The halls outside the Judicial Proceedings Committee room started filling with bright orange NRA totes and red 'Moms Demand Action' shirts more than an hour before the hearing was scheduled.
It took more than two hours going through the prior six bills until the committee got to the trio of gun bills from vice chair Sen. Jeff Waldstreicher.
The 1pm hearing included three gun control bills sponsored by Vice Chair of the committee, Sen. Jeff Waldstreicher and two other gun bills sponsored by other Senators.
The first gun-related bill discussed was Senator Pam Beidel's to collect data on the firearms surrendered to Maryland State Police under protective orders.
A Maryland State Police representative spoke in favor of the bill, saying that they have the resources to do this. Also testifying in favor of this data collection bill were representatives from he organizations Marylanders to Prevent Gun Violence, the Maryland State's Attorneys and the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions.
One of the people who testified against, said "if they're that big a threat, don't stop at guns," and arguing that "tracking is a registry."
Senate Bill 159 was also heard, a voluntary Do Not Sell Firearms registry, which people could voluntary put themselves on. Sen. Shelly Hettleman says that this is a suicide-prevention effort, citing a voluntary lists of temporary and permanent bans of people gambling.
"Suicide by firearm is almost always deadly," said one volunteer with Moms Demand Action who described her own suicide attempt in her early 20s. She said that she's thankful that she didn't have access to a firearm in that moment.
"Reducing access to lethal means matters," said a representative from Marylanders to Prevent Gun Violence.
More than half a dozen witnesses testified against, one on behalf of the organization 2A Maryland who argued that, while the bill is well-intentioned, "the logistics of this make it ineffective."
Another witness said while he understood where the Senator was coming from with this bill, "I don't think the government should be tied up with this."
"What kind of world to we live in? What kind of world do I want to raise my children in?" asked Sen. Waldstreicher in talking about the significance of the Gun Safety Act of 2023 being Senate Bill 1.
The bill has been reprinted to include a carve out an exception for law enforcement and public safety officers.
"Senators, the consequences of inaction are dangerous," he says.
He argued that more guns being bought means more stolen guns and more guns in suicides.
At a couple points during the panel, Chair Sen. Will Smith had to remind the audience in the room to have decorum during testimony.
Following the first panel in favor of the bill, Sen. William Folden questioned Sen. Waldstreicher on some of the numbers, such as how many homicides are committed annually by legal gun owners.
Waldstericher emphasized the point that more guns on the streets means more stolen guns.
Testimony continued late into the evening Tuesday, with discussion getting heated at points.
At one point, following testimony in support of SB1, Chair of the committee, Sen. Will Smith felt the need to address a symbol on one witness' shirt.
"Look, the vice chair is the sponsor of the bill and he is Jewish," he began. "On social media I saw a couple of unfortunate and disgusting images portrayed, with, you know, the Star of David with guns inside and if that's a reference - if that's a Holocaust reference, I was personally offended and I think that's disgusting. And so, if you have that on your person and you come up here, and I think that's what that is," he said referring to one of the witnesses, "I just want you to know that I think that's highly inappropriate and disgusting behavior and it will not be tolerated in this committee."
He added to the room that if anyone else had anything like that, and if it was a reference to the Holocaust, "take it off or leave," said Sen. Smith.
