from October, Balmer sun
BALTIMORE (AP) -- A proposal by Gov. Parris Glendening to mandate the sale of handguns with safety devices received the support of Catholic priests and
bishops across Maryland Monday, who said they will urge congregants to back the push for ''smart'' guns.
The move could bring the support of nearly 1 million Maryland Catholics.
Glendening wants to make Maryland the first state to require gun manufacturers to make weapons that only the owner or a registered user can fire.
Catholics have exerted influence on legislators on a number of social issues, with mixed results. But their support of bans on certain types of guns has been
important, said Vincent DeMarco of Marylanders Against Handgun Abuse.
''They're extremely influential in Annapolis,'' DeMarco said. Their support is going to make a big difference in this.''
DeMarco said Catholic voters helped push through a 1988 ban on cheap handguns known as ''Saturday night specials,'' as well as a 1994 ban on assault
weapons. They also were influential in persuading legislators to pass a 1996 measure limiting gun purchases to one per month.
Catholic doctrine supports the idea of safer guns, said Bishop Gordon D. Bennett.
''Respect for each and every human life is the bedrock for the church's social teaching,'' Bennett said. ''There is no question that the misuse and the criminal use
of handguns takes a tremendous human toll.''
Bennett noted that there were 32,436 firearms related deaths in the United States in 1997, and added that many teen-agers use handguns to commit suicide. He
also said recent polls show widespread support for ''smart gun'' legislation.
National polls by the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research show that about 88 percent of voters and 80 percent of gun owners support the
legislation.
''It is a mandate if I ever saw one,'' Bennett said.
The Maryland proposal is shaping up as one of the most contentious in the upcoming legislative session.
Glendening has compared the gun safety effort to the push for air bags, which came about after government regulations were imposed on the auto industry.
Two major gun manufacturers have told lawmakers they oppose the measure, although they are researching the technology.
A state task force examining the devices heard last month from representatives of Beretta USA Corp., who said the requirement would put gun dealers out of
business and give gun owners a false sense of security.
Possible designs have been researched by Beretta, but have not had great success, the company's product manager said. Beretta is an Italian gun manufacturer
with a plant in Prince George's County and a warehouse on Maryland's Eastern Shore.
Officials from Colt's Manufacturing Co. told the task force last week that too much research still needs to be done on the sophisticated new devices to begin
making such guns.
Despite its opposition, Colt's is the only gun manufacturer that has actively researched the safety devices, which include fingerprint-activated guns and those
requiring the shooter to wear a special ring in order to fire.
Colt's, based in Connecticut, has manufactured three smart gun prototypes, two of which have malfunctioned during test firing, company officials said.
BALTIMORE (AP) -- A proposal by Gov. Parris Glendening to mandate the sale of handguns with safety devices received the support of Catholic priests and
bishops across Maryland Monday, who said they will urge congregants to back the push for ''smart'' guns.
The move could bring the support of nearly 1 million Maryland Catholics.
Glendening wants to make Maryland the first state to require gun manufacturers to make weapons that only the owner or a registered user can fire.
Catholics have exerted influence on legislators on a number of social issues, with mixed results. But their support of bans on certain types of guns has been
important, said Vincent DeMarco of Marylanders Against Handgun Abuse.
''They're extremely influential in Annapolis,'' DeMarco said. Their support is going to make a big difference in this.''
DeMarco said Catholic voters helped push through a 1988 ban on cheap handguns known as ''Saturday night specials,'' as well as a 1994 ban on assault
weapons. They also were influential in persuading legislators to pass a 1996 measure limiting gun purchases to one per month.
Catholic doctrine supports the idea of safer guns, said Bishop Gordon D. Bennett.
''Respect for each and every human life is the bedrock for the church's social teaching,'' Bennett said. ''There is no question that the misuse and the criminal use
of handguns takes a tremendous human toll.''
Bennett noted that there were 32,436 firearms related deaths in the United States in 1997, and added that many teen-agers use handguns to commit suicide. He
also said recent polls show widespread support for ''smart gun'' legislation.
National polls by the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research show that about 88 percent of voters and 80 percent of gun owners support the
legislation.
''It is a mandate if I ever saw one,'' Bennett said.
The Maryland proposal is shaping up as one of the most contentious in the upcoming legislative session.
Glendening has compared the gun safety effort to the push for air bags, which came about after government regulations were imposed on the auto industry.
Two major gun manufacturers have told lawmakers they oppose the measure, although they are researching the technology.
A state task force examining the devices heard last month from representatives of Beretta USA Corp., who said the requirement would put gun dealers out of
business and give gun owners a false sense of security.
Possible designs have been researched by Beretta, but have not had great success, the company's product manager said. Beretta is an Italian gun manufacturer
with a plant in Prince George's County and a warehouse on Maryland's Eastern Shore.
Officials from Colt's Manufacturing Co. told the task force last week that too much research still needs to be done on the sophisticated new devices to begin
making such guns.
Despite its opposition, Colt's is the only gun manufacturer that has actively researched the safety devices, which include fingerprint-activated guns and those
requiring the shooter to wear a special ring in order to fire.
Colt's, based in Connecticut, has manufactured three smart gun prototypes, two of which have malfunctioned during test firing, company officials said.
