When Maryland legislators recognized five fallen members of Capital Gazette this session, they seemed to stand in unison. But the machinations in the Senate on Monday spoke volumes louder than these words.
The difference in Maryland leadership was stark that day.
When Press Freedom Day arrives June 28, there will likely be another mass shooting that day. Another dangerous person who shouldn’t have access to a firearm will use it to terrorize a domestic partner, commit suicide or injure another.
House Speaker Michael A. Busch saw a loophole that enabled already prohibited persons from buying a rifle or shotgun, and he strived to close it.
State Sen. Bobby Zirkin, Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee chair, undid those efforts. The bill took more than twice as long in his Senate committee as in the House. On Sine Die, as he had done through every stage of the legislative process this session, Zirkin stalled, delayed, and ran out the clock on this legislation.
When I wrote to The Capital about how legislators seemed more interested in Opening Day in Camden Yards than in fulfilling the mandate of the voters, I received a Facebook message from Zirkin, calling me names. More importantly, he said some facts were incorrect, so I rushed to make his requested corrections.
But Monday, the bill remained in trouble. While lawmakers spoke of their expectations for bipartisan compromise on reducing the background checks loophole during this collaborative phase of the democratic process, they waited in vain for the chance to do so.
As committee chair, Zirkin had power to schedule and amend the bill to his liking. As senator, he could make public objections and recommendations. He could correct the misinformation from the opposition. Instead, the bill was delayed again: On the last day of the session, nothing happened during the recess when lawmakers were supposed to be reconciling Senate and House versions.
As time ticked by to adjourn early to honor Busch, a man who leaped to the defense of The Capital when many of its staff were gunned down barely 3.5 miles away from Zirkin’s office, the few “We Will Not Comply” enthusiasts barely suppressed a cheer. Their Twitter feeds would soon include rape jokes at our expense. Legislators expressed confusion. Zirkin kept his head down at his desk, shuffling papers.
While I contemplated this draft article and agonized over whether it was fair to Zirkin, I received a second private Facebook message from him that ended my concerns. This message accused me of again being untrue when I had commented that his delays were preventable.
He insisted that he “could show me every text or email” to prove he did not delay the bill. I gave him my personal email, and asked him on his public page to share it. I have no response. He did delete my post, along with unrelated posts by others. He also blocked me from posting again, behavior that Marylanders paid fines for when Larry Hogan did it last year.
Murders, suicides, injuries, and threats will continue, some only because a long gun is easily and impulsively obtained. The better way of honoring Busch, who fought for this bill, would have been to make it a reality for him, and for the Citizens of Maryland.
The five reporters murdered in Annapolis never asked for Press Freedom Day. They never asked for pity. The vast majority of gun owners join the vast majority of Marylanders and don’t ask for empty words, either.
On this first Press Freedom Day, and every day, we will demand the actions that give us freedom from gun violence.
