Maryland looks to hold gunmakers accountable, but Congress also needs to act

The Maryland General Assembly, with the support of Gov. Wes Moore, is prioritizing bills this legislative session that would bolster the state’s already strict laws regulating firearms — and for good reason. More than 50 mass shootings (defined for this count as a minimum of four people shot in a single incident, excluding the gunperson), have already occurred in 19 states and the District of Columbia just since the start of this year, including the shooting of five teenagers in Baltimore City on Jan. 4, one of whom died. As of Thursday, 88 people have been killed in 2023 in this country through such broad attacks, and 219 wounded. Hundreds more have been victims of smaller-scale shootings.