Baltimore Co. Council Consider Raising Unsupervised Access To Loaded Guns Age To 18
TOWSON, Md. (WJZ)-- The Baltimore County Council is considering a local update to a state gun law.
A bill under consideration would raise the age to prevent kids from getting their hands on loaded guns from under 16 to under 18.
On March 20, Great Mills High School in St. Mary's County became a murder scene when a 17-year old opened fire on his former girlfriend, killing her and wounding another student before shooting and killing himself with a gun that belonged to his father.
Baltimore County councilwoman Vicki Almond proposed to prevent unsupervised access to loaded firearms for anyone under 18.
"This is a very personal, emotional issue for me," Almond told those gathered at a rally in favor of the bill.
Her granddaughter Leia was shot and wounded at a friend's house.
"It happened two years ago but she still has some physical issues. She was shot in the foot. She's had several surgeries but they did save her foot so she was very fortunate," Almond said.
Baltimore County Executive Don Mohler called it a child safety issue.
"There's no reason for folks to recede into their corners and have a battle over gun control. This is about gun safety, keeping children safe, and I think that's something we can all agree on," Mohler said.
Seventeen-year-old Ruben Amaya agreed.
"I think of my little sister who's 11 years old and I would never want my little sister going through that type of experience," he told WJZ. "I know in this society we're going through the stigma of school shootings and this should not happen at all."
State law already prohibits access to guns by unsupervised children under 16 as a misdemeanor offense.
Councilmembers heard testimony on the bill raising the age to 18 in a work session Tuesday. A vote is expected at a later date.
If the bill passes, violations of the law would be a misdemeanor.
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