By Jew With a Gun
Just thought I’d give a quick update to the armed intelligentsia in the free(r) states about what’s going on here in Maryland. You’re almost certainly aware of our dear leader Martin O’Malley’s attempts at disarming Marylanders and banning the sale of normal-sized magazines. Not to mention instituting onerous and discriminatory handgun licensing requirements. But I doubt the Armed Intelligentsia are aware that we’re now waiting 40+ days to pick up a “regulated firearms” (i.e., all handguns and ~80% of modern sporting rifles) . . .
You see, Maryland has a delightful little system where, instead of using the NICS check system for background checks as most states do, the Maryland State Police run a more invasive and discriminating background check when you buy those regulated firearms. They then return the results after seven days.
This process was working pretty much as advertised until Sandy Hook, whereupon massive panic buying of anything potentially bannable overwhelmed the system. NICS managed to recover before too long, but the persistent threat of an Old Line State AWB has kept sales volume in Maryland very, very high. Long story short, the state police are simply not keeping up. So, if you want an AR-15 and have the misfortune to live in the land of the crab cake, be prepared to wait 40+ days to pick yours up.
There’s no proof of a conspiracy from the governor’s office about the delays; the officer in charge of the firearms division is a straight shooter and understands the 2A implications. But what people are wondering is why the statues are demanding that FFLs go beyond the law’s requirements.
You see, the law is pretty clear that, after seven days, the FFL can release the firearm, even without receiving approved paperwork from the MSP. Yet the state police have made it clear that no one should actually do it, despite their inability to cope with the amount of background check volume.
The FFLs are terrified to ignore this directive no matter what the law says, and the local 2A political organizations haven’t yet pressed the issue for whatever reason. All of that said, please don’t be afraid to transfer firearms to Marylanders. These wait times won’t affect sellers, and MD residents need to stock up before a potential AWB hits.