Technical project: Will any currently approved MODEL of handgun be banned by SB 281?

[ddeanjohnson]

An offhand question that someone raised in another thread on this Board got me thinking, and causes me to seek assistance on a little technical project, focusing on this question: Are there any models of handgun, currently approved by the Maryland Handgun Roster Board, that would fall under the definition of so-called "copycat" firearms and therefore be banned by SB 281?

Please note that my question is not "will any handguns be banned by SB 281?" Clearly, some handguns will be banned -- specifically, any "semiautomatic pistol with a fixed magazine that can accept more than 10 rounds." (SB 281, page 10, lines 26-27.) (For information of the "grandfathered" status of such pistols that are owned prior to October 1, 2013, see numbered paragraph no. 7 in my summary of the bill.)

For example, I have a photo of a pistol of World War I vintage that I'm told is known as the "Finnish Broomhandle Mauser," which has a fixed magazine that holds 20 rounds (see below). (It is a variant of the famous "Broomhandle Mauser" that typically had a 10-round fixed magazine.)

It seems highly unlikely that a specimen of this rare collector's item would be used by a criminal or crazy person for commission of a crime, but the SB 281 "assault"/"copycat" ban does not contain an except for valuable collector's items (except those made before 1899), so acquisition of the Finnish Broomhandle Mauser would be banned -- another great stride forward for public safety, heh?

But the requirement for Roster Board approval applies only to handguns manufactured after January 1, 1985. The current Roster of approved models appears here.

So, my question is whether there is an approved model, already listed on the Roster, that would fall under the new ban. I cannot think of one offhand, but the Roster contains many handgun models with which I am unfamiliar. If you think you notice a model that would fall under the "copycat" ban, please call it to my attention through an email or an IM, for further investigation. I would like to factor the results of this "research" into whatever I might write in the future about the bill. Thank you in advance for anybody who can help on this.

(Note: the Roster Board website can be glitchy -- I have more success there with Google Chrome than with other browsers.)

Someone who reads this might think that the result of my research is going to be to remove pistols from the Maryland market that would otherwise remain, and that therefore a "don't ask, don't tell" policy should be followed. That would be based on a misconception. In my opinion, it will become illegal to acquire a "copycat" pistol on October 1, 2013, even if that hypothetical model continues to appear on the Handgun Roster for some period of time. These are two separate laws and two separate prohibitions. The only result of a banned gun continuing to be listed on the Roster would be to confuse some unwary citizen and possibly lead him or her into a costly legal mess.

But I will not be surprised if it turns out that no currently approved model will be covered by the new ban.

 

[hvymax]

I am pretty sure all of the fixed mag references were to prevent bullet buttons et all being added to otherwise banned items. I suppose it doesn't matter that it makes the law completely ambiguous. The police can just arrest/confiscate em all and let the judge sort em out.

 

[ddeanjohnson]

Clarification on the scope of this inquiry

My inquiry in the Original Post above, about banned pistols, is separate and distinct from any issues raised by the SB 281 prohibition on transfer of detachable magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. There is nothing in current law or in the bill that prevents the Roster Board from approving a handgun model that will accommodate a magazine that holds more than the legal limit (currently 20, but 10 after October 1), and the Board has done that in the past. The most recent example of which I am aware is approval of the Kel-Tec PMR-30, a semi-auto pistol that was designed to hold a magazine of thirty .22WMR rounds (hence the "30" in the model designation). The Roster Board approved sale of the model "subject to magazine capacity required under Maryland law," so the gun when sold in Maryland is currently equipped with a modified, 20-round magazine. In the future, there will be many semi-autos for which such an accommodation will be necessary, if they are going to be sold in Maryland equipped with a magazine.

But this is not the point that I am pursuing in this inquiry. I am interested in knowing if there is a fixed magazine pistol on the Roster that will be banned by SB 281.

 

[ddeanjohnson]

bump . . .

Bump in the interests of research.