AP Photo/Susan Walsh
- Maryland Gov. Wes Moore says he’s “not scared of the gun lobby” after the NRA sued him last month.
- After signing into law sweeping gun-control bills in May, the NRA went to the US District Court.
- Moore, who took office in January, pledged to tackle gun violence during his campaign last year.
When Maryland Gov. Wes Moore was campaigning for office last year, he spoke out forcefully against gun violence — pledging to tighten laws governing the use of firearms.
After signing sweeping gun-control bills into law last month, the National Rifle Association promptly sued the governor.
But during an interview with former White House press secretary Jen Psaki on her MSNBC show “Inside with Jen Psaki,” Moore said he wasn’t discouraged by the legal action taken against him over the new measures.
“I’ve seen some pretty tough enemies before in my life, and I’m not scared of the gun lobby,” the Democratic governor told Psaki.
After the US Supreme Court last year strengthened the Second Amendment, allowing individuals to carry guns outside of their homes for self-defense, many states decried the ruling — arguing that it would make it more difficult to tackle the scourge of gun violence that has touched nearly every facet of American life in recent years.
“Gun violence is tearing apart the fabric of our communities, not just through mass shootings but through shootings that are happening in each of our communities far too often,” Moore said at the bill signing ceremony last month.
Among several new provisions, Maryland’s law bars individuals from carrying or transporting a gun in an ”area for children or vulnerable individuals” or in a “special purpose area.”
The new law also prevents individuals from bringing a firearm onto another individual’s property, unless the owner has a clear sign permitting the individual to have said firearm. (This particular provision excludes law enforcement officers or members of the US military.)
