For Immediate Release

Police Officer Protection Act of 2005 backed by Maryland Police Chiefs, Sheriffs, and Elected Officials

Febuary 17th , 2005

Bill will prevent traffickers from hiding behind the ‘lost or stolen’ gun defense

CeaseFire Maryland joined leading Maryland law enforcement officers and elected officials to call for the enactment of the ‘Police Officer Protection Act of 2005’ today in Annapolis [S.B. 732/H.B. 803].

"The Police Officer Protection Act of 2005 would give law enforcement officials another tool in cracking down on illegal gun traffickers, “ said Montgomery County Executive Douglas M.Duncan. “If this bill is enacted into law, traffickers could no longer hide behind the 'lost or stolen gun' defense.”

Duncan described the circumstances of the shooting of a Montgomery County Police officer in August of 2003. Detective Kyle Olinger was shot in the neck during a routine traffic stop with a .32-calibre Llama handgun, purchased by Dwight Eppard in Hancock, MD five years earlier. He was paralyzed from the chest down and is in a wheelchair today. Three of Eppard’s fifteen legally purchased handguns turned up in crimes in Virginia, Frederick and New York City. Eppard exchanged seven of these guns in 2001 for crack cocaine. He never reported them stolen. In total, Eppard failed to account for fourteen out of fifteen handguns purchased over 14 years.

“We support the passage of this vital bill because it will require the reporting of a lost or stolen firearm within 48 hours. This reporting would provide for a timely investigation which might prevent the firearm from being used in a violent crime, or if located, would enable us to return the firearm to its rightful owner. We believe that this legislation will enhance the public’s safety and the safety of all law enforcement officers,” said Lt. Mike Mancuso of the Montgomery County Police Firearms Unit.

From 1999-2000, three thousand five hundred (3,500) guns were reported stolen in Maryland. This is a vast underestimate because many guns simply are not reported stolen because they are being trafficked by people like Dwight Eppard. Montgomery County Assistant Police Chief John King pointed out that “many crime guns are purchased by people who never intend to legally use them, for people who will use them illegally. This is called a ‘straw purchase’ – when someone without a criminal record buys a gun for an individual who would be denied a gun due to a prior conviction.” The Maryland Police Chiefs and Sheriffs Association also backs the bill.

Finally, Eugene Cassidy, an agent with the Baltimore City Police, was shot and blinded in 1987 by a convicted felon with an illegal gun. Agent Cassidy said, “This bill is long overdue. Police need this tool to track down the gun traffickers.”