Maryland has some of the strictest gun laws in the nation and does not recognize handgun permits issued by other states. Recently, stories of out-of-state gun owners who say they have been unjustly targeted by the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) for minor traffic violations because they have concealed weapons permits are mounting, The Washington Times reports.
The Times recounts the example of Florida-resident John Filippidis, who was stopped last year on Christmas Eve while driving south on Interstate 95 through Maryland. His children and wife were separated in the back seats of different police cruisers while the officers searched Filippidis' vehicle for his handgun, which was left locked-up in Florida.
Filippidis got off with only a speeding warning. MDTA apologized for the incident, but investigations found that the stop was lawful and within protocol. Filippidis' story did prompt other out-of-state gun owners who have had similar experiences to question whether they've been targeted.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Times reports that Paul Kramer, a Baltimore-based criminal defense lawyer and former deputy U.S. attorney for Maryland, "says these type of stops and searches happen far too often in Maryland and are a waste of taxpayer money."
-
‘Social media is the new tabloid’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Can the NBA survive FBI’s gambling investigation?Talking Points A casualty of the ‘sports gambling revolution’
-
How are ICE’s recruitment woes complicating Trump’s immigration agenda?TODAY’S BIG QUESTION Lowered training standards and ‘athletically allergic’ hopefuls are hindering the White House plan to turn the Department of Homeland Security into a federal police force
-
ABC News to pay $15M in Trump defamation suitSpeed Read The lawsuit stemmed from George Stephanopoulos' on-air assertion that Trump was found liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll
-
Judge blocks Louisiana 10 Commandments lawSpeed Read U.S. District Judge John deGravelles ruled that a law ordering schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms was unconstitutional
-
ATF finalizes rule to close 'gun show loophole'Speed Read Biden moves to expand background checks for gun buyers
-
Hong Kong passes tough new security lawSpeed Read It will allow the government to further suppress all forms of dissent
-
France enshrines abortion rights in constitutionspeed read It became the first country to make abortion a constitutional right
-
Texas executes man despite contested evidenceSpeed Read Texas rejected calls for a rehearing of Ivan Cantu's case amid recanted testimony and allegations of suppressed exculpatory evidence
-
Supreme Court wary of state social media regulationsSpeed Read A majority of justices appeared skeptical that Texas and Florida were lawfully protecting the free speech rights of users
-
Greece legalizes same-sex marriageSpeed Read Greece becomes the first Orthodox Christian country to enshrine marriage equality in law
