MSP letter regarding delayed checks & the Nov deadline.

[wogpotter]

Now it seems the MSP are choosing to disregard the mess over this!

Whats going to be the outcome of multiple agencies doing the same thing I wonder?

NEWS RELEASE
MARYLAND STATE POLICE
HEADQUARTERS: PIKESVILLE, MD 21208
(410)486-3101 or 1-800-525-5555
Hearing Impaired TTY (410)486-0677
www.mdsp.org www.youtube.com/Maryland State Police www.facebook.com/MarylandStatePolice

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 24, 2013

FIREARM PURCHASE APPLICANTS WITH
APPLICATIONS PENDING ON OCTOBER 1 WILL NOT
NEED TO OBTAIN A HANDGUN QUALIFICATION LICENSE

(PIKESVILLE, MD) – Marylanders who have submitted handgun purchase applications on or before September 30 will not be required to obtain a handgun qualification license, as required by the new law that is set to take effect on Oct. 1.

The new law that takes effect in Maryland on October 1 states that a handgun may not be sold, rented, or transferred unless the purchaser, lessee, or transferee has a valid handgun qualification license.

The Maryland State Police (MSP) will not enforce the requirements of the new law with respect to applicants whose applications are pending as of October 1. It was widely understood that the new requirements would not be enforced as to applications that were pending before October 1. In light of the number of currently pending applications—resulting from the unprecedented spike in new applications in recent months—it is a fair, reasoned, and appropriate result for those who are waiting for their pending purchase applications to be processed.

Persons who submit purchase applications on or after October 1, 2013, unless otherwise exempted by law, will be required to apply for and obtain a handgun qualification license before attempting to purchase a handgun.

MSP is working diligently to process all pending firearm purchase applications as expeditiously as possible. A record level of firearm sales in Maryland that began last fall—and which has only intensified in recent days—has led to an unparalleled number of pending purchase applications. MSP’s Licensing Division commenced 21-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week operations last December—more than doubling the staff in the division—in order to process the spike in applications. MSP has also used additional State Police personnel, who worked more than 24,000 hours of overtime in the past year. Despite those efforts, the number of pending purchase applications continued to grow.

The members of MSP’s Licensing Division will continue to work diligently to process pending applications as quickly as possible, without jeopardizing public safety for speed. MSP greatly appreciates the patience of both the licensed firearms dealers holding the weapons, and Marylanders awaiting approval to receive their guns.

CONTACT: Greg Shipley - Office of Media Communications – 410-653-4236

[wogpotter]

Getting interesting here. The MD Attorney General's office has published a letter stating that You'll be arrested because it's illegal to not complete the course they have not developed. It also states that the police who have stated they will ignore the law will be obliged to arrest you.
http://www.associatedgunclubs.org/le...mporary/AG.pdf

[Patriot86]

I thought the inter-agency/political infighting was bad here in Illinois.

So basically as of October 1st, per the law, even if not "enforced", you will be a criminal for buying/transferring a handgun in the State of Maryland? and because no course has been developed to qualify you for a handgun purchase permit complying with the law is impossible? I smell lawsuit and I hope it goes well for you guys.

Jeeze

[wogpotter]

Even those who submitted 78 days ago, well before the deadline, will be obliged to re-start the process (once its designed, built & implemented) even though they're already 71 days past the deadline for the check

There's very little inter-departmental bickering involved IMO. The cops want to keep the job so they can pay for the house, boat, car & kids education, just like the rest of us.

What this has done is not to open the doorway for an additional check, but for a lawsuit to declare it unconstitutional, so there will be a default to no backgrounds check. The MSP have said all along that they aren't processing the first NICS check in a timely manner so many will go totally unchecked because the MSP is the ONLY agency & point of contact for NICS checks in MD!