(Photo illustration created with grebeshkovmaxim photo / Shuttterstock and photo courtesy of Lloyd Muldrow )
November 03, 2022
By David Codrea
Marine veteran Lloyd Muldrow rescued his friend by disarming an attacker. Ungrateful Baltimore police filed gun charges against Muldrow, even though he notified the officers he was carrying, he was legally licensed in Virginia, and he did not use the firearm in subduing the attacker.
“After Marine veteran makes rescue, Baltimore police file gun charges against him,” Fox News reports . “Muldrow remembered his training, leaping into action to rescue a friend and disarm an attacker. Muldrow now faces possible jail time for possession of a gun for which he has a concealed-carry permit to carry in Virginia. He could also lose his clearance to maintain a job providing security to federal facilities.”
On top of that, we find “Muldrow... didn’t use his sidearm in the rescue.”
What in the world? So, how did the police know?
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“Mr. Muldrow singlehandedly disarmed a gunman who was pistol-whipping his friend,” an informational alert announcing the establishment of a legal defense fund elaborates. “When the police arrived, Mr. Muldrow was wrestling the attacker on the ground. Mr. Muldrow informed the officers he was carrying a concealed weapon that was legally registered in Virginia.”
In a rational world, one would think the police would have thanked Muldrow as they hauled away the attacker, and maybe thought about how nice it would be to formally recognize citizens who help make the streets safer with an official expression of appreciation, maybe a press conference with a nice plaque. But we’re talking about “a city on pace for its deadliest year in more than a decade” per Fox 45 Baltimore .
Unable to do a thing about that without admitting the utter failure of the crime-guaranteeing “progressive” policies they impose to stay in power, elected officials and their police enforcers have nothing to offer except to push for more edicts that will only have the effect of disarming law-abiding citizens.
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What’s curious, perhaps because the recent Supreme Court ruling in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen , which threatens Maryland’s “may issue” concealed carry permitting scheme, is that Muldrow was not charged with violating that. But the state was desperate to come up with something it believed it could make stick.
“The responding officers conferred with one of their superiors, and it was decided Mr. Muldrow should be charged with possessing a firearm within 100 yards of a public building,” the informational alert explains. “If convicted, Mr. Muldrow faces a mandatory prison term of one year.”
“This law stretches the definition of constitutionality,” Muldrow’s attorney Michael Stark, asserts, providing an indisputable reason (logically if not “legally—yet) why. “With so many churches and schools in Baltimore, it is virtually impossible to legally carry any gun at any time.”
Not that it stops the criminals. Based on results, it would be fair to presume they’re counting on a disarmed victim pool courtesy of city government.
Wanting to get into some specifics unanswered by media reports, Firearms News approached Muldrow with questions intended to fill in the gaps. His answers give that insight.
FN: What made you assume your Virginia permit would work in Maryland? When you took your permit training, was the issue of reciprocity with other states not pointed out?
LM: VA recognizes MD concealed carry permits and the recent US Supreme Court decision made it legal to carry in another state.
[Although Maryland has a CCW permit system in place, Maryland will ONLY grant a permit on temporary basis IF a citizen has filed a police report that their life has been threatened and the police determine it is a legitimate threat. Then, the permit is only granted for something like 90 days and the case is reviewed to see if the permit will be extended. Also, Maryland will NOT grant retired police CCW permits. –FN]
FN: Why did you volunteer to the police that you had a gun?
LM: The law states whenever engaged with law enforcement let them know you have a weapon.
FN: At what point did you stop answering questions and ask to speak to an attorney?
LM: I never refused to answer questions even though none was asked.
FN: How long have you been a gun owner?
LM: Since 1982.
FN: What made you decide to get a concealed carry permit?
LM: For personal protection and for my job.
FN: Can you describe the incident where you intervened and what prompted you to do so? I understand you physically wrestled the attacker down and it was only after the police arrived that you informed them you had a gun…? Why did you tell them?
LM: The facts of the incident are recounted here [at the fundraising page established to defray legal expenses]. This is what I have been trained to do as a Marine: to combat all enemies, foreign and domestic. I informed the police of my gun because the law requires it.
FN: With the potential sentence of one year, will a conviction make you a "prohibited person" forbidden to own a gun?
LM: No, it is a misdemeanor.
FN: What advice would you have for other gun owners who may find themselves with a similar choice to make?
LM: If you have the proper training, by all means intervene. The bullets in that man's gun could have had the names of my family and friends on them.
“Furthermore, the recent Supreme Court case of New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen struck down the requirement that a person demonstrate why he needs a firearm. This should have given the officers pause in arresting Mr. Muldrow,” attorney Stark observed. “It is also untenable that Maryland does not recognize Virginia gun permits the way it does with driver’s licenses. All states should recognize valid gun permits.”
“The victim can be seen on police body-worn cameras telling the police that Mr. Muldrow probably saved his life,” the informational alert concluded. “Many other witnesses on the scene spoke up for Mr. Muldrow's heroic actions. None of that mattered.”
As mentioned in the interview, a fundraising page to help defray legal expenses has been established at GiveSendGo . The state has virtually unlimited funds to prosecute gun owners with, but when we find ourselves the target of charges, we’re on our own.
It would be all too easy to just give up and roll over for tyranny, but as the circumstances leading to his prosecution demonstrate, Mr. Muldrow is a fighting patriot, a Marine, and in this case, don’t think of him as just doing it for himself. The implications here mean he is fighting for all of us.
In recognition of that, and for your own self-interests, why not help out with a contribution, and by sharing his story with like-minded friends?
Epilog After this article was submitted, per The Baltimore Banner , "Muldrow pleaded guilty in Baltimore Circuit Court to wearing, carrying or transporting a loaded handgun without a permit. Circuit Judge Cynthia Jones then struck the finding of guilt and sentenced him to probation before judgment...Muldrow agreed to the plea agreement, which does not constitute a conviction. He accepted responsibility for what happened."
About the Author David Codrea is the winner of multiple journalist awards for investigating/defending the RKBA and a long-time gun owner rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament. In addition to being a regular featured contributor for Firearms News he blogs at “The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance,” and posts on Twitter: @dcodrea and Facebook .
