GOAL article in The Shooting Wire

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The latest issue of The Shooting Wire in my email this morning had a report on GOAL's efforts regarding a "Katrina bill" here in Massachusetts:

Around the Industry- and Courts

In Massachusetts, the Gun Owners Action League (GOAL) is pushing for support of a legislative measure introduced by Senator Richard Moore. "An Act Prohibiting the Confiscation of Lawfully Owned Firearms During the State of Emergency" is exactly what the name implies, a measure to keep the police in Massachusetts from duplicating the heavy-handed tactics employed by the New Orleans police department during Hurricane Katrina.

The measure came up once before, but was tabled after the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association apparently indicated a problem determining a key question: what is a lawfully-owned firearm in Massachusetts? That, GOAL writes, is reason enough to get some firearms reforms going there.

Another concern came from street cops who were concerned they could be prosecuted for a confiscation, but the person who gave the actual order would not face any penalties. Subsequently, GOAL has amended the bill to punish both the officer and his or her commander.

"During the last legislative session this bill represented a litmus test of sorts here in Massachusetts," said Jim Wallace Executive Director of GOAL. "It was a clear test to see if the legislature and law enforcement would accept that they could not unlawfully confiscate private property and further, leave citizens defenseless against marauding gangs of criminals when calling for help wasn't possible. Sadly, the state failed that test."

At this point, GOAL is encouraging members to contact their legislators and push for the measure. We'll keep an eye on that for you.

Nice to see them getting some widespread coverage!