Republican state lawmakers in Maryland are pushing a package of crime-fighting bills that they hope will pass, unlike in previous years.

The Senate Republican Caucus said its crime package is designed to address violent crime and hold repeat violent offenders accountable.

“It's repeat offender, repeat offender, repeat offender. This has got to stop,” said Eastern Shore Sen. Johnny Mautz IV, R-District 37. “We are all hopeful this year that the level of violence will cause some action to put some new laws in place to try to address what's going on.”

Democrats and Republicans agree there is a serious gun problem, but they don't see eye to eye on how to address it.

“We have a problem. We have a massive problem,” said Senate President Bill Ferguson, D-District 46. “Something has to give. This can't keep happening.”

On Monday, federal prosecutors announced FBI agents foiled an alleged domestic terrorism plot in which Sarah Beth Clendaniel, of Catonsville, planned a firearm attack against Baltimore's power grid. On Friday, Harford County sheriff's deputies took David Linthicum into custody after a two-county search in which he allegedly shot and wounded two Baltimore County police officers.

The Republicans' Gun Violence Accountability Act (Senate Bill 745) would increase the penalties for illegally possessing a firearm from three to five years. It's a bill for which Baltimore City State's Attorney Ivan Bates initially had trouble finding a sponsor. Now, he has a sponsor in both chambers.