Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland Senate Bill SB577 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	sb0577
6	6
7	7	SENATE BILL 577
8	8	E4 5lr2327
9	9	CF 5lr2120
10	10	By: Senator Lam
11	11	Introduced and read first time: January 23, 2025
12	12	Assigned to: Judicial Proceedings
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	Public Safety – Distribution of Literature to Purchasers of Firearms and 2
19	19	Ammunition 3
20	20
21	21	FOR the purpose of requiring the Maryland Department of Health to prepare certain 4
22	22	literature relating to firearms and ammunition and to distribute the literature to all 5
23	23	county health departments in the State; requiring each county health department to 6
24	24	distribute certain literature to all establishments that sell firearms or ammunition 7
25	25	within the county; requiring establishments that sell firearms or ammunition in the 8
26	26	State to make certain literature visible and available and to distribute the literature 9
27	27	to purchasers of firearms or ammunition; requiring a county health department to 10
28	28	authorize a certain representative who may issue citations to owners of 11
29	29	establishments who violate this Act; and generally relating to the distribution of 12
30	30	literature to purchasers of firearms and ammunition. 13
31	31
32	32	BY adding to 14
33	33	Article – Public Safety 15
34	34	Section 5–901 and 5–902 to be under the new subtitle “Subtitle 9. Distribution of 16
35	35	Literature to Purchasers of Firearms and Ammunition” 17
36	36	Annotated Code of Maryland 18
37	37	(2022 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 19
38	38
39	39	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 20
40	40	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 21
41	41
42	42	Article – Public Safety 22
43	43
44	44	SUBTITLE 9. DISTRIBUTION OF LITERATURE TO PURCHASERS OF FIREARMS AND 23
45	45	AMMUNITION. 24
46	46
47	47	5–901. 25 2 SENATE BILL 577
48	48
49	49
50	50
51	51	(A) IN THIS SUBTITLE THE FOLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 1
52	52	INDICATED. 2
53	53
54	54	(B) “AMMUNITION” HAS THE MEANING STAT ED IN § 5–133.1 OF THIS TITLE. 3
55	55
56	56	(C) “FIREARM” HAS THE MEANING STAT ED IN § 5–101 OF THIS TITLE. 4
57	57
58	58	5–902. 5
59	59
60	60	(A) (1) THE MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SHALL: 6
61	61
62	62	(I) PREPARE LITERATURE R ELATING TO FIREARMS AND 7
63	63	AMMUNITION THAT INCL UDES INFORMATION REG ARDING: 8
64	64
65	65	1. FIREARM SAFETY ; 9
66	66
67	67	2. FIREARM TRAINING ; 10
68	68
69	69	3. SUICIDE PREVENTION ; 11
70	70
71	71	4. MENTAL HEALTH AWAREN ESS; AND 12
72	72
73	73	5. CONFLICT RESOLUTION ; AND 13
74	74
75	75	(II) DISTRIBUTE THE LITER ATURE TO ALL COUNTY HEALTH 14
76	76	DEPARTMENTS IN THE STATE. 15
77	77
78	78	(2) EACH COUNTY HEALTH DE PARTMENT SHALL DISTR IBUTE THE 16
79	79	LITERATURE RECEIVED UNDER PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS SUBSECTION T O ALL 17
80	80	ESTABLISHMENTS THAT SELL FIREARMS OR AMM UNITION WITHIN THE C OUNTY. 18
81	81
82	82	(B) AN ESTABLISHMENT THAT RECEIVES LITERATURE UNDER SUBSECTION 19
83	83	(A)(2) OF THIS SECTION SHAL L: 20
84	84
85	85	(1) MAKE THE LITERATURE VISIBLE AND AVAILABLE AT THE POINT 21
86	86	OF SALE FOR ANY FIRE ARM OR AMMUNITION PU RCHASE; AND 22
87	87
88	88	(2) DISTRIBUTE THE LITER ATURE TO EACH PERSON WHO PURCHASES 23
89	89	A FIREARM OR AMMUNIT ION. 24
90	90
91	91	(C) (1) EACH COUNTY HEALTH DE PARTMENT SHALL AUTHO RIZE A 25
92	92	REPRESENTATIVE OF TH E COUNTY’S HEALTH DEPARTMENT WHO MAY ISSUE A 26 SENATE BILL 577 3
93	93
94	94
95	95	CITATION TO AN OWNER OF AN ESTABLISHMENT WITHIN THE COUNTY ’S 1
96	96	JURISDICTION THAT VI OLATES THIS SECTION . 2
97	97
98	98	(2) (I) A PERSON WHO VIOLATES THIS SECTION IS SUBJ ECT TO: 3
99	99
100	100	1. FOR A FIRST VIOLATIO N, A CIVIL PENALTY NOT 4
101	101	EXCEEDING $500; AND 5
102	102
103	103	2. FOR A SECOND OR SUBS EQUENT VIOLATION , A CIVIL 6
104	104	PENALTY NOT EXCEEDIN G $1,000. 7
105	105
106	106	(II) A CIVIL PENALTY IMPOSE D UNDER THIS PARAGRA PH SHALL 8
107	107	BE PAID TO THE COUNT Y THAT ISSUED THE CI TATION UNDER PARAGRA PH (1) OF 9
108	108	THIS SUBSECTION . 10
109	109
110	110	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 11
111	111	October 1, 2025. 12
112	112