January 30th, 2023 by WCBC Radio
Tuesday, January 31 at 9:30 AM ET, Maryland Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action volunteers, part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, will gather for their annual Advocacy Day in Annapolis to meet with lawmakers and advocate for gun safety measures to be passed and implemented during this legislative session. At 9:30 AM, elected officials, and Everytown for Gun Safety Senior Vice President of Movement Building, Angela Ferrell-Zabala, will join Moms Demand Action volunteers and gun violence survivors for a rally on Lawyer’s Mall. This year's Advocacy Day also coincides with the 10 year celebration of Moms Demand Action.
The Maryland chapter of Moms Demand Action has been in the fight to end gun violence in Maryland since the origins of the organization. Since the chapter’s founding, Maryland has made significant progress over the past several legislative cycles to combat gun violence. Ten years ago, due to the tireless advocacy of volunteers and survivors, Maryland passed the Firearm Safety Act — which put in place some of the most comprehensive gun violence prevention laws in the nation. In 2018, the legislature passed the Protect Maryland Survivors Act — which keeps guns out of the hands of convicted domestic abusers and also passed an extreme risk law. In recent years, the legislature also overrode Governor Larry Hogan’s veto to require background checks on all rifle and shotgun sales in the state, and after four years of advocacy, passed the ghost guns prohibition. This year, they’ll be calling to strengthen the state’s concealed carry permitting law which was undermined by the United States Supreme Court’s dangerous decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Ass’n, Inc. v. Bruen, hold bad actors in the firearms industry accountable, and end qualified immunity.
Maryland Moms Demand Action volunteers were also active at the ballot box and held over 900 volunteer actions for gun sense candidates throughout the state and one of our volunteers, Delegate Kris Fair won his seat in Frederick County. The Maryland chapter now has more than 160 volunteer leaders and 13 local groups across the state.