I wrote emails to Chris Walsh from Framingham and Tom Sannicandro. Received a reply from both. The one from Chris Walsh was an honest reply back, but he said because he believes this will go to court and he did not sign it because he views this as a short term maneuvering. The one I received from Sannicandros office pissed me off.. Said they completely agree and support the AG in her decision and that (and I quote the email):
"Given the similarities “Massachusetts-Compliant” weapons share with those military-style weapons banned under state law, and their well-documented capacity for unfathomable destruction in our communities, our office supports the Attorney General in her efforts to close a loophole that some manufacturers have knowingly abused."
This was my reply to that email:
Mrs McAndrews and Mr Sannicandro,
Thank you for your response. When it comes to the safety and security of our community and our country, no one knows that better than myself. I spent 8 years of my life serving this great nation in the US Marine Corps, serving overseas in both Iraq and Afghanistan. I now serve the community at home as a Firefighter and EMT. Everyday, I work on the front lines to protect our citizens and workers, having seen the horrors of the current opioid epidemic. One thing I have yet to see is a member of the community being harmed by a rifle. Considering only 7 people have been killed by any type of rifles in Massachusetts, not just semi-automatic rifles, in the last 10 years, you can see how this is a rare sight.
You mention these weapons sharing military style characteristics, and having extensive knowledge on military and civilian weapons, I have to strongly disagree. Not one of these weapons are fully automatic, nor do they have a selector switch allowing them to shoot anything over a single round. Are these weapons capable of causing harm? Of course, these are guns. Just like a rifle can cause harm, so can a pistol, a revolver, and even an old style musket. When in the wrong hands, they are able to hurt others.. but recent news has also proven that a Vehicle, such as a van is able to cause just as much destruction, if not more. To call these weapons a military style weapon, would be like us calling an car, with a formula 1 body, but a Volkswagen Beetle engine, a race car. They look the same but do not function in the same capacity.
As for the Attorney Generals clarification, new wording was added to the current ban that was not there previously. The Attorney General added that a “copy” or “Duplicate" is any magazine fed, semi automatic rifle that has similar internal components. Under this rule, EVERY SINGLE semi automatic rifle is now banned, as the internal components are the same for almost every gun, to include some handguns. Same goes for the interchangeability test. The wording in the law does not mention anything about components or interchangeability and is something that was newly added by the attorney general without going through legislation or due process. The scope of her new wording is so broad, that legislators, gun store owners and even the NRA and GOAL do not know what is even currently legal to sell. As the AG, it is her responsibility to enforce the laws as it is written and to protect the civil liberties of those under her jurisdiction. While Chapter 93A allows the Attorney General to regulate current laws, it does not allow her to redefine them herself. The Assault weapons ban has been around for over 20 years and was not interpreted this way on a federal level, nor was it interpreted by Attorney General Coakley, or the Attorney Generals before her. In 2014 when the AWB issue was brought up, AG Healey herself did not express any concerns with the way things were being handled at the time.
We do not blame the engine size of a vehicle when a person is drag racing and kills an innocent person. We do not blame the type of vehicle when a drunk driver kills a bystander behind the wheel. We do not even blame vans, pressure cookers, box cutters, or even fertilizer when they are used in some of the most devastating terrorist attacks ever seen in this world. Instead of blaming guns for these issues, we need to hold those who use them improperly responsible. Let us enforce minimum sentences that are already in place for those who use weapons to commit a crime instead of giving them plea bargains. Let us stop penalizing law abiding citizens who follow the laws, and uphold the strict regulations currently set by the State of Massachusetts to punish those who explicitly break these laws in order cause harm to others. Even if we get rid of EVERY single gun out there today, it will not prevent those who wish to cause harm and fear from carrying out their desires.
The issue at hand it not the weapon types themselves. The issue at hand is preventing those who will stop at nothing to inflict harm and cause mass panic and fear.
I do not even personally own one of these weapons that are under scrutiny. But I am extremely angry about the issue because the actions of the Attorney General remind me of ones used by Dictators and Queens, and not those of politicians and a democratic government.
Regardless of how anyone stands on this issue, this is still an over-reach of the powers afforded to the attorney general. I am willing to work with the government to make our communities safer. But let us do it through debate, voting and legislation and not through the politically backed interpretation of one person with only hours of notice to the representatives, store owners and the citizens of the community.
If any representative believes the attorney generals actions are constitutional and even morally correct, then they are someone I will not vote for and will do everything in my power to educate the public so they will also not make the same mistake.
Thank you..
(mic drop)
