Maryland 2023 Regular Session

Maryland Senate Bill SB113 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	sb0113
6	6
7	7	SENATE BILL 113
8	8	D3 3lr0332
9	9	(PRE–FILED) CF 3lr1259
10	10	By: Senators Waldstreicher and Lee
11	11	Requested: August 16, 2022
12	12	Introduced and read first time: January 11, 2023
13	13	Assigned to: Judicial Proceedings
14	14
15	15	A BILL ENTITLED
16	16
17	17	AN ACT concerning 1
18	18
19	19	Civil Actions – Public Nuisances – Firearm Industry Members 2
20	20	(Gun Industry Accountability Act of 2023) 3
21	21
22	22	FOR the purpose of prohibiting certain firearm industry members from knowingly or 4
23	23	recklessly creating, maintaining, or contributing to harm to the public through the 5
24	24	sale, manufacture, importation, or marketing of a firearm–related product under 6
25	25	certain circumstances; requiring a firearm industry member to establish and 7
26	26	implement certain reasonable controls regarding the sale, manufacture, importation, 8
27	27	distribution, marketing, possession, and use of certain firearm–related products; 9
28	28	establishing that a violation of this Act is a public nuisance; authorizing the Attorney 10
29	29	General or certain persons to bring an action against a firearm industry member for 11
30	30	violations under this Act; and generally relating to civil actions against firearm 12
31	31	industry members. 13
32	32
33	33	BY adding to 14
34	34	Article – Courts and Judicial Proceedings 15
35	35	Section 3–2301 through 3–2304 to be under the new subtitle “Subtitle 23. Civil 16
36	36	Actions for Public Nuisance Against Firearm Industry Members” 17
37	37	Annotated Code of Maryland 18
38	38	(2020 Replacement Volume and 2022 Supplement) 19
39	39
40	40	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 20
41	41	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 21
42	42
43	43	Article – Courts and Judicial Proceedings 22
44	44
45	45	SUBTITLE 23. CIVIL ACTIONS FOR PUBLIC NUISANCE AGAINST FIREARM 23
46	46	INDUSTRY MEMBERS. 24
47	47	2 SENATE BILL 113
48	48
49	49
50	50	3–2301. 1
51	51
52	52	(A) IN THIS SUBTITLE THE FOLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 2
53	53	INDICATED. 3
54	54
55	55	(B) (1) “FIREARM” HAS THE MEANING STATED IN § 5–101 OF THE PUBLIC 4
56	56	SAFETY ARTICLE. 5
57	57
58	58	(2) “FIREARM” INCLUDES AN ANTIQUE FIREARM AS DEFINED I N § 6
59	59	4–201 OF THE CRIMINAL LAW ARTICLE. 7
60	60
61	61	(C) “FIREARM ACCESSORY ” MEANS AN ITEM THAT I S SOLD, 8
62	62	MANUFACTURED , DISTRIBUTED, IMPORTED, OR MARKETED TO BE AT TACHED TO A 9
63	63	FIREARM. 10
64	64
65	65	(D) “FIREARM INDUSTRY MEMB ER” MEANS A PERSON ENGAG ED IN THE 11
66	66	SALE, MANUFACTURE , DISTRIBUTION, IMPORTATION , OR MARKETING OF A 12
67	67	FIREARM–RELATED PRODUCT. 13
68	68
69	69	(E) “FIREARM–RELATED PRODUCT” MEANS A FIREARM, AMMUNITION , A 14
70	70	COMPONENT OR PART OF A FIREARM, OR A FIREARM ACCESSORY THAT IS: 15
71	71
72	72	(1) SOLD, MANUFACTURED , DISTRIBUTED, OR MARKETED IN THE 16
73	73	STATE; 17
74	74
75	75	(2) INTENDED TO BE SOLD , MANUFACTURED , DISTRIBUTED, OR 18
76	76	MARKETED IN THE STATE; OR 19
77	77
78	78	(3) POSSESSED IN THE STATE, IF IT WAS REASONABLY FORESEEABLE 20
79	79	THAT POSSESSION WOULD OCC UR IN THE STATE. 21
80	80
81	81	(F) “FIREARM TRAFFICKER ” MEANS A PERSON WHO A CQUIRES, 22
82	82	TRANSFERS, OR ATTEMPTS TO ACQUI RE OR TRANSFER A FIR EARM FOR THE 23
83	83	PURPOSE OF SELLING O R DISPOSING OF THE F IREARM IN VIOLATION OF STATE OR 24
84	84	FEDERAL LAW . 25
85	85
86	86	(G) “REASONABLE CONTROLS ” MEANS POLICIES THAT ARE DESIGNED: 26
87	87
88	88	(1) TO PREVENT THE SALE OR DISTRIBU TION OF A 27
89	89	FIREARM–RELATED PRODUCT TO : 28
90	90
91	91	(I) A STRAW PURCHASER ; 29
92	92	SENATE BILL 113 3
93	93
94	94
95	95	(II) A FIREARM TRAFFICKER ; 1
96	96
97	97	(III) A PERSON PROHIBITED FROM POSSESSING A FIREARM 2
98	98	UNDER STATE OR FEDERAL LAW ; AND 3
99	99
100	100	(IV) A PERSON WHO THE FIREA RM INDUSTRY MEMBER H AS 4
101	101	REASONABLE CAUSE TO BELIEVE INTENDS TO USE THE F IREARM–RELATED 5
102	102	PRODUCT: 6
103	103
104	104	1. TO COMMIT A CRIME ; OR 7
105	105
106	106	2. TO CAUSE HARM TO THE PERSON OR ANOTHER 8
107	107	PERSON; 9
108	108
109	109	(2) TO PREVENT THE LOSS OR T HEFT OF A FIREARM –RELATED 10
110	110	PRODUCT FROM A FIREA RM INDUSTRY MEMBER ; AND 11
111	111
112	112	(3) TO ENSURE THAT THE FIREARM INDUSTRY MEM BER COMPLIES 12
113	113	WITH ALL PROVISIONS OF STATE AND FEDERAL LAW AND DOES NOT OTHERWI SE 13
114	114	PROMOTE THE UNLAWFUL SALE, MANUFACTURE , IMPORTATION , MARKETING, 14
115	115	POSSESSION, OR USE OF A FIREARM –RELATED PRODUCT . 15
116	116
117	117	(H) “STRAW PURCHASER ” MEANS A PERSON WHO E NGAGES OR ATTEMPTS 16
118	118	TO ENGAGE IN A STRAW PURCHASE AS DEFINED IN § 5–101 OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY 17
119	119	ARTICLE. 18
120	120
121	121	3–2302. 19
122	122
123	123	(A) A FIREARM INDUSTRY MEM BER MAY NOT KNOWINGL Y OR RECKLESSLY 20
124	124	CREATE, MAINTAIN, OR CONTRIBUTE TO HARM TO THE PUBLIC THROUGH THE SALE , 21
125	125	MANUFACTUR E, DISTRIBUTION, IMPORTATION , OR MARKETING OF A 22
126	126	FIREARM–RELATED PRODUCT BY ENGAGING IN CONDUCT THAT IS: 23
127	127
128	128	(1) UNLAWFUL; OR 24
129	129
130	130	(2) UNREASONABLE UNDER THE TOTALITY O F THE CIRCUMSTANCES . 25
131	131
132	132	(B) A FIREARM INDUSTRY MEM BER SHALL ESTABLISH AND IMPLEMENT 26
133	133	REASONABLE CONTROLS REGARDING THE SALE, MANUFACTURE , DISTRIBUTION, 27
134	134	IMPORTATION , MARKETING, POSSESSION, AND USE OF THE FIREARM INDUSTRY 28
135	135	MEMBER’S FIREARM–RELATED PRODUCTS . 29
136	136
137	137	(C) A VIOLATION OF THIS SE CTION IS A PUBLIC NU ISANCE. 30 4 SENATE BILL 113
138	138
139	139
140	140
141	141	(D) NOTWITHSTANDING ANY I NTERVENING ACTIONS , INCLUDING A 1
142	142	CRIMINAL ACTION BY A THIRD PARTY , THE CONDUCT OF A FIREARM INDUSTR Y 2
143	143	MEMBER IS A PROXIMATE CAUSE OF HARM TO THE PUBLIC IF THE HARM IS A 3
144	144	REASONABLY FORESEEAB LE EFFECT OF THE CON DUCT. 4
145	145
146	146	3–2303. 5
147	147
148	148	(A) (1) SUBJECT TO PARAGRAPH (2) OF THIS SUBSECTION , THE 6
149	149	ATTORNEY GENERAL MAY BRING AN ACTION AGAINST A FIREARM IN DUSTRY 7
150	150	MEMBER FOR A PUBLIC NUISANCE CAUS ED BY A VIOLATION OF § 3–2302 OF THIS 8
151	151	SUBTITLE. 9
152	152
153	153	(2) IN AN ACTION BROUGHT UNDER THIS SUBSECTIO N, THE 10
154	154	ATTORNEY GENERAL MAY SEEK : 11
155	155
156	156	(I) INJUNCTIVE RELIEF ; 12
157	157
158	158	(II) RESTITUTION; 13
159	159
160	160	(III) COMPENSATORY AND PUNI TIVE DAMAGES ; 14
161	161
162	162	(IV) REASONABLE ATTORNEY ’S FEES AND COSTS ; AND 15
163	163
164	164	(V) ANY OTHER APPROPRIATE RELIEF. 16
165	165
166	166	(B) (1) A PERSON MAY BRING AN ACTION FOR DAMAGES AGAINST A 17
167	167	FIREARM INDUSTRY MEM BER FOR INJURY OR LO SS SUSTAINED AS A RESULT OF A 18
168	168	VIOLATION OF § 3–2302 OF THIS SUBTITLE. 19
169	169
170	170	(2) A PERSON WHO BRINGS AN ACTION UNDER THIS SU BSECTION MAY 20
171	171	SEEK AND BE AWARDED : 21
172	172
173	173	(I) INJUNCTIVE RELIEF ; 22
174	174
175	175	(II) COMPENSATORY DAMAGES ; 23
176	176
177	177	(III) PUNITIVE DAMAGES ; AND 24
178	178
179	179	(IV) REASONABLE ATTORNEY ’S FEES AND COSTS . 25
180	180	SENATE BILL 113 5
181	181
182	182
183	183	(3) (I) A PERSON WHO BRINGS AN ACTION UNDER THIS 1
184	184	SUBSECTION SHALL NOT IFY THE ATTORNEY GENERAL THAT THE PERS ON HAS 2
185	185	BROUGHT THE ACTION W ITHIN 5 DAYS AFTER FILING TH E COMPLAINT. 3
186	186
187	187	(II) THE PERSON SHALL PROV IDE THE ATTORNEY GENERAL 4
188	188	WITH A COPY OF THE C OMPLAINT AND ANY OTHER DOCUMENTS OR PLEADINGS 5
189	189	FILED WITH THE COMPL AINT. 6
190	190
191	191	(C) A PARTY SEEKING RELIEF UNDER THIS SECTION I S NOT REQUIRED TO 7
192	192	PROVE THAT A FIREARM INDUSTRY MEMBER ACTE D WITH THE INTENT TO VIOLATE 8
193	193	THIS SUBTITLE. 9
194	194
195	195	3–2304. 10
196	196
197	197	NOTHING IN THIS SUBTI TLE MAY BE CONSTRUED TO AFFECT: 11
198	198
199	199	(1) ANY OTHER COMMON LAW OR STATUTORY CAUSE O F ACTION; OR 12
200	200
201	201	(2) ANY OTHER OBLIGATION OR RESTRICTION IMPOS ED ON A 13
202	202	FIREARM INDUSTRY MEM BER UNDER STATE OR FEDERAL LAW . 14
203	203
204	204	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That, if any provision of this Act or 15
205	205	the application thereof to any person or circumstance is held invalid for any reason in a 16
206	206	court of competent jurisdiction, the invalidity does not affect other provisions or any other 17
207	207	application of this Act that can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, 18
208	208	and for this purpose the provisions of this Act are declared severable. 19
209	209
210	210	SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect June 20
211	211	1, 2023. 21
212	212