Like Cuomo’s plan in New York, O’Malley’s proposal in Maryland is expected to pass the state’s Democratic-controlled state legislature.

“There is a sickness in our country. That sickness is gun violence,” O’Malley said Monday at the beginning of a two-day gun violence summit at Johns Hopkins University.

“Perhaps there is no way to completely prevent the next Newtown tragedy. But then again, perhaps there is. None of us can predict the future. … And, yet, we know every life is valuable.”

O’Malley added that his plan “isn’t about ideology.” Instead, it’s “about the dignity of every individual life. The dignity of every one of those little kids.”

The former Baltimore mayor’s plan would ban military-style “assault weapons,” which, he said, “have no place on the streets of Baltimore or in any other neighborhood in our state.”

It would also limit the size of magazines and, among the tougher proposals, would include a requirement for most prospective gun buyers to provide fingerprints to state police, undergo a background check and complete a mandatory gun-safety course in order to obtain an owner’s permit.

Buyers of shotguns and hunting rifles would be exempt from the measure. Currently, only Maryland residents seeking a concealed-carry permit must submit their fingerprints.