I am listening to the radio and a guy called into the station and he said he was a "sportsmen" and owned a shotgun and a rifle. He rambled on about not "needing" Ar-15 and "Assault Weapons". These idiots just get my blood boiling.
The text of the e-mails I sent to my state representative and state senator; Senator/Representative, As one of your constituents as well as a police officer of 25 years, I am writing to make known my very strong opposition to any legislation that will further infringe on the rights of gun owners in Massachusetts. I have seen it countless times with my own eyes; laws mean absolutely nothing to criminals, who, by pure definition, break the law. Meaningless, feel-good measures such as banning semi-automatic weapons and restricting magazine capacities will do NOTHING to deter criminals from practicing their craft, and will just further erode the rights of citizens. If the legislature truly wants to "do something" about gun violence, they should enact discretion-proof mandatory sentences for those who commit firearms crimes. The current laws are a joke, thanks to the wide discretion given to our mostly liberal judges. In my 25 years as a police officer, I have never ONCE seen someone sentenced to the one-year "mandatory" sentence called for by the Bartley-Fox law. Not once. That, Senator/Representative, is the problem, not law-abiding gun owners. Again, I urge you to not fall victim to the media-fueled hysteria about the Newtown tragedy. No law of any kind was going to stop Adam Lanza at Sandy Hook, and disarming law abiding citizens is not the answer. Sincerely, My Name & Address
Nicely done. Every one of you LEO's needs to do the same. Your collective opinions carry some weight.
Has anyone received a reply yet? My state rep is a Democrat, so I'm not holding out hope, but my state senator is a Republican and has been responsive in the past, so we'll see.
Here is a response I got. I sent him a bunch of facts. _________________________________________________________ Thank you for this information. Sincerely, Rep. George N. Peterson, Jr. House Assistant Minority Leader State House, Room 124 Boston, MA 02133 T: 617-722-2100 F: 617-722-2390 [email protected] legislative aide: David Muradian [email protected]
Peterson has always been pro-gun and works with GOAL quite a bit. The problem is those guys are a super minority.
I hope that if a few reps tell the room that they have been receiving emails from LEO's stating that these laws will NOT deter crime it may open some eyes. Don't know why I'm an optimist at this point but you guys need to try.
I called Steve Kulik's office. Stated my thoughts, and urged him to oppose any further anti gun legislation. He gave me the "we are still looking it over". I told him I'm an LEO. He took my phone number. If any of you guys show up here in black SUV's, please bring some beer. Lol.
Been on the phone most of the day. Had good conversation with 2 Senate Offices and 1 Rep. These proposals are absurd.
I'm still waiting for a reply from either my senator or representative. If I don't hear back by tomorrow morning, I'll start making phone calls. If I can't get through by phone, I'll take the T to Park Street, walk up the hill, and plant myself in their offices until I'm heard.
Just recieved this email from Four Seasons. I don't have time to read the whole steaming pile of dog shit right now but it does not sound good. I will be reading it over tonight and I will be drafting letters and emails might even try to call the Governors office tomorrow. On January 16, 2013 Massachusetts Governor Patrick filed “An Act To Strengthen and Enhance Firearms Laws in the Commonwealth” which includes a 7 round magazine limit and a “1 firearm per month” purchase limit. There are a total of 44 Sections in the bill. Please read them all. The link is below. The bill must now go to the State Senate and House of Representatives for consideration. Please contact your State Senator and State Representatives and voice your opinion on this proposed bill. Click this link to go to the Governor’s web site and read the complete text of the bill. http://www.mass.gov/governor/legislationeexecorder/legislation/an-act-to-strengthen-and-enhance-firearms-laws.html
Another Response: I e-mailed ALL of them. Regardless whether I am their constituent or not. Hello and thank you for contacting my office. Constituent concerns are always my top priority. While I attempt to answer all my e-mails personally and in a timely manner, it is not always possible due to the volume of e-mails I receive daily. If you have not already done so please be sure to include your home address and home telephone number with your correspondance. If the issue you are contacting me about is time sensitive, I suggest you telephone my office directly. If I am not your state legislator, you can access the information to find your state legislator on-line at http://www.malegislature.gov/. If you know the name of your legislator you may call the main State House number at 617.722.2000 to reach their office. Gailanne M. Cariddi First Berkshire District She or her staff misspelled correspondence lol
Look the only way to influence them about the TRUE experience/feelings of Commonwealth LEOS, is for us to show up en-mass at hearings. Don't think it makes a difference? We did it in 2006 and got them to change CHAPTER 90. We rotated a dozen guys on each side of the gallery EVERY DAY of hearings. Then they allowed two fo us to testify before the cognizant committee. There ARE enough MASSCOPS and other personnel out here to do it!
I am in when any public hearing may come up. My Rep. is supposed to email me the dates of any possible hearing.
I brought up precisely this concept with some guys on shift today. A few expressed interest in doing just that. Even those who are not collectors and regular shooters get it, when the proposal is broken down into real-world scenarios. No one wants to hear they're about to become the owner of a paperweight, or risk a felony, solely for having a .22 target rifle or plinking pistol that only have mags that exceed 7 rounds. I'm in.
Most Fudds won't. I've encountered enough of them to know that until their shitty lever action 30.06's and Mossberg rifled barreled 12ga deer guns get banned we won't hear shit from them. I've already heard some of them are in favor of 7 rounds and heard "Nobody uses an AR for hunting". Makes my blood boil. If the shit ever goes south I'll be head hunting the fudds with the "Bone Collector" stickers on their shitty made UAW trucks.
+1 And that's the problem; compromise. 7 rounds will become 5, then 3, then 1. "Assault weapon" will be amended to include pump action and lever action. Eventually someone is going to say, "We already have black powder hunting, so that shows that you don't even need a bolt action for hunting...so we can compromise and keep the bolt action out of the hands of would-be snipers..." Eventually, it's going to be, "Is your 'right' to hunt really worth the life of all the little children? I mean, you can buy meat at the store..." I can see MassCops becoming a force in the political debate in Massachusetts. I like what I'm reading here; it sounds like we have a huge amount of police officers who are willing to do what it takes to uphold the Constitution...and I know this is just a cross section. Given the no nonsense nature of this forum, I totally believe what many of you are saying about your co-workers being in agreement. The officers who instructed me at the R/I academy, some of whom I'm still in contact with, feel the same way. Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York (among others) may be in bad shape, but they aren't lost causes.
I wrote a letter to the editor. Sent it to several papers. I told them I will not enforce these laws, and my reasons why. I guess I have a promising future at Home Depot?
I was thinking of buying my little cousin a Super Soaker for his bithday. How big can the tank be before being considered a high capacity magazine?
No State shall...pass any Bill of Attainder, ex post facto Law.... Article I, Section 10, Clause 1 I'm no legal scholar but doesn't both the proposed MA, and NY laws violate ex post facto?