Important Meeting re: H.2158 GOAL's bill for Licensing Equality

[Mike S]

From GOAL:

H.2158 will bring equality to licensing AND stop the town by town attempts to suppress our Second Amendment.

and

Take part in the remedy to stop the town by town attacks on our Second Amendment!

What: Information Gathering Session for H.2158

Who: Representative David Vieira

Where: MA Division of Fisheries and Wildlife Headquarters, 1 Rabbit Hill Road, Westborough MA 01581

When: Saturday, May 7, 2016 10:00 am – 1:00 pm

In a previous hearing before the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security, Chairman Hank Naughton appointed Committee member Rep. David Vieira to gather information pertinent to H.2158 An Act Relative to Constitutional Rights. As a result, Rep. Vieira has graciously set up an Information Gathering Session on the matter on a weekend, so that citizens may not have to take off of work or travel into Boston.

The information that the Committee is seeking is in regards to additional requirements that your city/town may be adding to the state firearm licensing process. These may include such things as:

Letters to the Chief,
Extra training courses,
Training requirements not mandated by state law,
Extra Fees
and anything else that is not specifically required under state firearms law.

If your local city/town is requiring anything extra of you to apply for a state firearm license, please attend this meeting and provide information to Rep. Vieira. Along with your verbal testimony, it would be very helpful if you could bring documentation of the added requirements. This could be in the form of printouts from municipal websites, additional application forms from your city/town, etc.

Please attend this important meeting and let your voice be heard!

If you plan to attend, please RSVP to: [email protected] (Jim Wallace, Executive Director GOAL)

H.2158 An Act Relative to Constitutional Rights – filed by Rep. James Miceli

SECTION 1. Chapter 140 shall be amended by inserting the following section:-

Section 120A. No county, municipality, township or other community entity within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts may enact, pass or enforce any law, ordinance or regulation concerning the lawful ownership, use, possession, transfer, purchase, receipt or transportation of weapons, antique weapons, ammunition or ammunition components.

The right to keep and bear arms is an individual civil right and shall be presumed to exist in all matters regarding the ownership, use, possession, transfer, purchase, receipt or transportation of weapons, antique weapons, ammunition or ammunition components unless expressly prohibited by the general laws of this Commonwealth.

Linky: http://blog.goal.org/h2158-info/

 

[71montess]

Now is your chance to bitch to those that CAN make a difference. Show up if your town does this crap.

 

[rali]

If you can possibly find the time, show up even if your town doesn't pull any crap. It's important that the committee and the leg. understand that this bill is important to ALL of us!

R

 

[MachineHead]

SHOW UP!!!Make the time to show up, even if your town doesn't pull any crap. It's important that the committee and the leg. understand that this bill is important to ALL of us!

R

FIFY

This is definitely our chance to get all this shit out in the open. Print out applications from your restrictive towns that require all this nonsense so that they don't have a chance to take them down and claim that they follow the law.

I'm going because this needs to be recognized as civil right.

 

[Mike S]

H.2158 is critically important because it will do two things.

1. It will stop cold the town by town attacks on our freedom.
2. It will provide licensing equality, ensuring that MA firearm licensing is streamlined and equal for all.

 

[pastera]

My town, Taunton, is pretty good about the excess crap but they will not give a receipt until they do the interview which is completely against both the letter and intent of the law.

 

[mbullism]

SECTION 1. Chapter 140 shall be amended by inserting the following section:-

Section 120A. No county, municipality, township or other community entity within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts may enact, pass or enforce any law, ordinance or regulation concerning the lawful ownership, use, possession, transfer, purchase, receipt or transportation of weapons, antique weapons, ammunition or ammunition components.

I get the enact, pass, require more whatever... are we proposing the passage of a law that forbids local PD from enforcing existing state laws as written?

That oughtta do it-

 

[kalash]

I'll try to show up and I'd be happy to discuss the illogical Boston requirement that a new applicant has to demonstrate proficiency with a firearm before they are granted a license that would allow them to become proficient with a firearm.


MA Division of Fisheries and Wildlife Headquarters is a state building, not federal, right? No particular reason for asking...

 

[Palladin]

it'll be interesting to see if the LEO's show up to protest this bill.

 

[EMTDAD]

one of the things the bill doesn't address is "policy". I work with MassDEP often and they have lots of "policy" statements which although aren't explicitly stated in either MGL or CMR, they make you follow. So although a town might be banned from enacting, passing or enforcing any law, it doesn't explicitly prohibit them from implementing a 'policy'. I would push to add this. My experience with these policy statements is that they are easier to comply with than to fight thru the lawyers.

Section 120A. No county, municipality, township or other community entity within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts may enact, pass or enforce any law, ordinance, (XorX) regulation, or policy concerning the lawful ownership, use, possession, transfer, purchase, receipt or transportation of weapons, antique weapons, ammunition or ammunition components.
The right to keep and bear arms is an individual civil right and shall be presumed to exist in all matters regarding the ownership, use, possession, transfer, purchase, receipt or transportation of weapons, antique weapons, ammunition or ammunition components unless expressly prohibited by the general laws of this Commonwealth.

I can't be there due to other commitments, but hopefully someone else can push this to the proper channels.


EMAIL SENT TO MICELI, et al, as well as Poirier (my rep) and Jones (minority leader).

 

[Coyote33]

it'll be interesting to see if the LEO's show up to protest this bill.

Which bill did they do this to? Was it the "Katrina Bill"? It may have been more than one, but one sticks out, because it was 99.7% there, and then it suddenly went dead.

 

[Dadstoys]

it'll be interesting to see if the LEO's show up to protest this bill.

They will.
Count on the most notorious actors showing up.
It's abuse of authority pure and simple.
If they can show me one case where writing a f*cking essay stopped anyone from getting a permit that shouldn't have , I'm all ears.
Their own association warned them time and again to dial it back or this is exactly what would happen , but nope.
Even most 5 year olds have learned actions have consequences.

 

[Coyote33]

it'll be interesting to see if the LEO's show up to protest this bill.

Which bill did they do this to? Was it the "Katrina Bill"? It may have been more than one, but one sticks out, because it was 99.7% there, and then it suddenly went dead.

FOUND IT!

Click here

and also click here


Once more, for extra emphasis!
MA Police Chiefs blocking 'Katrina' legislation

 

[Len-2A Training]

The LEOs won't show up, that is not how they operate. The MCOPA and any large unions have paid lobbyists who deal in the back room out of sight of the public. I watched it in action after a hearing I attended some years ago on a Constable bill . . . after the hearing the lobbyist (but none of us) joined the committee exiting out into a back room to meet with them. Every year we have that bill filed and every year it dies (even though sometimes it's reported out favorably from committee) . . . the Sheriffs make sure it is dead.

 

[Coyote33]

I asked both Michael Moore and Rep. Viera yesterday about this and the suppressor bill. They both said they are looking good, and even the police are OK with the bills so far. These are the two vice chairs on the Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee.

 

[Mike S]

bump

If you live in a city/town that restricts LTC's or has been affected by anti-2A forces acting to restrict your freedom, please print out documentation and come to this. Info in post #1

 

[Mike S]

Bump, reminder, this is tomorrow!

 

[Coyote33]

Dang, already have commitments for tomorrow.

Will put in a few words with Moore.

 

[42!]

This isn't an issue in my town yet, but I'll be there to show my support.

 

[MachineHead]

Gonna up there with the lady after work. Anyone know of any good breakfast joints in that area?

 

[sa1911]

Wish I could be there!! Also wish I didn't live in Boston -_- hope it all goes well!!

 

[Len-2A Training]

Sad turn-out. Total of 21 people including the Rep. & Jim Wallace. I guess most folks don't care enough.

 

[MachineHead]

Been in the ER since 0230 and it looks like my gall bladder has turned on me. Good thing it happened at work. I was ready to go to the meeting til this bs happened.

21 people? I agree with Len, this is sad. They made a point to have it on a weekend so we wouldn't have to take time off of work to be there and from all the LTC/FID holders only 19 of us show.

 

[rivet_42]

Thanks to GOAL for getting this together and to Rep. Vieira for coming out to listen to us all. This kind of thing is why I'm proud to be a GOAL member. And a BIG THANK YOU to everyone who came out today and got involved in the political process to fight for our civil rights.

 

[dcmdon]

Now is your chance to bitch to those that CAN make a difference. Show up if your town does this crap.

All towns do this crap. Even the ubiquitous "interview" is not required by law.

Don

- - - Updated - - -

crap. I just found this thread. too late.

 

[Len-2A Training]

Someone at the table made a statement about MA State Police training officers to arrest LTC holders who are armed and I decided to check that out. I have a friend who is a Trooper assigned to the Firearms Unit out in New Braintree and is part of the team training officers in MV stops, LTC issues, etc.

He told me unequivocally that what we were told today is pure bullshit. Troopers according to him are trained to give a LTC holder the benefit of the doubt. So unless there was something else in play (e.g. outstanding warrant, etc.) no Trooper is going to arrest someone merely for carrying/possessing a gun if they have a LTC.

Also here is where people can find the process for LTC/FID applications as given to me by Atty. Jason Guida when he was Director of the FRB (2012).
https://www.northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/threads/155593-MA-LTC-FID-Application-Process

 

[rivet_42]

Someone at the table made a statement about MA State Police training officers to arrest LTC holders who are armed and I decided to check that out. I have a friend who is a Trooper assigned to the Firearms Unit out in New Braintree and is part of the team training officers in MV stops, LTC issues, etc.

He told me unequivocally that what we were told today is pure bullshit. Troopers according to him are trained to give a LTC holder the benefit of the doubt. So unless there was something else in play (e.g. outstanding warrant, etc.) no Trooper is going to arrest someone merely for carrying/possessing a gun if they have a LTC.

I am glad to hear this. When I heard that today my jaw about hit the floor. I am relieved to hear that it is not true. Thank you for checking that out.

 

[Knuckle Dragger]

Someone at the table made a statement about MA State Police training officers to arrest LTC holders who are armed and I decided to check that out. I have a friend who is a Trooper assigned to the Firearms Unit out in New Braintree and is part of the team training officers in MV stops, LTC issues, etc.

Jesus, that's a new one. Some of these decades-old rumors have lives of their own, even here on NES at times. Repeating this crap does real damage to our credibility.

 

[Len-2A Training]

I knew that it couldn't be true but was in no position to refute that at the meeting.

MSP is much more professional than this. No way that any PD would officially put such a thing out as a policy as the lawsuit that could result would be financially devastating.

I have notified Rep. Vieira that the statement was false.

There was more info stated that was patently false, but nothing as devastating as this one!

 

[babygorilla]

I had sent Rep. Viera the Weymouth LTC Process (including the letters requirement) that they have available on their website since I did not think I was going to be able to attend. Disappointed to hear that more had not shown up...