By James A. Lyons
By arming the rebels, we're aiding al Qaeda
The last obstacle standing in the way of Maryland's new gun control law was cleared this weekend, leaving gun control advocates relieved but gun rights supporters galvanized for future political action.
The gun control battle has shifted from Capitol Hill to the states, where both sides have gone to court to challenge laws passed in the wake of December's school shooting in Connecticut.
A Montgomery County housewife and political activist has revived a stalled referendum effort against Maryland's recently passed gun-control bill, breaking from a plan favored by the National Rifle Association and leaving her the daunting task of producing thousands of signatures in about two weeks.
Recently passed laws in Maryland that restrict the number and type of weapons residents can own and that require people purchasing guns to obtain licenses are unconstitutional and will not survive a court challenge planned for October, the National Rifle Association said Thursday.
The Maryland State Board of Elections confirmed Tuesday that it is reviewing paperwork for a petition to put sweeping firearms legislation on the 2014 ballot, a day before a Maryland state delegate plans to announce progress in an effort to challenge the recently passed gun laws.
Maryland Republicans might concede the fight over the state's death penalty, saying that they are unlikely to mount a referendum effort as the House prepares to grant final passage to a repeal.
Gov. Martin O'Malley said Tuesday he will throw his support behind legislation to repeal the death penalty in Maryland this year, even as recent polling suggests the relative majority of Marylanders still support
It's not the most high-profile of the ballot questions Maryland residents will vote on next week, but the fight over the Dream Act is drawing partisan bickering between Democrats and Republicans and allegations of fundraising impropriety.
With last week's court decision to allow a referendum on Maryland's congressional map and the General Assembly's passage of a gambling expansion bill, Maryland voters will see seven statewide questions on the ballot this fall.
Maryland voters are getting the chance in November to get rid of the new congressional district map, marking the first time in 50 years that a referendum on redistricting has made it to the state ballot.
A petition drive seeking a referendum on Maryland's congressional map faces its final deadline this weekend, and organizers said Thursday they are still scrambling to gather the necessary signatures.
Maryland voters will decide this November whether to allow in-state tuition rates for some illegal immigrants, and activists on both sides of the issue are ramping up efforts to get their message out to the public.
Organizers of a petition against Maryland's same-sex marriage law have collected enough valid voter signatures to send the law to a November referendum, state election officials said Thursday.
Organizers of a petition against Maryland's new congressional map said Thursday night they have gathered enough signatures to meet a state deadline and continue their drive through the end of June.
A petition drive to put the state's new congressional map on the ballot could end Thursday if organizers cannot get all the signatures they need and were still missing Wednesday night.
Delegate Neil C. Parrott, Washington Republican and the man behind MDPetitions.com, announced in April that he would not be pursuing a referendum, but instead would lend his support to a lawsuit proposed by the National Rifle Association.
State Delegate Neil C. Parrott, Washington Republican and the founder of MDPetitions.com, said the group "does not believe that fundamental rights granted by God and acknowledged in the U.S. Constitution should be brought to referendum for popular vote."
Battle over gun rights shifts to state courthouses; challenges to new laws mounting →
