Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh wants to export the state’s gun control laws to other states, specifically the requirement that you get a license and a background check before owning a gun. 

Frosh has sent a letter to his fellow state Attorneys General saying there is proof that gun laws cut the murder rate.

In the letter, he cites a study from the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research. It found that in Connecticut, which has a license requirement similar to Maryland’s, homicides committed with guns declined 40 percent after that requirement went into effect. On the other hand, Missouri repealed gun licensing and the homicide rate went up 25 percent.

Frosh says he hopes his letter will give gun control advocates across the country news they can use.

“Scientific proof isn’t good enough for everybody, but it is good enough for most people,” Frosh said. “And I hope that common sense will prevail and that other states will follow our model.”

He said that since Maryland’s law took effect two years ago, 526 people have been denied permits either because they had criminal records or had been hospitalized for mental illness.

John Josselyn with Associated Gun Clubs of Baltimore questioned the validity of the Hopkins study. He said Frosh is trying to solve a social problem with a technological fix.

Ten states, including Maryland, require a permit to buy a handgun.

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