MD Legislature Yet to Post Video of Dubious Gun Bill Vote

Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley has been pushing an “assault weapons” ban, and over Easter weekend, the state’s Democratic legislators passed the measure, which O’Malley is poised to sign soon. 

As Breitbart News previously reported: 

This measure is an “assault weapons” ban which is so draconian that it punishes law-abiding gun owners whose guns are stolen from their homes. In this way, the legislation not only bars the procurement of new “assault weapons” but also turns ownership of weapons acquired before the ban into a risky proposition.Republican delegate Mike Smigiel offered an amendment that would have changed the language in S.B. 281 so as to protect gun owners by punishing criminals who steal guns instead, but Democrats mounted a push keep Smigiel’s amendment from passing.

Smigiel described the shenanigans behind the vote to Breitbart News’ Larry O’Connor Monday morning, blaming Democrats in the House Judiciary committee in a joint hearing with the Health and Government operations committee. 

After a vote was cast in the joint committee accepting the amendment, the Democrats took a quick recess and mounted a push to erase Smigiel’s amendment. The Chair called the committee meeting back to order and issued an unprecedented, out-of-procedure “do-over” vote and reversed the confirmation of Smigiel’s amendment. Listen to Smigiel describe the process on WMAL’s “Mornings on the Mall” to O’Connor:

Smigiel has produced the original committee voting sheets showing committee members’ “yes” votes scratched out and replaced with “no” votes as well, as other inconsistencies.

Citizen journalist Thomas Locastro (“James Madison” on YouTube) was in the committee hearing and has a video record of the tricks played by the Democrats on camera.

The Maryland General Assembly posts video record of all of their committee meetings to the general public on their website. However, the video from the committee hearing in question is conspicuously absent from the official State website.