Towson student proposes policy memo to Moore-Miller Administration during Public Service Scholars internship

By Daniel Admasu, Contributing Writer

Jac’ey Wynn-Ogunbode, a rising senior at Towson University, presented a policy memorandum focused on reducing gun trafficking via Interstate Highway 95 for the Moore-Miller Administration as part of her summer internship working for the Maryland Department of the Environment through the Maryland Public Service Scholars program.  

Wynn-Ogunbode and her group spent 10 weeks preparing their memo, which they presented to Gov. Wes Moore at the State House in Annapolis. 

The six-minute presentation detailed Maryland’s rules for carrying and using firearms. 

They pointed to the fact that crimes committed with privately-made guns are a problem because it is difficult to trace the firearm back to its owner. 

In 2022, it became illegal to own a firearm without a serial number in Maryland, according to the State Police. The law attempts to combat the high number of unregulated and untraceable firearms, or “ghost guns,” in the state. 

By November of 2021, Baltimore City police had seized at least 294 ghost guns that year. 

Wynn-Ogunbode’s group suspected that the Iron Pipeline was responsible for the prominence of ghost guns. The Iron Pipeline is a route used to traffic firearms from Southern states to the Mid-Atlantic states via I-95. 

“Other states outside of Maryland have more lenient laws, so individuals use those laws, purchase the firearms, and then bring them to another state,” she said. “Even though Maryland is very strict in their firearm laws, there still are some loopholes and gaps, many of which my group and I think were attributed to the Iron Pipeline.”

In the policy memo, Wynn-Ogunbode and her group explained a few options to address gun trafficking. 

She said these included requiring handguns sellers to inform law enforcement when a prospective buyer fails a background check. Currently, while Maryland requires background checks for handgun sales, licensed sellers do not need to notify law enforcement when an individual fails it, Everytown Research reported. 

Wynn-Ogunbode and her group also suggested mental health initiatives to reduce gun violence. 

They concluded that firearm regulations can impact every individual in the state but said, “It’s up to the people in positions of power to enact safe and lasting laws.”

She said Moore was “very encouraging” after they finished presenting. 

“There are those moments where you think you messed up and you did horribly, but as soon as I heard his opinion and how well and proud of us that he was and he appreciated us for taking the time out of our lives to even be there in that moment and doing what we did, that eliminated any doubts, any negative thoughts from my mind.”

Glenda Henkel, associate director of career education at Towson’s Career Center, said the university has been a part of the program since its inception in 1987. While the Schreiber Center at the University of Maryland Baltimore County coordinates the Public Service Scholars Program, students from across the state are eligible to apply. 

“It’s not a UMBC program,” Henkel said. “It’s a Maryland program.” 

Wynn-Ogunbode also worked with Rachel Lamb, senior climate advisor for the Department of the Environment in the Office of Secretary Serena McIlwain.  

With Lamb’s help, Wynn-Ogunbode composed a high-level summary focused on equitable considerations for electric cars. The summary included how manufacturers of public charging stations can build stations accessible for people with physical disabilities or who use mobility aids. 

The Advanced Clean Cars II Act, which the Moore-Miller Administration adopted in March, intends to have zero vehicle emissions by 2035. Wynn-Ogunbode said equity is one of the hurdles affecting the successful execution of that rule in the state.

Henkel said the Public Service Scholars Program can benefit students looking for a government career.

“Students in the Governor’s summer internship program, which is one of only four programs under this umbrella, have an opportunity to work with someone at a fairly high level and a state agency, and they do try to match your career interests with an agency that is a proponent of that particular career interest,” she said. 

The program director, Hannah Schmitz, said students interested in applying for the internship should demonstrate an interest in public service with experience in volunteering, club participation, previous internships or other leadership positions. What’s most important is a desire to serve others. 

“If you can showcase that, I think that’s how applications really tend to stand out.”