Maryland Receives Honor From Gun Control Group

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Maryland's gun control battle earned honors for the victors.

Political reporter Pat Warren explains Maryland is ranked fourth in the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.

Maryland this year implemented gun reforms, one of eight states to pass major reforms in the wake of the Newtown attack. Saturday is the one-year anniversary of the shooting rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School and once again, focus is on gun control.

"We're among the top tier of states that are doing the most a state can do," said Vincent DeMarco, Marylanders to Prevent Gun violence.

Marylanders to Prevent Gun Violence points to the state's new ranking by gun control advocates as a measure of its success. California is ranked #1 by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, followed by Connecticut and New Jersey. Maryland is #4.

"Primarily by requiring any purchaser of a handgun to first get a fingerprint-based license from state police. That is the critical new tool that took effect Oct. 1," DeMarco said.

Fingerprinting and licensing, along with background checks and an assault weapons ban also puts Maryland ahead of New York, Massachusetts, Hawaii, Illinois, Rhode Island and Delaware in the top 10 strongest gun control states.

"When we start seeing the positive impact of this new law, it's going to influence other states and Congress to do the right thing," DeMarco said.

That makes Maryland an arrow in the quiver of gun control advocates lobbying for national reform.

Seven of the top 10 graded gun law states also had the lowest gun death rates but Maryland is not one of the seven.

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