Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley on Thursday signed into law one of the United States’ toughest gun control measures, even as opponents vowed to overturn it.
The legislation prompted by the Newtown, Connecticut, school massacre requires handgun buyers to undergo safety training and submit fingerprints to obtain a license.
It also bans the sale of 45 types of assault weapons, which have been linked to at least 461 U.S. deaths since 2004, according to the governor’s office.
Opponents of the changes say they aren’t planning to seek any sort of public vote/referendum on the bill, but will instead offer support to an NRA lawsuit which challenges the legality of the new regulations. Similar legislation has been passed in Colorado, New York, and Connecticut following a recent uptick in mass shooting incidents.
The Maryland Senate has approved a medical marijuana bill on Monday by a vote of 42 to 4.
The bill passed on the last day of the legislative session.
The bill now heads to Gov. Martin O’Malley’s desk. According to the Baltimore Sun, he is expected to sign the bill, having called the bill a “yellow light” approach toward medical marijuana. The AP reports the bill would create a state commission to oversee medical marijuana programs at academic medical research centers that decide to participate.
Of course, as the Department of Justice will likely remind people when asked about the new laws later today/this week, marijuana remains a Schedule 1 substance under the Controlled Substances Act. Still, with the majority of Americans firmly against the continued criminalization of marijuana use, we imagine that even the federal government knows it will likely be forced back down on this issue relatively soon.
Today, same-sex marriage is legal in Maryland. (By the way, congrats!) Alas, not everyone’s a fan. The guy above, for example, who stopped a popular wedding trolley business that earned him $50,000 per year because he didn’t want to have to serve gay couples due to his Christian beliefs.
Reuters has a live webcam showing the scene at Ocean City, Maryland, an area expected to have a storm surge as high as 8 feet. (via @AntDeRosa)
The differences in the two scenarios are most significant for the Maryland and Delaware beaches, where the exact storm track will have a big impact on the severity of coastal flooding. For inland areas (including Washington, D.C. and Baltimore), because this storm is so large, we will experience heavy rain amounts and strong winds in either case. It doesn’t matter if the storm first crosses land in central New Jersey or Chincoteague.Capital Weather Gang’s Jason Samenow • Discussing the scenarios for more-inland residents dealing with Hurricane Sandy, including those in Baltimore and Washington, DC, whether the scenario is “very bad” (a near-direct hit in northern Delaware and southern New Jersey — 70 percent chance) or “worst case” (a direct hit in Delaware and northern Maryland — 30 percent chance) as far as a hurricane hit. Both will bring flooding and damage. One will bring worse flooding and damage than the other, and temperatures will dip as low as the 30s in some spots — which is unseasonably cool for the region.
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The Neil I know made those comments sarcastically in an environment where he felt he could make them without being taken seriously.Mike Cochran • Disputing claims that his friend, Neil Everett Prescott, intended on committing a mass shooting, despite the fact that Prescott made claims suggesting as such earlier this week. (Cochran says Prescott has a strong sense of humor and wears provocative T-shirts to get a rise out of people.) Prescott, who lives near Annapolis, Md., was arrested Friday in the incident, though he has not been charged. Prescott and Cochran are both gun enthusiasts, and Prescott had a significant number of weapons at the time of his arrest, at least some of which were acquired legally, and has previously made claims he needed the weapons to secure his apartment.
One week after a shooting which is still at the top of the news cycle, police in Maryland have arrested a man who they believe was about to commit a massacre. The suspect, Neil Edwin Prescott, reportedly had the cache of weapons above and had recently made a number of threats after losing his job. (According to the New York Daily News, he was arrested wearing a shirt that said “Guns don’t kill people. I do.”) There are times when a police organization faces criticism for (using undercover means) leading a person on and suggesting that he commit an act of terror, then catching him before he does the act. This is not one of those times. (photo via Prince’s George Police Department)
The fire department says 55 passengers are being removed from the train. They are being led away from a fan shaft exit at 29th Avenue and Ager Road.
The train derailed near the west Hyattsville, Md. station, which is not far from the area where the deadly 2009 Metro crash took place.
UPDATE: WMATA has cancelled all weekend track work as a result of the derailment, and says that overground trains will travel at slower speeds this weekend as a precautionary measure. There’s also a baseball game tonight; WMATA also recommends riders take the Orange Line and Blue Lines to reach Nationals Park, rather than the Green Line.
Maryland is set to become the first state to ban employers from requesting the Facebook account information of current or potential employees. The Senate passed the new measure unanimously, with overwhelming majority support in the House as well, and lawmakers managed to squeeze the finalized bill in just before the end of the current legislative session. Now the bill heads to the desk of Governor Martin O’Malley. source
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Tumblr this morning. [h/t anne]
#@#$%!.tumblr.com
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Thank you to Wisconsin, Maryland, and Washington DC, we won ‘em all!Mitt Romney, declaring a clean sweep in tonight’s three GOP primaries — CBS News has now projected a Romney win, based on exit polling.
I never expected, based on that story, that this is the actual winner. We really won’t believe anybody till they walk in with a ticket and the ticket is valid — and they have identification.Maryland Lottery spokeswoman Carole Everett • Throwing skepticism at a New York Post story that claims a Baltimore McDonald’s employee bought a winning ticket in last week’s massive Mega Millions jackpot — but that her co-workers are upset with the woman, saying that the ticket was bought as part of a pool, but she refuses to share. Mirlande Wilson, when getting interviewed, didn’t present a winning ticket to the state lottery, nor has she shown off the ticket, leading Maryland Lottery officials to (at least for now) dismiss her story — though they admit that a winning ticket was bought in Maryland. If she did win, think her co-workers have a claim?
The story you’ve been waiting for: A story about how a pirate-themed bar got ruined by a reality TV host (who attempted to turn it into a “Corporate Bar,” whatever that is), with the changes so disliked by everyone involved that the owner of the bar changed his mind at the last second (despite $250,000 in renovations), and brought the pirates back. Among the anecdotes: A bit about a one-eyed employee who found the perfect match, job-wise, before this reality TV bozo came along. “Piratz Tavern” kept the pirates. “Bar Rescue” got the boot.
A bill that would legalize same-sex marriage in Maryland was approved by the state Senate, which advanced a measure that narrowly cleared the House of Delegates last week.
The final vote by the state Senate ended a yearlong drama in Annapolis over the legislation, and marked the first time an East Coast state south of the Mason-Dixon line has supported gay nuptials.
With the vote, the measure moves to Gov. Martin O’Malley (D), who has said he will sign it.
Gov. Martin O’Malley is expected to sign the bill as soon as next week.
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