Jun 18 2010
A commentary on proposed firearms legislation.
The following was sent to the local newspapers in Salem, Beverly and Peabody this afternoon. The legislation our Governor has proposed once again takes aim at law abiding citizens who wish to exercise their freedom to own firearms. I firmly believe in the 2nd Amendment right to bear and keep arms.
A bill, entitled “An Act to Reduce Firearm Violence,” HR 4102, is currently pushed by Governor Deval Patrick: it will limit law abiding citizens to a single gun purchase in a thirty day period. It exempts law enforcement personnel, the military, and bone fide gun collectors from this restriction. Most people who purchase firearms for hunting, competitive shooting, or to enjoy the challenge of target shooting will not fall into these categories. This legislation, on the other hand, criminalizes a second purchase in 30 days with fine and/or imprisonment up to two and one half years.
A further restriction of this bill is the requirement that any private sale of a firearm must be done with a licensed dealer. This is avowedly to allow tracking of fire arm purchases. Growing up, I was taught to shoot by my stepfather. This turned out to be an important part of my general education in my youth that served me very well when I was in basic training. What was a simple thing for him, the ownership of a shotgun, was in reality a investment that he resorted to once or twice to keep food on our table in really difficult times. Not by hunting, but by competitive shooting. Selling a firearm he owned to a friend enabled him to purchase a new one. Under the Deval Patrick legislation, he would have to go to a gun dealer, undoubtedly pay a fee to the dealer to handle the reporting requirements, sell the weapon to his friend, at which time everyone went their separate ways. Do you think criminals will do this with their illegally obtained firearms?
Governor Deval Patrick has proposed a law that is an obvious attack on legal gun owners in the Commonwealth. Under the guise of reducing firearm violence this piece of legislation makes the assumption that every person who wishes to own guns in Massachusetts is going to be a “straw purchaser” and hand over those weapons to a criminal or gang element. What this ill-conceived bill does is place restrictions on legal and responsible gun owners while doing virtually nothing to curb the flow of illegal weapons to the streets.
Now consider another bill. This second bill is currently sitting in the Public Safety Committee and has been for several months. HR 2259, entitled “An Act relative to Civil Rights and Public Safety” was filed by Rep. Peterson (R-Grafton) and clearly states who may be licensed to own a firearm. This legislation prevents dangerous individuals from obtaining firearms without trampling on the freedoms of law-abiding citizens. This Republican sponsored and common sense bill makes it clear that persons who have been convicted of violent crimes, addicted to controlled substances, persons who are illegal aliens, or are under a restraining order for stalking a partner or their children will not be able to purchase firearms. In fact, there are thirteen categories that comprehensively cover those most likely to commit crimes of violence with a firearm. This second bill also protects the rights of legal gun owners to purchase firearms.
Which of the two bills should lawful citizens prefer? There is a very glaring defect in Governor Patrick’s bill that directly removes those same rights from us as law abiding and lawful citizens. Rights guaranteed by the 2nd Amendment of the US Constitution and Article XVII of the Massachusetts Constitution are being trampled on by this legislation proposed by Deval Patrick. We can not, and should not, stand by while this essential liberty is further restricted by Beacon Hill. An alternative bill is already drafted that accomplishes the same goal but with an important element. Not turning law abiding citizens into criminals for exercises their constitutional right.
I therefore encourage everyone to contact their State Representative and Senator in support of Representative Peterson’s bill and ask them to gently but decisively kill the bill currently under consideration. Putting reasonable restrictions on gun ownership for those who are most likely to use them in violent crime is a common sense move to protect us, our friends, and our neighbors.
What do you think? Which bill would you support?
I know which one I am standing behind.
