What's truly remarkable is what the bill doesn't do: Free dealers in the rest of Maryland  to sell motorcycles or any other vehicles on a Sunday.

Still in effect is this tidbit of legal lunacy:

 (d) Except in Howard, Montgomery, and Prince George’s counties, and  except as provided in subsection (g) of this section, a new or used car dealer may not sell, barter, deliver, give away, show, or offer for sale a motor vehicle or certificate of title for a motor vehicle on Sunday.

A dealer who violates this section can be fined up to $10,000.

That subsection (g) mentioned above now reads:

(g) In ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY AND Worcester County, a dealer may sell, 19 barter, deliver, give away, show, or offer for sale a motorcycle, as defined in § 11–136 20 of the Transportation Article, or certificate of title for a motorcycle on Sunday.

So that leaves 18 counties, plus Balltimore city, where it is illegal to sell a motorcycle on a Sunday. In 21 of those jurisdictions, including Anne Arundel, you still can't sell a car on the first day of the week. (Arundel does have its own exemption for camping trailers  and mobile homes.)

So why doesn't the legislature just eliminate this type of absurd regulation entirely? Why not let any dealer who wants to sell a legal vehicle do so any day of the week in whatever county he or she does business?

Generally, it's because the regulated industry wants to be regulated. It's a peculiar form of restraint of trade where the dealers in a county decide they'd rather  have the day off than do business. Obviously if one dealer opens on a Sunday, they all  have to open on Sunday for competive reasons, so they need a  law to enforce their rest day. So these restrictive laws end up getting peeled back one county at a time, one type of  vehicle at a time.

If these laws were truly religion-neutral, they would merely require that a dealer close one day a  week -- letting Jewish dealers close Saturdays or Muslim dealers to close Fridays. How they could stand up to constitutional scrutiny is something you'll need a lawyer to explain.

Anyway, the motorcycle dealers of Anne Arundel are apparently pleased by this partial, limited blow for freedom. Hunter sent out a new release quoting Bill Phillips,  general manager of Harley-Davidson of Annapolis.

"It means a lot for our business," he said.  "In the past, we had to turn away business and ask people to come back on Monday.  It made it hard for the customer.

"Our motorcycles are a passion, a hobby, and a lot of fun.  So being able to sell on Sundays now allows us to help people ride away on their dream any day of the week. We have always been open on Sundays, anyway.  But now, we get to not only sell clothing and accessories, we get to sell Harley-Davidsons," he said.

That does sound like fun. So if you live in the city or Baltimore County or Harford County (or any of Maryland's other blue-law) counties and you're thinking of buying a bike, head for Howard or Anne Arundel and spend your money where the government will let you do so any day you choose. (And tell your local dealer you stopped by Sunday but found they were closed.)