Maryland Beats the NRA

Over the objections of the National Rifle Assn., the State of Maryland has established a commission to determine which guns may be manufactured and sold legally within the state. It is a welcome and constructive step to controlling the murderous “Saturday Night Specials” and other small arms for which there is no legitimate justification.

The dogged opposition of the National Rifle Assn., even when the legislation was revised to limit its impact, was a measure of how stubborn the organization is. We cannot imagine how the manufacture, sale and possession of these cheap weapons, useful only to criminals, can be championed by such an organization.

Only the District of Columbia, which bans handgun sales outright, has tougher legislation, and it was the appeals of district officials that encouraged neighboring Maryland to take action.Four other states, Illinois, Minnesota, Hawaii and South Carolina, have adopted legislation to restrict handguns.

Under the Maryland law, a commission headed by the state police commissioner will draw up a list of guns that may be manufactured and sold in the state. The manufacture and sale of weapons not approved by the commission will bring penalties of up to $10,000. Under the law, the commission is instructed to prohibit cheap and poorly constructed handguns--the so-called Saturday Night Specials, as well as guns made of plastic or ceramic materials that might not be detected by airport security systems, and guns with obliterated or altered serial numbers.

Maryland’s effective action is an example for all states, not least for California, where these weapons continue to facilitate gang warfare and robberies.