McDonough To Introduce Gun Bills

Del. Pat McDonough is expected to introduce two bills Thursday that he said are dedicated to preventing gun violence.

"If my bills were to pass and fewer people were getting out [of jail] there would be less murders in the city," McDonough said, adding that proponents of more restrictive gun laws "don't want to talk about guns but they don't want to talk about gun violence or the issue of gun violence."

One bill will prohibit early release for any criminal convicted of gun violence and also eliminate plea bargains for those charges.

"There were 195 gun murders in Baltimore City last year," McDonough, a Middle River Republican, said. "Seventy percent were perpetrated by convicted felons on parole."

McDonough said that 40 percent of those gun murders were committed by felons convicted by gun crimes who were on parole at the time.

The second bill would require the creation of a website similar to the sex offender website. That site would provide information about paroled gun offenders including a photo, personal information, crimes committed with guns, parole date, and location of residence, according to McDonough.

Last week, Gov. Martin O'Malley announced that a package of gun control bills would top his legislative priorities for the 2013 General Assembly session.

O'Malley is also pushing for the repeal of the death penalty in the state. McDonough called the combined efforts "a lot of crap."

"The common link here is that they both benefit criminals, they don't benefit law abiding citizens," McDonough said. "This is a criminal-friendly state."