The more I find out about this, the more I just shake my head.
This mess came out of an “informal” session. Anyone on the floor could have shut this down by being recognized and saying 7 words “I doubt the presence of a quorum.” That would have ended the session. BTW, votes in a non-quorum are unconstitutional.
An "informal" session - they don't record the names of the members present. Everyone knows, of course, that there's not a legal quorum, but they pretend that there is because no one formally calls for a count of the members present. If a member wants to stop things, he just stands and says "I doubt the presence of a quorum" and the meeting ends (until the next day). And then you do the same thing the next day.
"Informal” sessions are ways that the Legislature slithers bills through that normally would draw scrutiny if the entire body had to deal with them, but which the leadership wants to get passed. They push bills through that got stopped in committee earlier in the year because of opposition at the time.
Remember this when it comes time to vote - there were 3 GOAL endorsed members standing in the room. Brad Hill – 4[SUP]th[/SUP] Essex, Donald Wong – 9[SUP]th[/SUP] Essex, Brad Jones – 20[SUP]th[/SUP] Middlesex. These guys needed to man up and do their duty. Are they with us or NOT?
The two branches are literally competing to see who can beat the other to the punch of banning bump-stocks… and like the 3 reps above, why do they care about what crap gets tacked to it. Just the way Mr. Linsky likes it - rights stomping time.
The people to contact are those in committee, rewriting the language and determining a recommendation to support or not.
Contact these 2 GOAL endorsed representatives:
Todd Smola – 1[SUP]st[/SUP] Hampden
Vinny DeMacedo – Plymouth, Barnstable
Give them your concerns and always remind them that you vote.
Does this at all feel familiar? A couple years back when Richard Ross voted present, and basically allowed a version of the 2014 pile of foolishness out of committee. You all remember that one. When a REALLY BAD bill got watered down, more liberty lost, and the further diminishing of our rights some still call a compromise. Rinse, repeat.