I think if all the members of the committee would go apply for a LTC it would be a great learning experience. Or at least if they all went to a range and met the licensed Mass. constituents. By the way Cekim you and most of the people who spoke did a great job. GOAL showed they are our best bet for changing the existing law!
I spoke with them after the meeting and told them to do just that. I told them that actually the police would know them, and make things easier for them, so they should have a spouse or child or friend go through the process. I didn't get a chance to mention that being "known" means they get preferential treatment, but I guess that is implied or maybe just expected.
Well I got there about 20 minutes after the meeting had kicked off and stayed until the bitter end.
2. I know GOAL does a day at the range program for any and all interested legislators...can I propose that someone organize such a thing, however low-key for the staffers of the key players on this committee? It was painfully obvious, heck Costello outright admitted it at the end, the reps have no idea what the heck we're talking about half the time. They NEED to come to the range and meet some gun people, so they know what they're dealing with. But their staffers are the ones who are going to go through 2259 and the current laws and do the grunt work - we need to connect with them too.
3. To the gentlemen who printed out the Mass Gun Laws poster - BRILLIANT! I was watching the reps closely when these things were passed out and they were absolutely shocked when confronted with the massive amount of regulations all laid out in front of them. You could *see* the lightbulbs turning on.
4. Please limit your time. Some people were fantastically eloquent, but went on far too long. It dulls your message.
6. I strongly support the calls to organize our testimony. If we map out the points to hammer away at and divide it up it would have a fantastic impact. 10 of us, each spending 3 minutes picking apart one aspect of the AWB for instance, would be much more powerful than the same 10 on their own, each trying to cover everything.
7. Come to the meetings! You can come in late and leave when needed. If you come late, look for a staffer up front and to one side - you can still sign up to talk! There were several of us who came in late and didn't know we could still sign up to speak until Costello mentioned it around 3pm.
At the end of the day, the room was almost entirely Joe Citizen pro-2A types, who had taken all day off work to be there. That in and off itself should have sent a message to the committee.
2. This needs to be more of a 1 on 1 thing, not as big groups. Maybe Costello's office, and Timilty's office for starters.
3. I've been trying to suggest that here for a while, with lukewarm results:
http://www.northeastshooters.com/vb...of-constituent?p=537098&viewfull=1#post537098
and
http://www.northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/showthread.php/72132-MA-gun-laws?highlight=poster
This became painfully obvious at the prior licensing hearing which is why it was my primary comment. Not sure it got through though...
I hope I was not included in the rambler or too long category.
![[laugh]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/012.gif "Laugh [laugh]")
3 minutes just isn't enough to say what needs to be said. Good thought on the divide and conquer. There are some messages which need to be repeated and/or stated in a different way by different people, but I am sure I was not alone in trying to second guess what would be covered by others so that I could focus my comments.
Some "org" here could be helpful. Frankly, it would be a good problem to have multiple saying the same thing by accident through
that would mean attendance was good... We still need to do more on that front.
If you were the guy on the front left from Boston, yeah, it was you. Whoever it was came across well and seemed very smart, but it just sort of wandered too much. These guys need a few focused points.
I think organizing is good, but also the fact that we are all doing our "own thing" as individuals speaks even stronger.
The police guys spoke for a REAL long time, when the committee was obviously in favor of them all along. I spoke with these guys in the hallway, and they said lockers should be available for citizens as well.
Costello just doesn't get this. He needs to be brought back to square one and shown that either 1. he is inconsistently applying his basic principles or 2. his basic principles aren't actually compatible with US-style constitutional gov. I highly doubt this can be fixed in hearings. Frankly, his constant talk about 'pragmatism' indicates that he may not even understand the concept of basic principles. Some things are WRONG. Full stop. Compromise isn't always possible.
I couldn't agree more on the time limit, and it was physically painful to avoid interjecting when people on the other side were giving out bad info. Maybe we can coax more people out with promises of an NES dinner?
Food does seem to get people to show up. Not nearly as well as shoots, but I don't see that being a viable option after a hearing.
![[wink]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/002.gif "Wink [wink]")
On the organizing - I don't see any need to get particularly formal with the structure, I just think it would be most useful if ! 5 of us decided to attack one topic and split it roughly into different pieces and then signed up to speak one after the other. Overlap and repetition is good to a certain extent, but I'd love to see a concerted, 20-30 minute attack on one thing. We could really tear it to pieces that way.
I think Costello's intention was that the current laws are too complex and interwoven to just throw out wholesale. He would rather see one section taken at a time for changes. This agrees with your strategy in the last sentence above.
I was hoping some of you would be around after for a coffee. I came out and everyone was gone, so I had coffee by myself. )-:
Hey Terraformer I agree but even to day at the hearing someone said that the people of mass are so sanitized about guns that they freak out just seeing one. They are soooo blind and biased laughing at them now would just confuse them more. And that includes the Rep's as well. I lived in Texas for seven years. Imagine my pain.
I meant to mention how in the old days, one HAD TO have the butt of the pistol exposed, or else the police thought you were hiding something. I forgot. Oh well.
I was there today from 10am till the bitter end, and met some people from NES. I'm sorry i couldn't stick around at the end, but i needed to catch my train back home (i barely made it as it was).
There were a lot of great testimonies today Nicole, the taller gentlemen talking about "adjustable stocks", obviously Jim from GOAL, and i'm sure i'm missing some others. This was my first hearing, and i plan to attend more if possible. some parts i loved, like Sen. Brewer stating it doesn't matter what laws are on the books, criminals do whatever they want anyways, the stack of letters provided to the committee, and when senator brewer asked how many licensed individuals are involved in gun crimes. Some of the other testimony made me scratch my head. I really felt bad for the family of the person that was killed, but i think their aim is a little misdirected. IMHO a 30-06 could have achieved the same results. also to the part why would anyone want more than 10 rnds... because my thumb get sore/tired from loading mags all day...
![[smile]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/001.gif "Smile [smile]")
I wouldn't be against organizing something. i went today with no intentions to provide testimony, but signed up around 3 and was one of the last ones to go (younger guy in a suit talking about Worcester). I really wished i had prepared something in advance now, but i said what i feel i needed to say. The guy that talked for 20 minutes lost the whole committee, which was too bad because he had some good points. you could see they were all glazed over after 5 minutes. anyone see the young male on the left side practically falling asleep???
I also got lost when they all started calling all the other bills, because i had no idea what the bill was about unless the mentioned it....
I called in to try to get someone to put my name on the list (2 different sources), and I thought it happened. I guess it didn't get on there, but they graciously let us speak anyhow. By the way, you spoke well. Briefly and to the point.
.... I think more than one of the Reps there are at home tonight reading the actual gun laws and scratching their heads!!!!
I sure HOPE so.
I walked away from the hearing with a lot more respect for the co-chairs than what I went in with. I felt that they listened intently and responded appropriately to comments from both sides. If their actions are consistent with their words, we should see some significant changes and improvements. I'm going to follow up with letters and calls in an appropriate and constructive manner over the coming months.
Same here. I was dismayed that there were only 3 or 4 listening at times. Sure, people need to eat and go to the bathroom, but I bet people would have been OK if they declared a half hour lunch recess.
...
This is a new bill and its a "big and scary" to the "progressives", so they are going want to massage it if they are going to accept it. MIRCs/CHSB/FRB is going to fight it because it cuts into Jason's Empire...
From today's meeting, I expect at best, a lot of ham-handed attempts to create "prohibited person plus" like CT has with the ability of the local CLEO to "have his say"...
We will need to press them on respecting due process and maintaining the "burden of proof" on the state with these mutations...
....
I think they agree with parts of it, but a little at a time. Who is "Jason"? I think there should be a state application, and the police get a checkbox and small comment box to whether they "approve" or not. This allows them to use local knowledge, etc. Along with this would come a hearing with the chief, the applicant, and the state licensing people who would then determine whether the chief's "gripe" was legitimate. There would then be an approval or denial at the end of the meeting before everyone leaves. There would be possibility for an appeal. I think these guys would be OK with something like this.
![[thinking]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/010.gif "Thinking [thinking]")
, but did send an e-mail to Rep Jason Lewis. Haven't heard back from him yet. I would have loved to be able to go. I will see what I can do about going to the next hearing.
