I feel for the New Gun Owners...

[enbloc]

I was just perusing the Classifieds and was thinking how high some of the AR/AKs are Post Healey.

Add to that the fact that private sale is the only way you can get your hands on one unless you recently moved here and already owned one of these great rifles.

This is not a knock on the asking price, only a sad feeling in my gut about the youngsters who may never know what it was like to enjoy these fine machines.

I bought my first AR in A2 configuration when I discharged from Service because it was something I KNEW inside and out, backwards and forwards. Its capabilities, My capabilities.

Soon after I bought an AK type rifle. I wanted to feel what it felt like in the Other's Side's Hands. Now both allude the youngest and newest members of our Brotherhood.

I still have that rifle and have added others, but that one means a lot.

I have written and called my Legislators until weary. I've donated, marched on Beacon Hill, wasted time in Safety Committees all for naught. Now they are coming for a hunk of plastic and spring metal.

The thought of a young Soldier or Marine coming home to Massachusetts after a long Service stint and not being able to enjoy the Freedoms that I once enjoyed is truly saddening.

~Matt

 

[Rayvis13]

Truly sad. how did we let this happen? And it's not getting any better. MA license plate says "spirit of America". I think it's far from that....

 

[mac1911]

I was just perusing the Classifieds and was thinking how high some of the AR/AKs are Post Healey.

Add to that the fact that private sale is the only way you can get your hands on one unless you recently moved here and already owned one of these great rifles.

This is not a knock on the asking price, only a sad feeling in my gut about the youngsters who may never know what it was like to enjoy these fine machines.

I bought my first AR in A2 configuration when I discharged from Service because it was something I KNEW inside and out, backwards and forwards. Its capabilities, My capabilities.

Soon after I bought an AK type rifle. I wanted to feel what if felt like in the Other's Hands. Now both allude the youngest and newest members of our Brotherhood.

I still have that rifle and have added others, but that one means a lot.

I have written and called my Legislators until weary. I've donated, marched on Beacon Hill, wasted time in Safety Committees all for naught. Now they are coming for a hunk of plastic and spring metal.

The thought of a young Soldier or Marine coming home to Massachusetts after a long Service stint and not being able to enjoy the Freedoms that I once enjoyed is truly saddening.

~Matt

wen we had our machine gun shoots it was always a disappointing feeling turning away young solders/vets as they where not 21 and the club/machine gun policy was 21+......sad when you will let anyone 21 or older handle a giggle switch but turn away some one who qualified on one.
As for what it cost....im not so worried for the youth of today. saves them the grief of what is better AK or AR. I also think it will push them in other directions and possibly have better guns in their collection because they are not spending 2k on a $800 AR

Now the means in which we got here is the worst thing. Until we can elect law makers that more reflect the constitution the more we might loose. As for MA theres 500,000 license holders if we could ever get on the same page we would have a better end result at the booths

Also let me add to those who cant get their hands on a "poo-zeeee gun" theres always M1 garands and the BM59s and M1a's

 

[Nikos]

I my self wonder how we got here, things are also bad here in CT. When I went through Eastern Mass last Fall I stopped at the Minuteman NHS. I walked the Battle Road. I was thinking , were did we get such men?

 

[greencobra]

I've donated, marched on Beacon Hill, wasted time in Safety Committees all for naught.

i've been doin' it since the late '70's and learned long ago it slows it down a bit but it's been chip, chip, chip away from the beginning. i retired from standing in front of the state house or trying to muscle my way into the hearing chamber years ago. just too old and creaky now. anyone remember there was a time ar's and ak's were so plentiful in dealers racks they couldn't give 'em away. man, times have changed.

 

[enbloc]

...anyone remember there was a time ar's and ak's were so plentiful in dealers racks they couldn't give 'em away. man, times have changed.

Funny you should say this. I also have a love for wood and steel that endures, and remember lines and lines of black rifles that are now Unicorns in local gun stores.

 

[greencobra]

....black rifles that are now Unicorns....

yep, about as rare as a natural redhead.....

 

[Nikos]

Someday when you have free time, pick up the book "The Naked Communist by W. Cleon Skousen. I found it eye opening. Read the section on the 45 declared goals of the communists carefully. For example; #15. Capture one or both political parties in the United States.

 

[zmd]

truly a sad state of affairs indeed

 

[22lr]

There are still options if you don’t care for Healey’s edict (build one) or if you have $ (preban or classifieds). I am hopefull the lawsuit will go in our favor but recognize it is a long shot. I would be one of the ‘younger’ shooters and hate to think the best days are behind us!

 

[deerdad]

Truly sad. how did we let this happen? And it's not getting any better. MA license plate says "spirit of America". I think it's far from that....

This has happened because treasonous politicians or individuals do not get hung or executed in some other manner like they were many years ago. This has allowed them to become more brazen with every generation that passes and here we are today. They have no fear of any accountability because there isn't any and no one to hold them to it. They will never have to answer to anyone and they know they are perfectly safe to do so. That the way it is, and it's not going to change in our lifetime or probably our kids lives.

Greg

 

[E.Stoner]

Everything about gun ownership in Mass is all about scare tactics, misinformation, and prohibitive practices.
It comes as no surprise that many new or prospective gun owners are totally confused/intimidated by the laws much less the market, which turns the most popular and inexpensive guns in the country into rare/expensive items. Sure you can stlll get most of the stuff, pre-healey compliant stuff, proper pre-1994 stuff, Glocks, preban standard capacity magazines, but if you want/need it now (like right now) you are going to pay through the nose AND you have to be and have to be somewhat informed so that you don't buy a piece 30 year old of garbage for $4000. It's not like in a free state where you can know nothing, walk into a gun store and walk way with a totally solid $800-1000 new factory AR and proper modern magazines in 10-packs for the price of a NOS stamped USGI mag. I also don't fault individuals/dealers for selling things for the price people will pay for them. That's capitalism.
I do appreciate all the good folks (many of which are NES'er) that don't go full-prison-pounding when they have good things to sell and the dealers/vendors that make every effort to make available the things that are within the letter of the law.

The story is same as it every was, if have a shit ton of cash you can still get (most of) the guns. The NFA stuff, preban stuff, or the new Gucci rifles.
The NFA, Hughes, 1994 Ban, or Healey-horseshit didnt take anything off the streets, they just limited the bearing of the arms to the state, the very wealthy, and criminals that dont give two damns about the law.

Message for the average law-abiding pleb: Go screw.

It's depressing see all the advances in technologies and the feeds from shot show and think "wow that looks great I want that", followed immediately by "too bad no pew for you".

 

[sigfanboy13]

As a young gun owner who ended up paying out the nose for a Pre-94 AR last weekend its a really mixed bag of feelings. I love my new AR, it maybe older than me but it just feels right in my hands and I cannot wait to take it to the range. Being Pre-94 it feels like having a tangible piece of the "good old days" before all this lunacy about collapsible stocks or flash hiders was a thing (I cannot wait to add the shoulder thing that goes up or more 30rd clipazines). Maybe because I'm still reeling from the sticker shock, but no matter how much I'll enjoy it at the range, it'll always be tainted by the fact that it did cost me a pound of flesh.

 

[E.Stoner]

As a young gun owner who ended up paying out the nose for a Pre-94 AR last weekend its a really mixed bag of feelings. I love my new AR, it maybe older than me but it just feels right in my hands and I cannot wait to take it to the range. Being Pre-94 it feels like having a tangible piece of the "good old days" before all this lunacy about collapsible stocks or flash hiders was a thing (I cannot wait to add the shoulder thing that goes up or more 30rd clipazines). Maybe because I'm still reeling from the sticker shock, but no matter how much I'll enjoy it at the range, it'll always be tainted by the fact that it did cost me a pound of flesh.

Same, been there.
I've got a couple stock pre-bans that are collectable (and as old as I am), and a couple that I've stripped out the lowers and gone to town on them.
The sticker shock will fade and you will be left with a quality rifle that you can do whatever the hell you want with it. The way it should be.

 

[J_in_MA]

Just got my license this past year and haven't been able to get over the sticker shock of an AR in the classifieds most of the time. Sad when my cousins in RI can get new budget ARs for like $500. Some day...

 

[allen-1]

I've got 3 AR's in CT that I bought and registered before the deadline. And (6) 30 round PMags that I registered there also. I've got the original paperwork in my safe and a copy of it in my truck. I can't load those mags to capacity except in my home or at the range, and I can't possess any more of those mags in CT. I'm not sure if I can still buy a pre-ban AR in CT or not - the last I knew they were working on closing that "loophole".

Here in GA I've got:
long range CMMG upper AR
3gun Noveske upper AR
scoped Troy AR
wife's Larue AR
.22 CMMG upper AR
9mm PSA AR

I just milled out another 80% and I've got some of the parts I need for my next build, saving money for the others. I'm going to build an AR pistol - because I can. Because I live in GA. It'll never go to CT because it would put me in jail.

My friends here in GA don't understand what it's like to live under that type of law. And when I tell them that it's the "Constitutional State" they laugh just as hard as I do.

 

[connor]

Young guy here.
Looking like there isn't a whole lot going to be left by the time I'm able to get an LTC. I wouldn't be surprised if we got our own SAFE act by the time I hit 21. I also wouldn't be surprised if they jacked up wait times for new applicants. All I can do is stack my pennies away in hopes I can pick up a few rifles when I can.

It's depressing to see friends who live in freer states go home to safes full of AK's and stacks of standard cap mags, blasting away with glocks on the range while I'm sitting here wondering how much it's going to cost for a rifle and a pistol and a handful of mags for each when the time comes.

Getting into shooting in MA is daunting for a yute, especially without guidance. Stuff's expensive. It's murky waters. Even if I was going to go out tomorrow and buy a rifle from Eddiecoyle (those things are awesome) I still need a case. I need ammo. I need somewhere to shoot the damn thing.
Am I going to get jammed up bringing it to school? (My college town, not "draco season with the bookbag" in geology 101)
What about leaving it at home? In the truck? What constitutes safe storage? Is a pelican case and a masterlock going to cut it or am I going shopping at liberty?

I can see why people even who are pro-gun and have handled them before are hesitant to take the plunge into ownership, no matter the age. Unless you are surrounded by people in the know (tough here in deep blue country) it's intimidating.

 

[Chevy 2 65]

Truly sad. how did we let this happen? And it's not getting any better. MA license plate says "spirit of America". I think it's far from that....

Needs to be changed to "Stink of America". How did we get here? Because we are to nice.

 

[amm5061]

I was two months into the wait for my LTC when 7/20 hit. I didn't know enough about the laws in MA to know that I could've ran out and bought a few lowers even without it. Now, I desperately wish I did.

The state of affairs here is abysmal. No one understands just how bad things are here. I tell people about 7/20 and they look at me funny and ask: "how can she do that?"

Meanwhile my brother texts me and says: "I think I'm gonna buy an AK." I'm pretty sure he's being a dick on purpose.

Just to make myself feel better last night, I milled out an Polymer80 G19 lower. f*** you maura.

 

[Mark from MA]

MA and gun control in general is all about scare tactics and generational shift. Meaning older generations will have more rights than younger ones. Through attrition and social acceptance and fear..... That's how people grow accept it. Death of 1000 cuts. Go full retard, and the pols know they might get a backlash. They are happy with generational shift in general.

But in MA (insert any other commie democrat controlled shithole) , they are fiddling with full retard mode, and seeing how far they can go.....ie Healy AR Ban, and Bump Stock taking. I fear they may actually go full retard into gun confiscation at some point and would not be surprised by it. They are fully testing the waters......and seeing how much blowback they get from it. They know they will get sued, but that takes years to figure out, in those years, they have the control.

They also know by making laws unclear, stupid, hard to do, wicked expensive....younger shooters won't want to deal with the BS of getting involved. Therefore less shooters overall as the older ones die off, and the younger ones who are serious about it move to other less retarded states. Less shooters means less voters against their laws....and the shift continues......

 

[LLF]

This is what you get with a full-time legislature -- a lot of politicians with nothing better to do than write confusing laws and claim they are doing "the people's business". Whenever they run out of ideas there's always gun control...
Lets not forget that one of the real culprits is an ex-politician named Cheryl Jacques. She was the one who pushed the gun control acts of 1998 through the legislature. That was the start of serious gun restrictions in this state. Before 1998 you could buy pretty much whatever you wanted as long as it wasn't a machine gun.
Healy is not a legislator, she can't write laws but she believes in "creative" enforcement, pushing her powers as much as she can and then waiting to be sued. When she does get sued she stonewalls and obstructs and of course none of this costs her a dime whereas it costs GOAL and Comm2A tens of thousands to fight her.
I think as gun owners our best hope is at the federal level because generally federal law "trumps" state law. However, don't be shy about calling your state rep whenever you think you're being unfairly treated. Once in a while we get a small victory (like requiring PDs to state in writing why a LTC applicant was rejected and giving the applicant a chance to go to court)

 

[connor]

MA and gun control in general is all about scare tactics and generational shift. Meaning older generations will have more rights than younger ones. Through attrition and social acceptance and fear..... That's how people grow accept it. Death of 1000 cuts. Go full retard, and the pols know they might get a backlash. They are happy with generational shift in general.

But in MA (insert any other commie democrat controlled shithole) , they are fiddling with full retard mode, and seeing how far they can go.....ie Healy AR Ban, and Bump Stock taking. I fear they may actually go full retard into gun confiscation at some point and would not be surprised by it. They are fully testing the waters......and seeing how much blowback they get from it. They know they will get sued, but that takes years to figure out, in those years, they have the control.

Like anything else in the history of ever, it's a cultural thing. There's not a whole lot of reason for people to get upset here. Guns aren't a way of life. Not a lot of people hunt. People don't own large property here that they need to protect. There's not too many remote places in the state. As such, no one feels they have a vested interest in guns here, 2A be damned. There's more pressing things to be pissed off about, like taxes, energy, or my personal favorite, inspection/ car equipment BS (fingers crossed on getting inspected soon). I have no doubt if you took republicans out of MA and stuck them in rural Montana, Maine, or Texas hill country, guns would be more important, for a number of reasons.
Everything's a balance. People only have so much energy to be pissed off. Rural Texans probably don't give a rat's ass about traffic or the city's bid for Amazon. state troopers on I-90 don't bother people on farm to market road 102. There's probably a hundred things we're up in arms about day to day that people in other places don't care about.

younger shooters won't want to deal with the BS of getting involved. Therefore less shooters overall as the older ones die off, and the younger ones who are serious about it move to other less retarded states. Less shooters means less voters against their laws....and the shift continues......

Gun clubs know this too. There's a club that isn't accepting new members that I want to join. They cap membership at a number and have a big waitlist. However, young applicants supposedly get preferential treatment. They want younger people to come in and shoot. More or less any club does that. Country clubs, yacht clubs, gun clubs, anglers clubs, all struggle to get young members, so they remove as many barriers as possible.

 

[Oldarmy]

Move.

 

[Tallen]

Truly sad. how did we let this happen?

Immigration, in a nutshell. In MA's case, Irish immigration primarily.

 

[drgrant]

Young guy here.
Looking like there isn't a whole lot going to be left by the time I'm able to get an LTC. I wouldn't be surprised if we got our own SAFE act by the time I hit 21. I also wouldn't be surprised if they jacked up wait times for new applicants. All I can do is stack my pennies away in hopes I can pick up a few rifles when I can.

It's depressing to see friends who live in freer states go home to safes full of AK's and stacks of standard cap mags, blasting away with glocks on the range while I'm sitting here wondering how much it's going to cost for a rifle and a pistol and a handful of mags for each when the time comes.

Getting into shooting in MA is daunting for a yute, especially without guidance. Stuff's expensive. It's murky waters. Even if I was going to go out tomorrow and buy a rifle from Eddiecoyle (those things are awesome) I still need a case. I need ammo. I need somewhere to shoot the damn thing.
Am I going to get jammed up bringing it to school? (My college town, not "draco season with the bookbag" in geology 101)
What about leaving it at home? In the truck? What constitutes safe storage? Is a pelican case and a masterlock going to cut it or am I going shopping at liberty?

I can see why people even who are pro-gun and have handled them before are hesitant to take the plunge into ownership, no matter the age. Unless you are surrounded by people in the know (tough here in deep blue country) it's intimidating.

If you're young you have an advantage in that you can easily escape all this bullshit by not making a plan to avoid putting down roots here. Lots of us made that mistake...

If you choose to live/stay here, the best thing you can do is fight/ignore/dodge most of this crap (and most of it is dodgable).

There are basically two groups of gun owners in MA:

-Those that get pretty much whatever they want and mostly enjoy life (contrary to popular belief, and whether maura likes it or not, ARs/AK/glocks/krapbers whatever are still being sold/made/whatever in MA).
-Those that sit around crying and armflapping about the dumb laws and stupidity like handgun compliance and blah blah blah... but never do anything about it or logically think about (often 100% legal) solutions to their plight. These people spend more time going "woe is me" or "woe is us" than they do fixing the problem or working around it.

I do agree that everything is EXTREMELY intimidating for someone that is new or a young person though. (I think the shitbirds in MA designed it this way on purpose, more than just vs young people, but to make the process intimidating for anyone) Hell it was a huge pain in the ass many years ago when I got my first LTC, that is not a "new" thing. That said, once you get licensed and become armed with information (and the ability to think for oneself, including reading between the lines) then things get a lot easier...

....unless, of course, the mentality is being afraid of one's own shadow, then it'll never stop being tough. In case you haven't noticed there is a crying towel club in the MA gun owner realm, and the tears never stop... lol. Most of the rest of us burned those f***ing towels a long time ago and moved on from that place mentally. It's unhealthy, and it ain't productive. Crying is a waste of time. Old-school networking, not so much. When you can, do things like take up competitive shooting, or various RKBA events, etc. A little bit of conversation goes a long way.

-Mike

 

[Len-2A Training]

Truly sad. how did we let this happen? And it's not getting any better. MA license plate says "spirit of America". I think it's far from that....

Thankfully I still have green plates that easily pass inspection, so no BS statement on the plates.

Just got my license this past year and haven't been able to get over the sticker shock of an AR in the classifieds most of the time. Sad when my cousins in RI can get new budget ARs for like $500. Some day...

I never did and never would buy a "budget AR" even in a Free State. My first AR was purchased in 1998 from AG Guns in Lowell for $850 (Bushmaster), just before the 1998 anti-gun law went into effect in MA. I have a friend in the Northwest who worked for Olympic Arms for a while, he told me horror stories (corroborated by many others all over the US) about the lack of quality control. My genuine pre-94 ban AR was purchased from Four Seasons in 1999 for ~$1200 IIRC and the all-metal .22LR Bushmaster AR that I am selling cost me >$1000 (including proprietary mags I could only buy thru Bushmaster) in 2006.

Once in a while we get a small victory (like requiring PDs to state in writing why a LTC applicant was rejected and giving the applicant a chance to go to court)

Yup, you can take them to court, spend your money and lose as the courts will almost every time rule for the local chief. Even GOAL and Comm2A will tell you this.

 

[Masswhole]

Mike's right that the laws are intimidating but that work arounds exist.
While I understand not wanting to list them all on public forums it's important that the info is openly passed at the club and among other shooters.
I've been fortunate enough to have some great info passed along to me when buying guns FTF, the range and a NES shoot.

 

[endus]

As a young gun owner who ended up paying out the nose for a Pre-94 AR last weekend its a really mixed bag of feelings. I love my new AR, it maybe older than me but it just feels right in my hands and I cannot wait to take it to the range. Being Pre-94 it feels like having a tangible piece of the "good old days" before all this lunacy about collapsible stocks or flash hiders was a thing (I cannot wait to add the shoulder thing that goes up or more 30rd clipazines). Maybe because I'm still reeling from the sticker shock, but no matter how much I'll enjoy it at the range, it'll always be tainted by the fact that it did cost me a pound of flesh.

Good call.

I bought/built my AKs and ARs pre-healy, but if I was buying today I would probably just shell out for a pre-94 so I could completely and totally ignore all the bullshit.

I know other people feel differently, totally get it and don't disagree, but that's what I would do.

 

[greencobra]

.....if I was buying today I would probably just shell out for a pre-94 so I could completely and totally ignore all the bullshit.

yeah, seriously, the way to go now.

 

[orb451]

I think it's pretty clear by now that the end game is something like Australia and/or any other European countries that Liberals often fap over in reference to guns, society and guns or shooting in general. They're hopeless hoplophobes and the sooner the guns are "gone", the better. We NEED more young people getting into the sport and encouraging others to do the same. Unfortunately we're fighting the common notion that anyone "into" guns is a "gun nut". Not that it's true or accurate, but we see it constantly elsewhere.

So get over it, that's my advice to Libs.