Governor Patrick Files Bill to Drastically Increase License Fees

I haven't heard back from my Rep/Sen yet, but my Rep's office knew what I was talking about before I could spit it out. He said he's received quite a few calls on it and is "researching it".
 
I called Sen. Scott Brown's office and Rep. Tom Conroy's office. It didn't seem as though they were all that familiar with the issue. If you haven't called or written yet, please do.
 
Received the following back from Senator Bob Antonioni. This sounds a bit "canned" and rather non-committal, but based on his record I think there's more support for us here than a strict reading of the words would indicate. I'll continue the conversation with him as things develop.

Hi Dick:

Thank you for your email on this issue. I am aware of the Governor's proposal to increase the fees on gun owners. I certainly have some concerns over the rise of these fees, especially given the decline in hunting the state has seen over the past decade. I will certainly keep a close eye on this provision. I know several of my colleagues have similar concerns in the Senate.

It is important to note that this is a proposal by the Governor as part of a much larger piece of legislation. This bill will still need approval in both the House and the Senate. Your advocacy and voice is very important in this debate.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact my Chief of Staff, Jamie Hellen, at 617-722-1230.

Very truly yours,

Bob Antonioni
Click to expand...
 
Martlet said:
I haven't heard back from my Rep/Sen yet, but my Rep's office knew what I was talking about before I could spit it out. He said he's received quite a few calls on it and is "researching it".
Click to expand...

I got similar response from the woman running the office of my FORMER rep Stephen LeDuc -- I am disenfranchised! Bloody rep quit and no one is voting for my district! Where's Rev Jackson!?

Anyway, she also knew what I was talking about right away -- nice work to those who called before me! She knew about Guyer's letter and said the office would support it -- but again, can't vote on anything.

I told her thanks and if she thinks about running "and thinks this way about the 2nd amd you have our votes". That's when she hemmed a little. She was Criminal Justice major who did a PAPER on gun ownership. She's the expert that's going to tell us uneducated huckleberries what's good for us. I told her if you don't think the SCOTUS was right, we had to talk before she got our votes. It ain't just about Duck Hunting as they say -- she said "sportsman" rights should not be infringed but she didn't think "people should go around armed". I told her to talk to my wife who shoots with me a lot and wants to get her LTC so she doesn't feel afraid on city streets; female empowerment! She agreed to; I believe her. And she was quite excited to hear the "local" club (Hudson) won a state championships (we got to talking about the ammo bill that came up earlier in the spring -- she got a lot of calls on that one too).

All in all, not bad for this state. I'll listen to her, and hopefully take her shooting!

cheers,
Chuck
 
I spoke to both of my reps office this morning. My state rep, Paul Frost, has already signed on to Rep. Guyer's bill. The state congressman Richard Moore's office said they would pass along my message and asked for my contact info. Both are endorsed by GOAL so I feel confident they will do the right thing.
 
This is what i got from Bob Antonioni today:

Hi Andrew:

Thank you for your email on this issue. I am aware of the Governor's proposal to increase the fees on gun owners. I certainly have some concerns over the rise of these fees, especially given the decline in hunting the state has seen over the past decade. I will certainly keep a close eye on this provision. I know several of my colleagues have similar concerns in the Senate.

It is important to note that this is a proposal by the Governor as part of a much larger piece of legislation. This bill will still need approval in both the House and the Senate. Your advocacy and voice is very important in this debate.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact my Chief of Staff, Jamie Hellen, at 617-722-1230.

Very truly yours,

Bob Antonioni
Click to expand...


Is it just me or does that resemble another email sent to Dick???
 
glockguy17 said:
Is it just me or does that resemble another email sent to Dick???
Click to expand...

Yeah, what a surprise, huh? Still, I wouldn't hold it against him - we can't expect them to sit down and compose a different response to every constituent who contacts them expressing essentially the same views. As I said when I posted the response originally, I think Bob is more of a friend than that particular response would lead one to believe. But, we'll see . . .
 
I received a few responses today, and wanted to share them with you all...


From Senator Edward Augustus:

Thank you for your correspondence regarding the Governor’s proposal to increase the fees required to own a gun. I appreciate hearing from you and I welcome the opportunity to respond.

As you know, the proposal, which is included in a FY08 supplemental budget the Governor filed on July 13, 2008, would increase the cost of licensing a firearm by $100, and increase the cost of renewing a six-year license by $100. In addition, the proposal would establish a new annual $100 fee for those licensed to sell, rent or lease firearms and increase to $250 from $100 the cost of a temporary license for out-of-state carriers.

Since I first ran for the Senate, I have strongly supported the right of law abiding individuals to keep and bear firearms, whether it is for collection or personal protection. I also unequivocally support the rights of hunters and sportsmen to own firearms and to use them for such purposes. Please know that any supplemental budget must be reviewed, redrafted, and approved by both the Senate and House, and I will certainly keep your views in mind should any such provisions be included in any final supplemental budget.

Again, thank you for your correspondence. It is my pleasure to serve as your voice on Beacon Hill. If I can be of any further assistance to you, please do not hesitate to contact my office at 617-722-1485.

Sincerely,
Edward M. Augustus Jr.
State Senator


From Rep Robert Spellane:

Thanks for your e-mail. I have joined an effort in the House of Representatives to strike this section and fee increase proposed by the Governor. You have my full support on this issue.
Once again, thank you for your e-mail. Should you have any additional questions or concerns please let me know. In addition, our district office is open each day Monday thru Friday and I hold open office hours on a weekly basis or by appointment. Please visit my website for additional information.
Make it a Great Day,

Robert P. Spellane
State Representative
13th Worcester District
State House, Room 254: 617-722-2220
District Office, 781 Pleasant St.: 508-799-3948


From Rep John Binienda:

Thank you for writing me to express your disapproval of the Governor’s proposal to increase license fees for gun owners.

I have spoken at length with Jim Wallace, Executive Director of the Gun Owners Action League (GOAL), and I understand your concerns. Not only does this bill challenge the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent confirmation of the right of every American to bear arms, but it places undue burden on law abiding citizens who choose to own a gun.

For 22 consecutive years, I have received a rating of A+ from both GOAL and the NRA. I will continue to strive for the rights of all licensed gun owners within the boundaries of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Thank you again for your interest in this issue. It is important that I hear from my constituents on those issues which are important to them. If I can be of any further assistance to you, please do not hesitate in contacting me.


Sincerely,
JOHN J. BINIENDA, CHAIRMAN
Joint Committee on Revenue
State Representative
17th Worcester District


From Rep John Fresolo:

Thank you for contacting me. I truly appreciate it when my constituents email me in regards to important issues.

As for the fireams liscense fee increase, I do not support this bill and I am 100% with you on this issue. I would also like to let you know that i just received an award from the Gun Owners Action League this July for my continue support of guns and gun owners in my 10 years in the legislature.

If you have any other questions or comments feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,
John P. Fresolo
State Representative
16th Worcester District



Well, 4 out of 4 is certainly not bad at all!
 
Yeah, i know its near impossible to respond in a personal way and i expected some type of form letter but it still would have been nice i guess.


Rob87 said:
I highly doubt they're going to personally respond to every email. They send out generic emails. All it really does is say "Hi, I got your email." Maybe the content of said email gives you a vague idea of how the person responding feels about the issue.
Click to expand...
 
M1911 said:
I called Sen. Scott Brown's office and Rep. Tom Conroy's office. It didn't seem as though they were all that familiar with the issue. If you haven't called or written yet, please do.
Click to expand...

It's weird because when I heard from Senator Brown, he was well aware of the issue. Like I said, he called me at my home....

glockguy17 said:
Yeah, i know its near impossible to respond in a personal way and i expected some type of form letter but it still would have been nice i guess.
Click to expand...

See above, for all my letters except from my Rep, I have gotten personal replies. So I think that it depends on the person, but if they want to, they can.
 
C-pher said:
It's weird because when I heard from Senator Brown, he was well aware of the issue. Like I said, he called me at my home....
Click to expand...

I didn't speak to the Senator, I spoke to an aide. Perhaps the aide wasn't aware of it, or perhaps I was misinterpreting what I heard.

Scott Brown is a big friend of ours, so I'm sure he'll be on our side. Rep. Tom Conroy, on the other hand, is a gun grabber.
 
Reply from Rep. Mike Rodrigues

I received the following email reply from my Representative, Mike Rodrigues, today.

Thank you for taking the time to contact me regarding Governor Patrick's Special Appropriations Bill.

While I appreciate the Governor's desire to generate more funds for the Commonwealth, I cannot support the increases he has proposed. As a life long supporter of gun owner's rights, these matters will not be receiving my consideration when the come before the House for a vote.

Thank you again for contacting me on this matter. If I can be of any further assistance to you on this issue, or any other, please do not hesitate to respond.

Sincerely,

Michael J. Rodrigues
Chairman, Joint Committee on Consumer Protection & Professional Licensure
Click to expand...

As he is the Chairman of the Licensure Committee I took this as a good sign and sent him a thank you email, which he also acknowledged.

I still haven't heard any reply from Senator Joan Menard, but if I do I'm expecting it will not be helpful. [sad]
 
Here's a thought, why not team up with various other organizations/groups that are being targeted for similar "licensing fees" increases? Think about it, they need the numbers and support just as we do. We can rally side by side, write letters to our elected officials on behalf of these other groups. It is time that we begin to become more visible, because right now to the masses, WE DO NOT EXIST.

We need to show our faces, we need to be seen in public, our concerns NEED TO BE HEARD. We have currently 30+ pages of replies to this travesty regarding the fees, can we even say that we have had 30+ letters written and MAILED to our elected officials. I am a firm believer that there is safety in numbers and WE NEED MORE NUMBERS.. .. .
 
Last edited:
Rob87 said:
I highly doubt they're going to personally respond to every email. They send out generic emails. All it really does is say "Hi, I got your email." Maybe the content of said email gives you a vague idea of how the person responding feels about the issue.
Click to expand...

Jim Marzilli used to reply to all my emails personally.
Other people I have written to have replied personally.

I think it says a lot about someone who doesn't when compared to others in the same position that do.
 
glockguy17 said:
This is what i got from Bob Antonioni today:

Hi Andrew:

Thank you for your email on this issue. I am aware of the Governor's proposal to increase the fees on gun owners. I certainly have some concerns over the rise of these fees, especially given the decline in hunting the state has seen over the past decade. I will certainly keep a close eye on this provision. I know several of my colleagues have similar concerns in the Senate.
...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

You should write back and tell him you are not a hunter, but still interested in defeating this proposal, and why does he mention hunting anyhow? They still don't get it.


Edited to add: I see Erebus said a similar thing in the post above this. I also think and said early on either in this thread or the "rally thread" that we need to band together with other groups for a protest. I'd suggest getting together with people protesting the taxes, those protesting the pro-illegal-alien laws, and cigarette smokers, among others.
 
Last edited:

Similar threads

VA Governor Youngkin vetoes AWB
Replies
2
Views
180
Reptile
Reptile
Bill H.4139
2
Replies
39
Views
2K
Ron Jablonski
R
Nebraska lawmakers pass bill that would allow smaller school districts to arm staff members
Replies
0
Views
53
Reptile
Reptile
Worcester pulls license of critical business owner
2 3 4
Replies
93
Views
4K
s&w3913
S
Florida House Passes Bill to Lower Legal Gun Purchase Age to 18
Replies
0
Views
94
Reptile
Reptile
Back
Top Bottom