Supreme Court’s ruling on carry permits not a cause for alarm | READER COMMENTARY

Dan Rodricks certainly has missed the mark in his opinion on why carrying of guns by trained law-abiding citizens is too dangerous for a state like Maryland and certainly for a city like Baltimore (”Dan Rodricks: More guns coming to Maryland streets near you,” June 28). He states he felt a “tad safer” when citizens were severely restricted and that business owners or people who were threatened could petition the Maryland State Police for a permit. He’s right, they could petition the MSP. Actually getting a permit is a completely different story. I know of several cases where business owners were denied permits even though they carried cash. They couldn’t show it was “enough” cash or they made enough night deposits. I know of cases where women who were stalked and denied permits. The stalker left no paper trail, so no permit for you.

So, yes, despite permit holders having lower violent crime rates than police officers in some states, Mr. Rodricks wants to still severely restrict law-abiding citizens from carrying personal protective firearms. And he says this from a city that has one of the top three homicide rates in the nation year in and year out, and where police might not even bother patrolling the Inner Harbor.

The MSP will not and does not have to loosen any of it’s current requirements to carry concealed based on the U.S. Supreme Court ruling. Anyone carrying would still have to get fingerprinted for a fee, take an 8-hour class for a fee, supply an application for a fee, get background checked for a fee just to get a permit to buy a handgun. Then, after a few months and another waiting period for your actual firearm, applying to carry would still require yet another class, this time 16 hours, demonstrate proficiency in shooting, get fingerprinted yet again, pay another application fee, get background checked yet again, and wait a few more months.

None of that changes. The only thing that changes is that, after all of that, the MSP couldn’t randomly say you’re not threatened enough to get a permit. Or, you could just get a gun on the streets, carry all you want, actually use it in a crime and get let out early or with no bail.

— Douglas Klapec, Bethesda

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