ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - The chairman of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee says a vote is near on a gun control measure in Maryland.
Sen. Brian Frosh said he expects a vote to come Thursday evening on the bill that has the backing of Gov. Martin O'Malley.
Frosh, a Montgomery County Democrat, says he expects the vote will be 6-5 in favor of the bill.
The measure would ban assault weapons. It also would strengthen handgun licensing laws by requiring fingerprints from people who purchase them. Supporters say that provision is designed to help prevent straw purchases, in which people buy guns for others who are not allowed to own them.
O'Malley, a Democrat, has made the measure a priority of his legislative agenda this year.
