Hogan And Guns

When he was running for governor, Larry Hogan talked about guns and gun control about as little as possible. When his opponents in the Republican primary espoused full-throated support for an absolutist interpretation of the Second Amendment, he talked about the need to keep guns away from those with mental illness. When his Democratic opponent in the general election started running attack ads against him featuring images of assault rifles on a playground and in a shopping cart, Mr. Hogan reiterated a promise not to try to overturn the state's gun laws and then changed the subject back to taxes and the economy.

But for those who reject the gun lobby's rhetoric that a heavily armed society is a safe one, there was some cause for doubt. During the campaign, the Washington Post reported on gun activists' claims that Mr. Hogan had given them private assurances that he would loosen Maryland's standards for issuing concealed-carry permits, and Mr. Hogan refused repeated requests to release the questionnaire he filled out for the National Rifle Association, which endorsed him and gave him an A- rating.

In December, Mr. Hogan was asked by a caller during an appearance on WBAL-AM's C4 show whether he would loosen the restrictions on the issuance of concealed-carry permits for handguns. Maryland not only requires applicants to pass a background check but also that they demonstrate a "good and substantial" reason for carrying a weapon outside the home. Mr. Hogan said his goal was to make it harder for criminals and the mentally ill to possess handguns but easier for everyone else. He bragged that 95 percent of those who applied to the state police for concealed-carry permits were getting them (others questioned that statistic) but lamented that while his administration was "trying to do what we can to make improvements," he was constrained by the legislature. "The law is the law," he said.

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