The Baltimore Sun is reporting that gun dealers in Maryland are releasing guns to those otherwise ineligible to own them because the state failed to complete the background checks in seven days. In fact, The Baltimore Sun reported that they are currently aware of 30 people who received guns from gun dealers who were later found to be ineligible to own these guns due to their criminal records. This resulted in the state police having to go out and confiscate these guns.
According to The Baltimore Sun, the backlog is currently approximately 100 days as more people are trying to purchase weapons before The Firearm Safety Act of 2013 goes into effect on October 1, 2013.
State police have received an average of more than 2,000 applications each week this year, nearly twice last year's rate and more than three times the pace in 2010. Despite tripling the workforce and processing applications 21 hours a day, the agency keeps falling further behind.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/...
In response to the State's failure to complete the background checks in seven days
the National Rifle Association issued a news release declaring victory, claiming — inaccurately — that the state had agreed to a "new policy" that a firearm can be given to a purchaser after seven days. In reality, the state responded to the lawsuit by reiterating existing law. But the effect has been that Maryland gun dealers have been far more likely since then to release guns after seven days.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/...
The 30 cases discovered so far occurred before the large backlog occurred. There are probably many more than that now.
Maryland State Senator Brian Frosh, the Chairman of the Judicial Proceedings Committee has expressed his concern about the gun dealers' actions.
"Public safety is at stake here," state Sen. Brian Frosh, a Montgomery County Democrat and chairman of the Judicial Proceedings Committee. "It's not responsible for them to say, 'OK, they didn't get back to me in time, so here's your gun.'"
http://www.baltimoresun.com/...
The Baltimore Sun is calling on the gun dealers to stop this practice.
In the meantime, whatever their legal rights are, gun dealers have a moral responsibility to wait for background checks before releasing firearms to buyers. The potential consequences of doing otherwise are simply too great. Gun dealers claim to be as committed as anyone to making sure guns don't fall into the wrong hands. Now's the time for them to prove it.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/....