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Committee hears wide support and implementation questions for bill requiring firearm surrender at temporary protective orders
Summary
HB83 would require courts to collect firearm information and mandate relinquishment at the temporary-protective-order stage; advocates, prosecutors, survivors, and law-enforcement partners testified HB83 would save lives, while some witnesses warned about operational burdens and the need for clear procedures and funding.
Delegate Bartlett, sponsor of the Family and Law Enforcement Protection Act (HB83), told the House Judiciary Committee the bill would require petitioners to provide known firearm and license information in protective-order filings; it would make relinquishment mandatory at the temporary stage and set out procedures for surrender, written proof, and law-enforcement response.
"House Bill 83 requires that every individual filing a petition for relief from abuse... include information about whether the respondent holds a valid gun license or permit and whether they own or possess a firearm," Bartlett said, summarizing the bill's core elements.
Supporters urged passage as a life-saving measure. Karen Herron of Marylanders to Prevent…
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