A judge ruled Baltimore’s gun offender registry unconstitutional, calling into question one of the city’s signature programs against gun violence, reports the Baltimore Sun. Judge Alfred Nance said the police department had “failed or refused to comply” with establishing clear regulations for the registry, which required people convicted of gun crimes to provide addresses and other information with the city every six months for three years.
The judge also called the program, created in 2007, “unconstitutionally vague and overly broad.” Registrants must provide “any other information required by the rules and regulations adopted by the Police Commissioner,” language that Nance said appeared to give police “limitless discretion.” The law was modeled after a registry in New York City, and supported by data showing that half of those charged with homicides in Baltimore had previous gun convictions.