ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- When the Maryland General Assembly starts on Wednesday, a gun bill that didn't pass last year's session will be one of the top priorities for gun-control advocates in the new session.

House Bill 4 would close a dangerous gap in state law that allows Marylanders to privately sell shotguns and rifles, also known as "long guns," without a background check.

According to Bridget McCullough, Maryland state campaign lead with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, the loophole makes it easy for people convicted of violent crimes, who can't legally own guns, to get their hands on a shotgun.

"Right now, we have background checks on every other type of gun or from a licensed dealer," McCullough said. "And so to ensure that Marylanders stay safe, these background checks are the most effective way to keep guns out of the hands of those who are legally prohibited from having them."

Opponents of the bill, including hunters, say long guns are rarely used in homicides and enforcing restrictions on them makes it more difficult for law-abiding gun owners to possess and transfer their private property.

McCullough said Maryland is known for having some of the toughest gun-control laws in the United States and argued the state needs to adopt new measures to remain a leader on the issue.

Despite this, gun lobbyists fought hard against the long-gun bill when it was proposed last year. The original bill had more restrictions on shotgun and rifle purchases, including fingerprinting, and it caused heated debates during the General Assembly.

"It would have required some training and a fingerprinting and a licensing piece too, which would be similar to the handgun qualification license that's currently required," McCullough said.

She said she thinks the stripped-down version of the bill, which just requires background checks, stands a better chance of passing. Giffords Law Center has ranked Maryland fourth in the nation for strong gun laws, behind California, New Jersey and Connecticut.


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As the Pennsylvania House reconvenes this week, lawmakers will focus on regulating 3D-printed ghost guns.

These untraceable firearms, like the one allegedly used in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, complicate criminal investigations.

For the third time, state Rep. Melissa Shusterman said she plans to introduce legislation aimed at classifying 3D-printed firearms as standard firearms under Pennsylvania's laws and regulations, and require 3D printer owners to be licensed as manufacturers.

The Chester Democrat said she's already circulated a memo to colleagues, and said she's hopeful action will be taken for the bill.

"We are waiting to get any additional feedback," said Shusterman. "With every two years, my legislation needs to be tweaked and updated, to hone in on exactly how to create a piece of legislation that'd work for our manufacturers, work for our law enforcement, works within the law."

Pennsylvania State Police data reveal a doubling of ghost gun seizures by law enforcement in 2023 compared to 2022.

Shusterman added that a bill to ban ghost-gun kits passed the House last session with bipartisan support, but stalled in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Adam Garber, executive director of CeaseFirePA, said his group helped craft the bipartisan ghost-gun bill passed by the Pennsylvania House.

He warned that these firearms, easily assembled from online parts without background checks, have been seen in the state in the last few years.

"A lot of the violence we saw rising in cities like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and Harrisburg and York, was being driven by ghost guns," said Garber. "Police were recovering them at a higher rate - again, because they escape our gun safety laws."

Garber added that the Biden administration announced a new federal rule to require 3D-printed guns be treated like any other gun and require background checks.

He added that there is now concern that a future administration could reverse this, making them a preferred weapon for violent crime once again.



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CORRECTION: The next stop for the exhibit is the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, not the Detroit Institute of Arts. (1:30 p.m. MDT, Jan. 6, 2025)

A gun violence memorial now on view in Boston aims to reveal the personal lives behind the statistics.

The exhibit was designed in 2019 and includes four small houses, each built with 700 glass bricks to symbolize the average number of people killed weekly by guns in America. The statistic climbed to more than 800 people per week in 2024.

Maggie Stern, project manager for the architecture firm MASS Design Group, said each brick contains something personal from the victims.

"You might encounter baby shoes, graduation tassels, a basketball," Stern outlined. "Things that family members have donated that really speak to who the loved one was that they lost."

The Gun Violence Memorial Project remains on view through Jan. 20 at three locations in Boston, including City Hall, the Institute of Contemporary Art and the MASS Design Group gallery.

Stern emphasized the goal of the memorial was to show the enormity of the gun-violence epidemic while honoring the individual lives taken. More than half of U.S. adults now say they or a family member has experienced some form of gun violence. She hopes people use the memorial and the personal items it contains to reflect on the loss but also feel inspired to take action.

"We hope that where the memorial travels and how the memorial grows, its impact will really be driven by the communities who are leading the charge to end the gun-violence epidemic," Stern stressed.

Stern noted the memorial will travel this spring to the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit. She added designers and the community groups they work with continue to collect personal objects of loved ones to add to the exhibit with the hope of finding a permanent home for the memorial in Washington, D.C.

As the new year begins, state lawmakers and officials will continue to grapple with how to prevent school shootings, like the one just two weeks ago in Madison.

While Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul has called for a "holistic approach" to prevent such incidents, gun violence prevention advocates said prevention starts with stronger gun laws.

Lindsay Nicols, policy director at the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, said the state could require universal background checks for gun purchases or raise the age for gun possession.

"We know that some of these shooters are young people themselves, and there are plenty of policies, for example, to keep guns out of the hands of youth," Nicols pointed out. "These are laws that some states have passed and some haven't, so we need action from our lawmakers to prevent, and protect our kids."

She noted other options are to pass a "red flag" law, or strengthen legislation on firearms storage. Giffords ranks states on a scorecard for their gun laws every year. Wisconsin most recently received a "C" grade.

Giffords' yearly analysis also compares states' gun laws with their fatal outcomes. Nicols emphasized time and again, they have found the stronger a state's gun laws, the lower its gun death rate, and the weaker the laws, the higher the gun death rate.

"We know that these gun laws work," Nicols contended. "There really is no reason why legislators shouldn't be taking action to prevent these tragedies."

While Wisconsin has enacted basic gun safety laws, she argued the state could also pass bans on assault weapons or high-capacity magazines or lengthen the waiting period for a firearms purchase. Despite public pressure for new gun safety laws in 2020, Wisconsin has not passed any significant gun legislation in years. Democrats have tried unsuccessfully to introduce at least 30 gun safety measures since 2019.


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