Billerica Town Meeting Alert!!

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GOAL C.M.

Billerica Town Meeting Alert

April 26, 2010

Gun Owners’ Action League (GOAL) has recently been made aware of an article in the Town Warrant to be brought before the Town Meeting in early May, as early as May 4, 2010.

Article #38 on the Final Warrant would drastically change Article VI Police Regulations in the town of Billerica. These newly proposed local regulations would drastically restrict hunters who use firearms within the town limits. Article #38 if adopted would:
• Require any hunter using a firearm who has obtained landowner permission for “sporting” to notify the Chief of Police 24 hours prior to hunting.
• If permission is granted by a landowner to a wildlife control or nuisance animal entity the notice shall include the name of the person licensed to do the work, all license numbers, a detailed description of work including dates, times and setbacks.
• Any such notice shall include a Certificate of Insurance, satisfactory to the Police Chief, naming the town as additional insured.
• “Non-sporting” hunters not covered by the above regulations shall provide notice of any hunting activity 21 days in advance.
• “Non-sporting” hunters must post the entire property with warning signs prior to hunting and then remove all signs no later than 30 days after hunting.
• Hunters, after receiving approval of the Chief of Police, must notify all abutters in writing two weeks in advance,
• Should any hunt take place within 500 feet of school the Superintendent’s permission is required.

All Billerica hunters and gun owners should immediately contact the town meeting members and urge them to vote NO on Article #38. This article casts a public safety issue over hunting and hunters that is simply unfounded. Hunting is one of the safest activities citizens of all ages can take part in.
For nearly a century hunters and gun owners have led the way in supporting professional wildlife management and land conservation efforts. We have also tirelessly supplied the citizens of the Commonwealth with hunter safety education courses and firearm safety courses. The hunting heritage is a respectable safe tradition that should not be tarnished by such cumbersome needless ill conceived regulations. Please act immediately to save your rights in the town of Billerica.
 
The entire Warrant can be read HERE. The part in question is on page 30.

Here is the exact text:

ARTICLE 38 - TO VOTE TO CHANGE ARTICLE VI POLICE REGULATIONS OF THE GENERAL BY-LAWS
To see if the Town will vote to change Article VI Police Regulations as follows:
To Section 7.1 add:

A. With respect to private property, if permission is granted by the property owner or
legal occupant thereof, the following shall apply:

1. Hunters, alone or in groups, who obtain land owner permission for the purpose
of sporting shall notify the Chief of Police in writing at least 24 hours before
commencing hunting. The term “sporting” shall not include hunting for the
purpose of wildlife control or nuisance control conducted in an organized
fashion by an entity or person other than the property owner. Should
permission be granted to such a professional entity or person, said notice shall
include the name of the entity or person authorized to perform said services, all
license numbers, a detailed description of the scope of work to be performed
including date(s), time(s), and setbacks. Said notice shall also include a
Certificate of Insurance, satisfactory to the Police Chief, naming the Town as
an additional insured;

2. Non-Sporting Hunters who do not comport with the requirements of paragraph
one, above, shall be subject to the provisions of paragraphs 2-4, herein. They
shall provide written notice of any hunting activity, at least twenty one (21)
days in advance, to the Billerica Chief of Police.

3. Non-Sporting Hunters shall post clear and legible Warning Signs, of a
minimum size of 8 ½” by 11”, every fifty (50) feet around the entire perimeter
of the property upon which the hunting will take place. Said signage shall be
posted at all times during such activity and shall be removed, by the Non-
Sporting Hunters, within thirty (30) days of the conclusion of said activity;

4. Upon receiving approval from the Billerica Chief of Police, the hunting entity
or person shall, at least two weeks in advance of hunting activity, notify in
writing, via first class mail, all abutters of said activity. Should the property be
within 500 feet of a school, the entity or person shall also issue written notice,
at least two weeks in advance, to the Superintendent of Schools.
The property owner or legal occupant of any property upon which hunting shall take place, and all authorized
hunters, shall comply with all State laws and Regulations as well as directives of the Chief of Police
regarding the conduct of said activity. Hunting in this section only refers to hunting with a firearm, rifle or
shotgun.

Submitted by Robert Correnti, Member, Board of Selectmen

Town Meeting is May 4, 2010
 
Oh they are getting calls from me. try to take away my hunting in my town...

To the Elected board:

Article #38

As you all know there is an article going to be brought up in early May in regard to changing Hunting Laws in Billerica. These proposed regulations are nothing more than a back door attempt toward banning hunting in Billerica. Requiring written permission from the Chief of Police to hunt on private land after receiving LANDOWNER permission imposes un-needed requirements and will take up the time of the Chief. I am quite sure the Chief of Police in Billerica has better things to do than give permission to people to hunt that ALREADY have permission.

If the Chief will not personally handle this issue of granting permission, who will?
If The Chief will handle this personally will there be a set time every day where the Chief will come out and sign my paper?
If this is not handled every day How will people get said permission?

The chance for abuse is great with this regulation. If the Chief decides he doesn’t like hunting, he will just be “unavailable” to sign permission forms. What will the regulation give for a course of action in this instance?

This requirement will strip landowners of allowing someone to use their land as THEY see fit. This is another attempt to impose more Draconian regulations on hunters.

In case you are unaware Hunters added a self imposed Fee to their licenses in the 1960’s and paid for each and every acre of Wildlife Management Zones in Massachusetts. Without Hunters there would be no conservation land. Hunters also pushed for and put in the work to restore Turkeys in the Northeast. Hunters control the population of Deer so they do not explode in numbers and start appearing in everyone’s yard looking for things to eat. Hunters love and respect nature and do lots of work to be sure wild land and animals are here for generations to come.

Making Hunting harder to do will damage the sport and take the fine folks who not only care and talk about saving the environment but actually DO SOMETHING instead of just whining and filing useless lawsuits.

Once this new rule is imposed what’s next? Will we need the Chief’s permission to allow someone to rake my leaves?

This great Country was formed on the basis of Private Property, Personal Freedom, and Personal Responsibility.

Leave us to our land and let us be the guardians and stewards of it. We can do it better as we have a personal vested interest in this piece of dirt.

See you at the meeting.
 
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I sent this off to the billerica minuteman (local paper) Lowell Sun and Billerica townie news (local website) Also spreading the word and I will be there ready to fight this article.
 
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I just got a call from a reporter from the Lowell Sun. I will be interviewed tomorrow for a story published on Thursday on this issue. He was working on a story about this issue.
 
I sent this off to the billerica minuteman (local paper) Lowell Sun and Billerica townie news (local website) Also spreading the word and I will be there ready to fight this article.

I just got a call from a reporter from the Lowell Sun. I will be interviewed tomorrow for a story published on Thursday on this issue. He was working on a story about this issue.

Good work! Reps sent.
 
Ha- good luck getting a PAC agent to trap your problem animals with those requirements. I know I would pass on job if thats what they wanted me to do.
 
May 14th Upadate. We win again! GOAL has learned that article #38 has been withdrawn due to the amount of opposition it faced from law abiding hunters and gun owners.

Great job and thanks to all who voiced their concerns in this matter!
 
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