Atten Mass Shooters

[Admin]

I just received this from my rep's assistant.

Hi Derek,

To be honest with you, this is one bill we haven't had a chance to read thoroughly, since they just redrafted it. Rep. Carron does feel he is inclined to support it, but again, we will need to take a closer look when it is before us for a vote.

I'm including the new language for you, in case you haven't seen the redraft. Please call me or email me if you have any questions or any additional information that may be of use when considering this bill.

Thank you!

Lauren Aquino Couture
Office of Representative Mark J. Carron
State House, Room 33
Boston, MA 02133
617.722.2060

Changes to H4552

protecting the rights of target shooters

Section 121 of Chapter 140, as appearing in the 2002 Official Edition, is herebyamended by inserting after the word “trigger”, in Line 107, the following: -

“Single Action Revolver”, any revolver manufactured as a single-action revolver that has at least a 5-cartridge capacity with a barrel length of not less than three inches, and meets any of the following specifications:

(a) Was originally manufactured prior to 1900 and is a curio or relic, as defined in Section 478.11 of Title 27 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

(b) Has an overall length measured parallel to the barrel of at least 7 1/2 inches when the handle, frame or receiver, and barrel are assembled.

(c) Has an overall length measured parallel to the barrel of at least 7 1/2 inches when the handle, frame or receiver, and barrel are assembled and that is currently approved for importation into the United States pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (3) of subsection (d) of Section 925 of Title 18 of the United States Code.

SECTION 2
Section 123 of Chapter 140 is hereby amended by adding the following paragraph after clause twenty-first:-

“Notwithstanding any general or special law or regulation to the contrary, clause Eighteenth to Twenty-first, inclusive, of said section 123 of Chapter 140, shall not apply to:

(a) any firearm solely designed and sold specifically for formal target shooting competition

(b) any firearm lawfully owned or possessed under a license issued under said Chapter 140 on or before October 21, 1998

(c) any single action revolver

 

[C-pher]

I just received this from my rep's assistant.



Changes to H4552

Maybe it's me, but it doesn't look much different.

 

[Len-2A Training]

(a) Was originally manufactured prior to 1900 and is a curio or relic, as defined in Section 478.11 of Title 27 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

I don't have the original here to look at but I DO HAVE A PROBLEM with the above!

The word "and" may be a killer!

ANY gun made before 1899 is an "antique" according to MGL (it is 1898 for Fed Law) and thus is a "non gun" . . . needs no license whatsoever to buy/possess.

ANY gun is a C&R if it is >50 years old!

Do you see the problem here?

This looks like it will essentially give you nothing in that paragraph. You get "1 year" on what the state defines as an antique, nothing more.

 

[crak]

And isn't (c) completely redundant if "any" of (a), (b), or (c) have to be met and the (c) requires (b) as a condition?

I swear that's the kind of thing my brain won't even let my eyes waste time reading after years of studying for and tutoring others for SATs and LSATs.

Chris

 

[Len-2A Training]

If there isn't an "OR" after each sub-para, they could "interpret it" to mean that ALL of those things have to be true before it will be exempt.

Do you think any AG would take that position? Nah, never happen!

 

[C-pher]

Maybe I see this wrong, but doesn't section two trump section one with respect to modern SAA and target guns?

I know why I never wanted to go to law school.

 

[hminsky]

I called my state senator to express my support for this bill. I don't know all the legal ins and outs, but if people just make the effort to contact their representatives when stuff like this comes up, I think it goes a long way.

 

[Skald]

As my old Social Studies teacher says 'This isn't a democratic form of government unless you try and make your voice heard."

or for the common man..

"If you don't vote you have no right to bitch about the governemtn." (nearly got beat when my father started to bitch about some gov't policies and he doesn't vote.)

 

[KMaurer]

I had the same problem. I'd get through (a) and (b), then my mind would balk at (c). It would be nice if they'd get some editors for their bills who had the ability to read, write and form logical sentences in the English language. I guess the problem would be too many bruised legislative egos.

Ken

 

[JGreen]

CALL!! CALL! H. 4552 has gone to 3rd reading!

Senate Sends H.4552 to a Third Reading

On Tuesday, March 8, 2006 the Massachusetts Senate voted to send H.4552 to a third reading. This is the next crucial step in passing this bill into law. It is expected that the bill come up for its next vote in the Senate next week.

GOAL is urging all of its members to contact their state Senator and ask them to pass H.4552 with no amendments as soon as possible. Ask them to follow through with this reform effort. Your call could make the difference!!

Summary of H.4552 "An Act Protecting the Rights of Target Shooters"

· This bill would create a new definition in Section 121, Chapter 140 for “Single Action Revolver”. (This language was taken directly from the same exemption passed in California.)

· It would exempt certain “Single Action Revolvers” from the testing requirements in Section 123 of Chapter 140.

· It would exempt precision target handguns, “any firearm solely designed and sold specifically for formal target shooting competition”, from the testing requirements in Section 123 of Chapter 140.

· Place in a statute the language already passed in 1998 that exempts “any firearm lawfully owned or possessed under a license issued under said Chapter 140 on or before October 21, 1998”

 

[C-pher]

I contacted Senator Brown, and I believe that he's going to vote favorable.

 

[Admin]

Senate Sends H.4552 to a Third Reading

On Tuesday, March 8, 2006 the Massachusetts Senate voted to send H.4552 to a third reading. This is the next crucial step in passing this bill into law. It is expected that the bill come up for its next vote in the Senate next week.

GOAL is urging all of its members to contact their state Senator and ask them to pass H.4552 with no amendments as soon as possible. Ask them to follow through with this reform effort. Your call could make the difference!!

Summary of H.4552 "An Act Protecting the Rights of Target Shooters"

· This bill would create a new definition in Section 121, Chapter 140 for “Single Action Revolver”. (This language was taken directly from the same exemption passed in California.)

· It would exempt certain “Single Action Revolvers” from the testing requirements in Section 123 of Chapter 140.

· It would exempt precision target handguns, “any firearm solely designed and sold specifically for formal target shooting competition”, from the testing requirements in Section 123 of Chapter 140.

· Place in a statute the language already passed in 1998 that exempts “any firearm lawfully owned or possessed under a license issued under said Chapter 140 on or before October 21, 1998”

PLEASE, if you haven't contacted your rep to support this bill do so ASAP. A couple minutes of your time WILL go a long ways...

 

[C-pher]

Scott Brown got back to me and he said that he's going to vote yes for this.

So, we need to get everyone on board on this... and that means getting ahold of your Senator and talking to him/her.

 

[Cross-X]

If you have called or written to your MA state senator, good for you.

Now it is time to keep the pressure up by contacting him or her again, and maybe yet again.

We gotta get this bill made into law. We just got to!

 

[Moderator]

I contacted my Representative, and senators. My rep, Moore said he supports the bill and will give it the green light. The other 2 ass's tip toed around it.

 

[Cross-X]

Join me in making the commitment to making another call to your state senator.

The time is now!

 

[crak]

I contacted our new Senator Pat Jehlen for the hell of it a couple weeks ago. Her aide was super duper pleasant about it, and it was almost as if it wasn't just going in one ear and out the other. A man can dream, right?

BTW, I wish somebody made it more clear to me earlier that this thing had the potential to include 1911 race guns too. I just imagined those funky .22 pistols that claw your whole wrist and cowboy guns, neither of which I could find myself getting too excited about.

Would this result in another list? A set of "target" features like the "evil" AWB features? Who gets to decide what "solely designed and sold specifically for formal target shooting competition" means? Can that be a caspian frame and slide I send to a gunsmith or build myself?

 

[C-pher]

BTW, I wish somebody made it more clear to me earlier that this thing had the potential to include 1911 race guns too. I just imagined those funky .22 pistols that claw your whole wrist and cowboy guns, neither of which I could find myself getting too excited about.

This is one thing that pisses me off. Not aimed at you crakowski, but it shouldn't matter. ALL Gun owners need to get this passed. As we get one passed, then another, it can work in our favor.

Even if you don't do target shooting, you should call your senator. Everyone that owns guns should call thier senators.

 

[Admin]

Even if you don't do target shooting, you should call your senator. Everyone that owns guns should call thier senators.

That is the bottom line. ALL GUN OWNERS need to help ALL GUN OWNERS. We can't win the fight if we don't stick together.

 

[TonyD]

That is the bottom line. ALL GUN OWNERS need to help ALL GUN OWNERS. We can't win the fight if we don't stick together.

Yeah! What he said.

 

[Pilgrim]

Lots of people use things other than SA revolvers to shoot targets. I use anything I can get my hands on ! Anything I shoot is a target.

This law seems to really open up only a VERY small segment of firearms.

Yeah, I know, one step at a time.

 

[Cross-X]

Lots of people use things other than SA revolvers to shoot targets. I use anything I can get my hands on ! Anything I shoot is a target.

This law seems to really open up only a VERY small segment of firearms.

Yeah, I know, one step at a time.

Lemme guess, you are not a lawyer, right?

Where some see a very small segment, others see something dramatically different.

 

[Jay G]

That is the bottom line. ALL GUN OWNERS need to help ALL GUN OWNERS. We can't win the fight if we don't stick together.

"We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately."

-Ben Franklin

 

[JonJ]

I called Senator Therese Murray (D) Plymouth/Barnstable. The person answering the phone didn't know how she was going to vote and her legislative aid was out of the office. I followed up with an email. We'll see...

 

[FPrice]

Called Senator Rosenberg's Boston office today and the staffer was quite polite when he took the message. Am also following up with a letter.

 

[JonJ]

I called Senator Therese Murray (D) Plymouth/Barnstable. The person answering the phone didn't know how she was going to vote and her legislative aid was out of the office. I followed up with an email. We'll see...

Still nothing heard back from Murray's office, email or phone. She's rated as an "F" by GOAL. I'll call again tomorrow.

 

[Admin]

Still nothing heard back from Murray's office, email or phone. She's rated as an "F" by GOAL. I'll call again tomorrow.

The "F" stands for Fraud...

 

[Lynne]

The "F" stands for Fraud...

I could think of a few other "stands for"'s besides fraud.

 

[C-pher]

I heard that it was to be voted on last week...and that it passed. That all that needs to be done is signed by Mitt...

Anyone know if that's true? It's not on the GOAL site, so I don't know if I believe it..

But I did hear that it was to be voted on last week...

 

[Len-2A Training]

Bill Status

The status of any Bill can be found at:
http://www.mass.gov/legis/ltsform.htm

Here's the Bill History for H. 4552
http://www.mass.gov/legis/184history/h04552.htm

House, No. 4552
Bill protecting the rights of target shooters.

12/01/05 H Reported from the committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security
12/01/05 H New draft of H1953
12/01/05 H Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Steering, Policy and Scheduling -HJ 1005
01/09/06 H Committee reported that the matter be placed in the Orders of the Day for the next sitting for a second reading -HJ 1098
01/10/06 H Read second and ordered to a third reading -HJ 1105
02/16/06 H Read third and passed to be engrossed -HJ 1212
02/21/06 S Read; and referred to the committee on Senate Ethics and Rules -SJ 1505
02/27/06 S Committee reported that the matter be placed in the Orders of the Day for the next session -SJ 1513
03/08/06 S Read second and ordered to a third reading -SJ 1547