Marvin Mandel, Governor                         911

CHAPTER 404
(House Bill 1531)

AN ACT to repeal and re-enact, with amendments, Section 119 of
Article 27 of the Annotated Code of Maryland (1967 Replacement
Volume), title and subtitle "Crimes and Punishments," subhead-
ing "Destroying, Injuring, Etc., Property Maliciously"; to repeal
Section 120 of the same Article, title and subtitle; to repeal and
re-enact, with amendments, Sections 27, 28, 29, 31, 32(C), 33, 34
and 35 of Article 38A of the Annotated Code of Maryland (1965 Re-
placement Volume), title "Fires and Investigations," subtitle "Ex-
plosives," and to enact a new Section SECTIONS 27A AND 27B as
part of the same Article, title and subtitle, to follow immediately
after Section 27 thereof, AND TO ENACT A NEW SECTION 31A
AS PART OF THE SAME ARTICLE, TITLE AND SUBTITLE
TO FOLLOW IMMEDIATELY AFTER SECTION 31 THEREOF,
AND TO ENACT A NEW SECTION 33A AS PART OF
THE SAME ARTICLE, TITLE AND SUBTITLE TO FOL-
LOW IMMEDIATELY AFTER SECTION 33 THEREOF, and
to enact new Sections 34A, 34B, 34C, 34D, 34E and, 34F AND
34G as part of the same Article, title and subtitle, to follow im-
mediately after Section 34 thereof; to increase the penalties for
wilful and malicious destruction of property by means of explo-
sives, and to expand the categories of property the destruction of
which by such means is prohibited; to increase the penalties for
manufacturing, hand manufacturing, dealing in or possessing
CERTAIN explosives without a license; to change and supplement
the reasons for which a license to manufacture, hand manufacture,
deal in or possess explosives shall be denied; to require additional
information in license applications for possession of explosives; to
make it a crime under certain circumstances to aid, counsel or
otherwise further or conspire in a violation of the law prohibiting
unlicensed possession of explosives; to provide for the forfeiture
of vehicles, vessels and aircraft used in connection with certain
violations of the aforementioned subtitle entitled "Explosives";
TO DELETE THE PROVISIONS OF SAID SUBTITLE CON-
CERNING HAND MANUFACTURE OF EXPLOSIVES; TO
PROVIDE FOR THE ISSUANCE OF LICENSES FOR POS-
SESSION OF GUN POWDER AND OTHER EXPLOSIVES
NECESSARY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF AMMUNITION
FOR SMALL ARMS; to provide that the defendant or the holder of
an alleged security interest shall have the burden of proving that he
falls within any exception, excuse, proviso, or exemption of said
subtitle; to correct certain inaccurate references and to update cer-
tain obsolete material in said subtitle; and relating generally to the
laws of this State concerning manufacture, hand manufacture, deal-
ing in and possession of explosives, the issuance of licenses therefor,
penalties for violation thereof, and the burden of proof in cases
concerned therewith.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland,
That Section 119 of Article 27 of the Annotated Code of Maryland
(1967 Replacement Volume), title and subtitle, "Crimes and Punish-
ments," subheading, "Destroying, Injuring, Etc., Property Mali-
ciously," be and it is hereby repealed and re-enacted, with amend-
ments, to read as follows: