Charles County Considers Carry Ban

On January 11th, 2023 in a session that begins at 6:00 pm, the Charles County Commissioners will hear public testimony on Bill 2022-14, which among other things, would ban the possession of firearms within 100 yards of “a building owned or operated by Charles County government or the Board of Charles County,” even for carry permit holders.

The only exceptions are for:

• An active sworn law enforcement officer

• A special police officer employed by Charles County Government with a valid government issued permit to carry a weapon or firearm

• Active duty military personnel engaged in the performance of their official employment duties

• A member of the Board of Charles county commissioners.

Testimony can be submitted in person or virtually. The County’s public notice provides these instructions:

In-person: Speaker sign-up will begin 30 minutes (1/2 hour) prior to the hearing at the Charles County Government Building (200 Baltimore Street, La Plata) and will end at the commencement of the hearing.

Virtually: Call 240-776-6709 between 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on January 11, 2023, to register to speak. Once registered, individuals will receive a virtual link to testify between 6pm– 9pm. after in-person speakers testify. If you are not available to speak when you are called, we have the right to move on to the next caller. Each speaker will be allotted three (3) minutes to speak.

Written or voicemail comments may be submitted in lieu of oral testimony, or to expand upon oral testimony, and will be accepted Friday, December 23, 2022, starting at 8 a.m. through 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 11, 2023 :

E-Comment: https://www.charlescountymd.gov/government/public-comments/bill-2022-14

Phone message: call 301-645-0652

Postal Mail/Hand Delivery: Commissioners of Charles County, 200 Baltimore Street, La Plata, Maryland 20646. *Comments sent by mail must be received no later than January 10, 2023.

Those individuals with special needs may contact the Commissioners’ Office at voice phone number 301-645-0550 or Maryland Relay Service TDD 1-800-735-2258 for assistance. Additional questions or concerns may be directed to Danielle Mitchell, Office of the County Attorney, 301-645-0555 or .

The agenda for that hearing can be found HERE.

MSI will be submitting testimony against the bill and we strongly encourage Charles County residents to testify in opposition to this misguided legislation.

MD Wear and Carry permits are “not valid where firearms are prohibited by law” and thus carrying in violation of this county ordinance likewise creates a risk for prosecution under MD Code, Criminal Law, § 4-203. While a violation of the proposed ordinance would be punishable by up to one-year imprisonment or a fine of $1,000, a violation of Section 4-203 is punishable by up to three years in prison, and therefore any conviction under Section 4-203 would create a lifetime disqualification under State and federal law. That would be true regardless of the actual sentence.