Request for help on petition to amend MA "ERPO" law

[Coyote33]

We had our club meeting tonight. One of the members is trying to put together a ballot initiative to amend Chapter 140, Section 126.

The first thing he is looking for is maybe 10 people to bring him "certified voter registration papers". These need to come from your Town or City Clerk's office, and have at least 3 official signatures and be notarized. This is necessary to begin the process of doing a petition.

If you are interested in this, his name is Mike Piscopo, and he said you could email him at bigcrowpiscopo @ gmail.com

Thank you.

 

[Reptile]

Amend to what?

 

[Coyote33]

Not sure exactly what the amendment is. Perhaps you can ask Mr. Piscopo at the email address above. I think right now, he is just trying to get names to begin the process. He wants to put together a small group to look at the options. Again, I'm not positive on all this, but that should be close enough of a description to get things moving. I honestly thought there would be more interest in this here.

 

[Coyote33]

I really thought people in MA were more opposed to the "ERPO" law. Doesn't seem to get much interest here. I changed the title, to see if that makes any difference. Old title: "Massachusetts ERPO Ballot Amendment Initiative".

 

[Waher]

Without a clear idea of what's being proposed, the average NES'r isn't going to give out their email address or play tag with PMs. This person should be coordinating with GOAL to not cross streams and duplicate efforts.

 

[Matt_SERE]

We had our club meeting tonight. One of the members is trying to put together a ballot initiative to amend Chapter 140, Section 126.

The first thing he is looking for is maybe 10 people to bring him "certified voter registration papers". These need to come from your Town or City Clerk's office, and have at least 3 official signatures and be notarized. This is necessary to begin the process of doing a petition.

If you are interested in this, his name is Mike Piscopo, and he said you could email him at bigcrowpiscopo @ gmail.com

Thank you.

Your OP is confusing. You have to help us help you, Mike and dare I say ourselves?

"We had our club meeting tonight". - Which club and how would we know this?

The first thing he is looking for is maybe 10 people to bring him "certified voter registration papers"" - What does this mean?

"This is necessary to begin the process of doing a petition." - Is there an outline of this process, what else are we going to have to do?

"If you are interested in this, his name is Mike Piscopo," - Asking people to blindly send their email address to an unknown may hinder it actually happening.

Don't take this as people not being interested.

Matt

 

[Coyote33]

He is a member of, and spoke before, the Auburn Sportsman's Club. I'm pretty sure he is from Charlton. I told him that he might want to run his idea by people on NortheastShooters, as they know a bit about this stuff. I can't offer you much more than that. Just trying to help. If you have questions, ask him, that's why I gave you his email.

 

[Deleted member 67409]

He is a member of, and spoke before, the Auburn Sportsman's Club. I'm pretty sure he is from Charlton. I told him that he might want to run his idea by people on NortheastShooters, as they know a bit about this stuff. I can't offer you much more than that. Just trying to help. If you have questions, ask him, that's why I gave you his email.

He should join here and post what he's thinking. Probably be better if he join as a dues-paying member and post in the private forum.

My personal thoughts (as a RI'er with our own version of this law) are that these laws need to be challenged in the courts. If someone's prosecuted by the state, raise constitutional defenses in the defense. If there's a civil suit, try and sue in Federal court. I don't think a ballot initiative is going to work because liberals voted in Democrat ultra-majorities and the legislature voted for ERPO. This isn't the 1970s anymore with the proposed Mass pistol ban vote that got shot down (pun intended). Arguments against ERPO are complex for the average person to understand (due process, 2A, 14th Amendment) and those that do understand are probably already pro-2A voters that don't have sufficient critical mass to democratically change the law or are raging liberals who won't give us the time of day. The local propaganda machine isn't going to even question the sanctity of having ERPO on the books as-is.

Void for vagueness is something you raise in a court case, not in a ballot initiative.

 

[Boston4567]

He should join here and post what he's thinking. Probably be better if he join as a dues-paying member and post in the private forum.

My personal thoughts (as a RI'er with our own version of this law) are that these laws need to be challenged in the courts. If someone's prosecuted by the state, raise constitutional defenses in the defense. If there's a civil suit, try and sue in Federal court. I don't think a ballot initiative is going to work because liberals voted in Democrat ultra-majorities and the legislature voted for ERPO. This isn't the 1970s anymore with the proposed Mass pistol ban vote that got shot down (pun intended). Arguments against ERPO are complex for the average person to understand (due process, 2A, 14th Amendment) and those that do understand are probably already pro-2A voters that don't have sufficient critical mass to democratically change the law or are raging liberals who won't give us the time of day. The local propaganda machine isn't going to even question the sanctity of having ERPO on the books as-is.

Void for vagueness is something you raise in a court case, not in a ballot initiative.

Agreed with this on all counts.

Ballot initiatives are a good idea when there's a significant mismatch between the will of the people and the actions of the legislature, and the issue is not nuanced and is easy to communicate. Think weed legalization, or cutting the income tax.

Neither of those factors are present here.

 

[Coyote33]

He should join here and post what he's thinking. Probably be better if he join as a dues-paying member and post in the private forum. ...

Like most club members and shooters in MA, he does not seem very computer oriented. Our club went to a completely electronic newsletter, and eventually people complained, and wanted printed copies left at the bar. I told them I would send them the newsletter, and they can copy and paste it into something if that is what they want to do. The young people are coming in with Facebook as a baseline, and Instagram and Snapchat are the main methods of communicating. The old people haven't a clue, and this is why we are losing this fight.

 

[RapidTransit]

I don't get it maybe I'm dumb, https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXX/Chapter140/Section126

Section 126: Placards, signs or advertisements; prima facie evidence
Section 126. If there is exposed from, maintained in or permitted to remain on any vehicle or premises any placard, sign or advertisement purporting or designed to announce that firearms, rifles, shotguns or machine guns are kept in or upon such vehicle or premises or that an occupant of any vehicle or premises is a gunsmith, it shall be prima facie evidence that firearms, rifles, shotguns or machine guns are kept in or upon such vehicle or premises for sale or that the occupant is engaged in business as a gunsmith.

If I understand if some nit-wit wants to put this in their window:

You would violate this: 18 U.S. Code § 922 - Unlawful acts ?

(a) It shall be unlawful—
person—
(A)
except a licensed importer, licensed manufacturer, or licensed dealer, to engage in the business of importing, manufacturing, or dealing in firearms, or in the course of such business to ship, transport, or receive any firearm in interstate or foreign commerce; or
(B)
except a licensed importer or licensed manufacturer, to engage in the business of importing or manufacturing ammunition, or in the course of such business, to ship, transport, or receive any ammunition in interstate or foreign commerce;

 

[amm5061]

If you think Maura will allow this ballot initiative to actually make it out to the public, then I want some of whatever you're smoking because that's some good shit.

 

[Buck F]

I really thought people in MA were more opposed to the "ERPO" law. Doesn't seem to get much interest here. I changed the title, to see if that makes any difference. Old title: "Massachusetts ERPO Ballot Amendment Initiative".

People in MA support the ERPO law, most MA NES’rs do not - don’t confuse the two. We have a better shot at a favorable SCOTUS decision than a ballot initiative ever being successful in MA. As stated by others, given the limited info in the OP, most here aren’t going to waste their time on this.