LIBERTYTOWN, Md., March 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Maryland Shall Issue, Inc. notes that although apologies are nice, actions speak louder than words.
During the period of slavery, CITIZENS were required to have, and to carry weapons for the protection of themselves and their community whenever they traveled away from home, but SLAVES could only carry weapons if they had a license to do so.
In 1749 Andrew Fletcher wrote, “Arms are the only true badges of liberty. The possession of arms is the distinction between a freeman and a slave. He who has nothing, and belongs to another, must be defended by him, and needs no arms: but he who thinks he is his own master, and has anything he may call his own, ought to have arms to defend himself and what he possesses, or else he lives precariously and at discretion."
Before the Civil War most slave states restricted concealed carry of weapons, but only one non-slave state restricted it. As freedmen moved north, the northern states passed laws against concealed carry, which could be selectively enforced.
Open carry of firearms was always legal for the citizens of
Why was open carry suddenly prohibited after 300 years? Why was the concealed carry permit process made discretionary instead of clearly defined and open? This was a direct result of fears from the Baltimore Race Riots of 1968. The law was racist in origin and needs to be rescinded.
By selectively disarming only victims, the law restricting carry of weapons resulted in a dramatic increase in crime. The rate of violent crime in
Don’t just apologize. Stop treating us like slaves. Inalienable rights to life, liberty and happiness mean nothing without the means to protect them. Senate Bills 761 and 762 will restore our rights as citizens to defend ourselves. These bills will be heard on Wednesday the 21st of March in the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee and they deserve your support.