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Maryland County Gun Show Ban

A gun show ban has been ordered in Prince George’s County in Maryland. Such a ban is not only futile, but illustrates yet another governmental overreach into the private sector. County officials told WTOP News that the gun show ban decision was in response to the ongoing federal gun control debate. Local leaders thought it wise to halt the shows until the federal government voted on the matter.

Prince George’s County leaders also mentioned the Newtown tragedy in relation to the decision to ban gun shows. The horrific massacre broke the hearts of millions of Americans. If we had the power to turn back the hands of time and protect those children and teachers, we would. But, banning legal trade (which had absolutely nothing to do with the massacre in Newtown or mass shootings elsewhere in the country) is not the solution.

Realistically, banning gun shows in Prince George’s County will do nothing to prevent more guns being purchased by citizens. A short drive across the county line is not too much of an inconvenience for most shoppers. Contrary to what some news reports may lead folks to believe, background checks do occur at gun shows.

Licensed firearms dealers must run a background check for every gun purchase. Individual sellers are not required under federal law to complete background checks on gun sales. A citizen of Prince George’s County could simply post on Facebook that he has a gun for sale and still legally make the exchange. A multitude of virtual yard sale websites exist which could also be used for legal private gun exchanges.

Second Amendment infringements must be thwarted on every level. If we allow such nips and tucks into the right to bear arms to continue, individual freedoms will suffer the same fate as states’ rights. Criminals have, and always will, find a way to get their hands on guns.

Law-abiding citizens are the only ones who will be adversely impacted by gun show bans and other gun control initiatives currently floating around Washington. The moral breakdown of society and mental health issues are the root of the gun violence problem in American, not the weapons themselves. A criminal will not go to a gun show to buy a firearm—he will find one on the street corner.

The guns used in the Newtown massacre were legally purchased. The gun used in the New Webster firefighters attack was legally purchased. The New Webster gunman paid a woman with a clear background check to buy his gun. None of the gun control proposals touted by President Obama would have prevented either of those two tragic mass shootings.

After hearing about the Maryland county gun show ban on the news, I walked outside and took a look around. The flag was still flying on my porch and an even larger one was still proudly waving on our county courthouse—proof that I was still in America. It is inconceivable to me that a governmental entity could pass a law preventing the private sector to engage in legal trade in the United States.

I thought such strong-arming only occurred in places like Cuba and North Korea, not in the land of the free. What do you think about the gun show ban in Maryland?

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