Last Wednesday, Black gun owners and small-business vendors crowded into Guntry in Owings Mills for a "Gun Rights: A Celebration of Freedom" expo that felt part block party, part policy crash course. Between sharpshooting contests and vendor booths, the talk kept circling back to what is happening in Richmond and what might be coming next. Organizers said the goal was to highlight safety, training, and community responsibility while warning that new laws could reshape routine gun ownership.
As reported by The Baltimore Sun, the February 25 expo featured sharpshooting competitions, vendor prize giveaways, VIP rifle and pistol ranges, and shooting simulators. Online outlets We The Free TV and Guns Out TV co‑sponsored the event, which drew participants from Maryland, Northern Virginia, and beyond. The roster included Baltimore-based certified firearms trainer Anthony Gaines Jr., Northern Virginia hobbyist DeMarco Thomas, and vendors demonstrating safety gear and adapted receivers.
One of the big reasons for the gathering was a stack of proposals in Richmond, especially Virginia House Bill 1524, which would widen the state’s definition of "assault firearms" and prohibit carrying certain such weapons in public places such as streets and parks. According to the Virginia Legislative Information System, the bill expands where these firearms could be banned and lays out misdemeanor penalties for violations. The measure has moved through the House this month, leaving advocates in nearby states uneasy about cross-state enforcement and what it could mean for travel to ranges.
At the range, organizer Shermichael Singleton said the event was about how gun ownership looks as much as about enumerated rights, and he warned reporters that pending gun legislation could criminalize law‑abiding Black gun enthusiasts. Michael Cain of Boss Silencers in Stafford, Virginia, told attendees that most silencers are safety devices designed to protect hearing and are not movie quiet, a talking point vendors used while urging carve-outs for hearing protection devices. Those comments, and the anxious mood running through the expo, were captured in interviews with The Baltimore Sun.
The policy backdrop in Maryland is already complicated. State law limits where firearms can be carried and restricts some sales and devices, and federal appeals courts have recently upheld much of that structure, including "sensitive places" rules. The Washington Post reported on a January appeals court ruling that left many of Maryland’s public-place bans in place, a reminder that judges have largely been signing off on restrictions in recent months. Advocates at the Guntry event said those decisions matter on the ground because it is day-to-day enforcement, not just statutory language, that determines how communities actually enforce these laws.
Speakers also argued that lawmakers should pay attention to who owns guns now. Industry reporting and trade groups describe a rise in first-time buyers and growing diversity within the firearms community, trends that organizers said do not square neatly with blanket restrictions. The National Shooting Sports Foundation has pointed to significant increases in purchases by Black Americans and other groups since 2020, a shift that advocates at the expo said should guide policy debates instead of turning ordinary behavior into a potential crime.
Legal implications
If HB1524 is enacted, carrying or transporting certain defined firearms on public streets or in parks could be treated as a misdemeanor, according to the bill text, and how that plays out could differ sharply from one locality to the next. The Virginia Legislative Information System details the proposed penalty framework and the definitions that would govern public carry and transport. Owners and trainers at the expo urged legislators to spell out clear exceptions for ranges, hearing protection, and trained users, and to separate rules on possession, sale, and transport so that law‑abiding hobbyists are not swept up in broad enforcement actions.
