The Prince George’s County Council is considering the creation of a gun offender registry in an effort to quell gun-related violence and homicides that police say are far too prolific in the county. A bill a council committee is set to consider Tuesday would create a registry, similar in scope to a sex offender registry, to collect information about those convicted of gun-related crimes.
Law enforcement officials say it would give the county police and State’s Attorney’s Office the oversight needed to keep track of gun offenders.
| Murdered with a firearm in Prince George’s County | ||
| Year | Total murders | Murders by gunfire |
| 2008 | 131 | 105 |
| 2009 | 92 | 59 |
| 2010 | 90 | 70 |
| 2011 | 95 | 64 |
| 2012 (to date) | 21 | 18 |
| Source: Prince George’s County Police Department | ||
“The same way you see law enforcement oversight of sex offenders, that’s what we’re trying to do with the most violent criminals,” said Deputy Police Chief Craig Howard.
Legislation introduced by Councilwoman Karen Toles, D-Suitland, outlines the gun-related crimes and offenses that would warrant an individual’s admittance to the registry.
A resident must be charged and convicted before being placed on the registry, according to Howard, who stressed the registry is not about punishing law-abiding gun owners — just those who use their weapons unlawfully.
Police would use offenders’ home addresses and workplaces, as well as other information, to keep track of them while they complete a three- or five-year education program — the more egregious the offense, the longer the program takes.
More than two-thirds of the murders recorded by Prince George’s County police in 2011 were the result of gunshots, according to police officials.
Following the death of a 6-year-old boy who accidently shot himself with a gun he found inside his Clinton home on April 9, Toles is working to add another offense to the bill that would require enrollment in the gun offender registry: reckless endangerment.
Police last week charged a 20-year-old man who apparently stashed the gun in a backpack inside the young boy’s home with the offense.
The registry is modeled after a similar program in Baltimore, where officials have been locked in a court battle over the legality of the registry since a Circuit Court judge ruled it was unconstitutional in April 2011.
Toles said she plans to introduce a resolution clearly outlining the procedures and regulations of the registry to avoid some of the ambiguities cited by the judge in his ruling regarding Baltimore’s program.
The case over the Baltimore registry is before the Maryland Court of Special Appeals.
