ANNAPOLIS, Md – Today, leadership of the Joint Republican Caucus implored their Democratic colleagues to take action on legislation to address Maryland’s out-of-control violent crime crisis. With just four days to go in the 2023 Session, the time to act is now.
Senate and House Republicans have introduced several pieces of commonsense legislation to address violent crime that have not even been give the courtesy of a committee vote:
SB 564 Criminal Law – Theft of a Handgun
HB 750 – Gun Felony Act of 2023
SB 744 – The Violent Firearms Offenders Act
HB 753 – Juvenile Gun Offenses Accountability Act of 2023
“For several years, violent crime has been the primary concern of Marylanders, and year after year, the General Assembly has done nothing to hold repeat, violent offenders accountable,” said Senate Minority Leader Steve Hershey. “Meanwhile, violent crime continues to spread across the state. Criminals recognize that there are no consequences to their action. Only in the Maryland General Assembly are the criminals considered the victims.”
It is not just Republican crime bills that have stalled in the General Assembly. A bill requested by Baltimore City States Attorney Ivan Bates has not been acted upon.
“The word ‘justice’ has been brought up in nearly every debate we have seen this year,” said House Minority Whip Jesse Pippy. “We have people living in communities where they fear for their lives. We have children getting shot and killed outside of their schools. Where is the justice in that? Where is the justice for the victims of crime?”
“The Maryland General Assembly suffers from an extreme case of misplaced priorities,” said Senate Minority Whip Justin Ready. “Democratic leadership is completely unwilling to move bills to address violent crime but can pass high-cost legislation to keep birds from flying into buildings. It is unacceptable to value the lives of birds over the lives of people living in violent communities.”
“Violent crime is plaguing our state and there is no valid reason to leave it unaddressed,” said House Minority Leader Jason Buckel. “We need to make sure we get good-faith action on meaningful crime legislation in these last days of Session. Waiting until the last minute to move something with no chance of making it through both chambers is not enough. The people of Maryland want and deserve more.”