One sheriff in Maryland is bucking his state’s new gun laws, calling them unconstitutional and requesting that local governing authorities agree to selective enforcement.
“I believe that the [Maryland Firearms Safety Act] violates the Second Amendment to the Unites States Constitution that clearly states, ’The right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed,” Garrett County Sheriff Robert Corley said, as the Cumberland Times-News reported.
He made the statement to county commissioners at this week’s meeting and proposed a resolution to help right the constitutional wrong, Fox News reported. The state’s new law mandates that all potential gun buyers first submit fingerprints to the state police and puts a 10-bullet cap on magazines. The law also adds 45 new weapons to the list of banned guns.
Sheriff Corley said he was going to defy the new law and ignore its provisions — except in cases involving convicted felons or those suspected of violent crimes, he said.
“I’m asking you to join me in my commitment to the law-abiding citizens of Garrett County because such enforcement will greatly reduce the likelihood of criminalizing law-abiding citizens,” he said to the commissioners, Fox News reported.
A chief counsel to the state attorney general’s office of courts and judicial affairs said that sheriffs don’t have the legal authority to decide what state laws to enforce, Fox News said.
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• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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