Maryland’s House Judiciary Committee is gearing up for a showdown this Wednesday, February 11, when they take up House Bill 577—a brazen push to ban a laundry list of handguns that law-abiding citizens rely on for self-defense. This isn’t some fringe proposal; it’s a direct assault on the Second Amendment, targeting popular models like those from Glock, Sig Sauer, and Smith & Wesson under the guise of public safety. Proponents will trot out the usual fearmongering about assault handguns, but let’s call it what it is: a backdoor registration scheme masquerading as regulation, complete with arbitrary features tests that ignore Supreme Court rulings like Bruen, which demanded gun laws be rooted in historical tradition—not Maryland’s progressive fever dreams.
The context here is grimly familiar for 2A advocates. Maryland, already one of the most restrictive states post-NY SAFE Act playbook, has been chipping away at handgun rights since the 2013 AWB expansion. HB 577 builds on that, potentially outlawing 80% of the modern handgun market by defining banned features like threaded barrels or even certain grips—features that enhance safety and usability for everyday carriers. This comes hot on the heels of failed federal red-flag expansions and amid a crime wave where criminals ignore laws while grandmothers in Baltimore beg for protection. Cleverly, bill backers frame it as common-sense, but the implications scream government overreach: expect a de facto confiscation pipeline, skyrocketing black-market prices, and lawsuits galore from groups like GOA and FPC, who’ll argue it flouts Heller’s core right to bear arms.
For the 2A community, this is rally time—flood those committee lines, pack the hearing room, and amplify on socials with #StopHB577. If Maryland falls, expect copycats in blue states like New Jersey and California to pile on, eroding the patchwork of protections post-Bruen. But here’s the silver lining: these overreaches often backfire, galvanizing voters and courts. Stay vigilant; your right to a reliable sidearm hangs in the balance. Contact your reps now via mdshooters.com or the NRA-ILA alert system—let’s bury this bill before it buries our freedoms.
