A Maryland task force on Wednesday urged state lawmakers to allow cops to seize weapons from anyone threatening violence and to provide police departments more money to train their officers to deal with the mentally ill.

The task force, set up to study access to firearms by the mentally ill, was put together long before the Connecticut school massacre last month that sparked a new national debate over gun control. But the findings will help lawmakers deal with the aftermath of that shooting when they return to Annapolis on Jan. 9.

The panel concluded in its 18-page report that it is "not persuaded" that mental illness alone should disqualify someone from buying a gun.

Still, the report said counselors, physicians, probation agents and similar professionals should be required to report any verbal or physical threats to help track potentially dangerous individuals with a serious mental disability. And those who are prohibited from owning a gun should have a path to having those rights restored, the report said.

Sign Up for the Politics Today newsletter!

Please enter your email address below to begin receiving the Politics Today newsletter.

You must enter a valid email address in the field above!

Thank you for signing up for the Politics Today newsletter! You should receive your first newsletter very soon.

We're sorry, there was an error processing your newsletter signup. Please click here to visit our Newsletter Signup Center to register for this newsletter.

The task force also recommended that cops be given the power to temporarily seize weapons from individuals deemed dangerous. Police should also be given additional training on how to deal with the mentally ill, the report said.

- Steve Contorno