.

Payne believes the SAFE Act will force gun shops to relocate outside of Baltimore County, as they will not be able to meet the regulations set by the new bill. He said this will lead to low income residents not being able to purchase firearms, as they may not have a means of private transportation to travel outside of the county.

“I believe the [bill] actually discriminates against people who are living on fixed incomes,” Payne said.

James Gross, a member of the public who also opposed the bill, said that he too believes the SAFE Act goes against the public’s Second Amendment rights. He said the county has no power over laws controlling firearms, and that it is an issue best left up to the state of Maryland to decide.

“The state tells you what you can do with firearms regulations,” Gross said. “You can’t sit back as a county and decide to further infringe upon the Second Amendment rights of your citizens on a county level. If the state wants to take it up, we’ll be glad to battle on the state level at that time.”

Those in opposition of the bill were not the only ones to voice their position on the issue. Mira Applebee, a member of Moms Demand Action, a grassroots movement committed to preventing gun violence, said that she believes the SAFE Act will help save lives in Baltimore County.

“Gun safety is one of the pillars that we strongly believe in,” Applebee said. “If the shop is closed, it makes sense to secure the weapons. Anything to save lives is very, very important.”

In response to the citizens’ concerns, County Councilman Julian Jones, D-District 4, explained why the SAFE Act was originally created.

“I think the issue is these ‘smash and grabs,’ where people back a stolen car into the gun shop and in less than a minute, they’re off with 20, 30, 40 guns,” Jones said. “These guns ended up on the street, harming people all across this nation. I think that’s the target of what we’re trying to do. No one’s trying to put gun shops out of business.”

Jones also clarified what the purpose of the SAFE Act will be.

“Right now, as I understand it, there are no standards,” Jones said. “So, one person may put his guns in a safe, another person may just put a lock on the door and walk away. People will be able to say, ‘I can’t afford to do that, but I can do this,’ and we will take all of that into consideration. But no one wants to put anybody out of business.”

The council will hold a vote on the bill at a future legislative session, following a work session where the public will again have an opportunity to speak on the issue. At least four of the seven council members must vote for the SAFE Act for it to become a law.