Responses from MA Representatives and Senators

in·fringe
/inˈfrinj/
Verb
1. Actively break the terms of (a law, agreement, etc.): "infringe a copyright".
2. Act so as to limit or undermine (something); encroach on: "infringe on his privacy".
Synonyms
violate - transgress - break - contravene - trespass
 
I've spoken to two reps so far and both said to CALL YOUR REP! The calls are important. They both said they haven't received many calls regarding this new legislation and receiving the calls helps give them support to justify how they voted.

Also, he's not my rep but you can put Tom Golden in the opposed column.
 
StevieP said:
We need to start bombarding the MSM with letters to the editor. Write the Globe, Herald, Patriot Ledger, Worcester Telegram, and whatever the papers are in Springfield, New Bedford, Brockton, and other large papers, as well as EVERY local town paper. I live in Grafton & we have the Grafton News (weekly, printed), and Grafton Times (on-line) local news. We need to get the Pro-2A message out in front of everyone.

Preaching to the choir here, and among our already like-minded social media contacts, isn't enough. Anti's are anti, and won't listen to reason long enough to learn the truth. Sadly, these are the ones proposing "reasonable restrictions" on law-abiding gun owners. They use "reason" right in their proposal, but are using anything BUT reason in their arguments. We can't fight emotion with reason. We need to concentrate our efforts on educating the middle. Those who don't yet know the truth, and may have been influenced by the likes of Piers Morgan and the "demand a plan" a**h***s. We need to get the truth in-front of them in a way that doesn't turn them off. In a way that makes them WANT to learn more, and become part of the "rebellion" against the onslaught of tyranny. Or, at least make us a sandwich while we do it.
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I agree..most people in the Commiewealth have no idea how strict the gun laws are here and a little education won't hurt. I am trying to dig up some compelling stats, FWIW, as they are driven by emotions not logic.
 
I just got this.


January 22, 2013


Dear XXXXX:

On behalf of Governor Deval L. Patrick, thank you for your recent correspondence regarding firearm safety and legislation.

Governor Patrick believes that successfully deterring gun violence requires a multi-faceted approach and should include policies focused on guns and at-risk individuals. That is why the Governor has and will continue to push for legislation that includes a formal collaboration between Massachusetts and the National Mental Health Registry, a ban on assault weapons and a limit on the amount of guns one person can buy in a given month.

Once again, thank you for your input on this important issue. Please feel free to contact our office again in the future with any additional questions or concerns. Your comments are always welcome in this administration.


Sincerely,
Governor Patrick's Constituent Services Office
617-725-4005
www.mass.gov/governor/contact
 
Has anyone gotten responses back from Senators? There alot fewer of them and I believe the Senate President, Therese Murray, is Anti-Gun. If there is anyone here from Murray's district, they, their friends, spouses, dogs, whatever need to call her. I get a canned response from her aides because I am not in her district. There are alot fewer Senators, and we need to blow them up as well, they are just as important as Reps, if not more important.

Same thing goes for Speaker DeLeo. His constituents need to call him. He will not call me back unless I am from his district.

Both of their aides will write down your points (supposedly) but they always ask if they are your representative and it probably doesnt hold much weight if they are not.
 
Richard,

Thank you for your email regarding gun control legislation in Massachusetts. As a citizen with a Class A license to carry, I can assure you that I am very supportive of the Second Amendment and our rights.

Please understand that I am certain that a knee jerk reaction and increased gun control laws, in a state that already has some of the strictest laws on the books, is not the quick fix. With that being said, the House has established the Special Commission on Gun Violence with an additional focus on keeping weapons out of the hands of the mentally ill. I look forward to hearing what the commission's findings are and want to thank you again for taking the time to share your thoughts with me. Citizen input and participation is vital to the legislative process and I appreciate your opinion.

Again, I can assure you that, as a GOAL member and active supporter, I will be seeking input regarding any proposals.

Take care,

Kim

Kimberly N. Ferguson
State Representative
1st Worcester District
617-722-2263 (x4)
 
Bull27 said:
Has anyone gotten responses back from Senators? There alot fewer of them and I believe the Senate President, Therese Murray, is Anti-Gun. If there is anyone here from Murray's district, they, their friends, spouses, dogs, whatever need to call her. I get a canned response from her aides because I am not in her district. There are alot fewer Senators, and we need to blow them up as well, they are just as important as Reps, if not more important.

Same thing goes for Speaker DeLeo. His constituents need to call him. He will not call me back unless I am from his district.

Both of their aides will write down your points (supposedly) but they always ask if they are your representative and it probably doesnt hold much weight if they are not.
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Yes, he won't call you back but since he's the speaker, it's perfectly valid for all state residents to call and register their opinions on this bill. If they get enough calls, it still carries some weight.
 
Is there a form letter that I can copy and paste to my reps? I am horrible at writing letters, but don't want my voice going unheard.


- Todd -
 
PaulD said:
Yes, he won't call you back but since he's the speaker, it's perfectly valid for all state residents to call and register their opinions on this bill. If they get enough calls, it still carries some weight.
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Agreed ALL of us need to contact leadership of both House and Senate: Speaker, Senate President, Majority/Minority leaders, Asst. Majority/Minority Leaders etc.
 
I got the same form letter from the governor.

I replied with this:

I respectfully request the governor explain his rationale for this:

"...a ban on assault weapons and a limit on the amount of guns one person can buy in a given month."

I want to know what HIS definition of an "Assault Weapon" is, and why he feels that the generally accepted definition which includes re-defining a semi-automatic firearm as an assault weapon based purely whether it has certain cosmetic features, make these guns any more dangerous than any other guns. They are not. Nobody is advocating for shooting up school children. We just want laws that "govern" us based on logic and reason. The governor touts these as "reasonable restrictions" but is using anything BUT reason when proposing such laws. He is feeding off the emotional response to the Newtown shootings to advance a political agenda that has NOTHING to do with reducing crime or violence.

There are already laws on the books about "straw purchases." The "one gun per month" law is another thinly veiled attempt at restricting law-abiding citizens' lawful access to firearms.

Does he think the gang bangers in Roxbury and Dorchester will obey these laws?

I would actually appreciate a response to this that is NOT a form letter. Don't patronize me, please.
 
I just got off the phone with the aids of Senator Michail O. Moore as well as House Rep Paul K. Frost. Neither has released an official stance with regards to being opposed or in favor of Govenor Deval's or David Linsky's legislation. I can say that the aid of Mr. Moore did affirm that he highly regarded GOAL and has backed legislation which favors them very recently concerning the right to due process for people in receiving their LTC from chiefs who have not complied with the timeframe written in law. She said that while he had no official stance as of yet she believes he will be opposed. She also noted that they have been getting hammered by calls from pro 2A individuals :) . As far as Mr. Frost, his aid Steven said that again while he has not officially released a stance he believes he will be opposed as well. He also indicated that they have been recieving many calls and letters regarding opposition to the legislation. I asked to be forwarded to their viocemails and left a message with both with my concerns. If I hear back from either I will update the thread accordingly. Keep up the good work guys this is about as important as it gets, and to all who have been following these threads and have not yet contacted your representatives PLEASE DO SO NOW! Do not sit back and let our rights be stripped, away it is time to take action.
 
rhuarc3 said:
Is there a form letter that I can copy and paste to my reps? I am horrible at writing letters, but don't want my voice going unheard.

rhuarc3 - Tell 'em how you think from your Own Experience, you will feel more empowered... you could start with a simple Will Not Comply to Gun Control
and work your way up from there. Just say'n!...[grin]
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Bob P said:
Jeff Roy: can't paste as am posting from my phone. Canned answer of 'I'll keep your opinion in mind'. Not expecting much.

I responded " thank you. Please keep in mind that your district contains a large number of registered gun owners and we'll all be paying attention to how you vote'
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I'd be shocked if he didn't support further restrictions, however, being that his town of residence has a large number of CCW holders and if everyone else around him seems to oppose it he may be pursuaded. I plan to call, email and mail him throughout the week
 
Response from Senator Mike Knapik (Westfield/Chicopee area):

I just wanted to send you a quick email. I am sure you are aware of my long-standing record in support of the 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] Amendment and the rights of Gun Owners during my career as a State Legislator. I would expect, based on past practice, to oppose any of the onerous requirements that have been proposed in the Legislation that has been in the news of late.

On another note, on the GOAL legislation, I will be reviewing those matters later this week and expect to co-sponsor a number of their initiatives.

Feel free to follow the discussion on this issue and to stay in contact with your legislators.

Mike



BOOM! Gotta love Knapik!
 
I just sent a letter today to my Rep. Brian Dempsey. I called his office last week and spoke to an aide. I voiced my opinion then and have now followed it up wth a letter.

IMHO, the weakest thing (and easiest) to do is send an email. Second best is a phone call but the best is to mail a letter.
 
Just received a message from Rep. Todd Smola (1st Hampden district Ma) who is opposed and vowed top fight gov's bill. Thank You Mr. Smola.
 
I just received a response from Representative Campbell. I still haven't received anything from Senator O'Connor Ives. See below;

Dear Mr. H******,

Thank you for your correspondence regarding gun control and related concerns. This is a very difficult issue in which to have civil discourse and I appreciate your analysis and your intention to develop the best possible laws and policies for all.

Numbers show that the policies we have in place in the Commonwealth have resulted in a significant reduction in gun-related deaths. That being said, we must always be open to sound measures that reduce these tragedies. What we do not need are policies which principally punish and harass citizens who are exercising their Second Amendment right to own a lethal weapon. While these measures play well to certain audiences, they do not reduce gun violence in our communities.

Therefore, I believe the following should be considered as we move forward in the debate on this important topic:

First, we should elicit the cooperation of our professional health care and mental health community to report those individuals which they believe have the potential of harming themselves or others to a central registry for the purpose of granting or suspending one’s license to possess weapons on a temporary or long term basis. Evaluations should be updated as denying a license to those suffering from temporary illness is not an aim of legislation. I have proposed legislation to affect this measure.

At the Federal level, I favor that background checks be universally required for those that buy or otherwise receive a firearm from another.
The Commonwealth should fully utilize national data bases to screen our license applicants for previous convictions or reports of mental illness which would make them ineligible for a gun license. Presently, we do not access all the sources of information available to us.
Most importantly, we must insist that the federal and state laws which we already have on the books are enforced. Mayor Bloomberg of New York recently pointed out that only 44 of 77,000, a statistically miniscule amount of the attempts by felons to illegally purchase firearms reported to the Justice Department by the FBI in 2010 were prosecuted. Even generously allowing that only 20%, one in five of these felonies should have been prosecuted, one has to wonder what effect the prosecution of 19,000 felons attempting to buy guns would have had on our nation’s annual 11,000 other person homicide rate. Enforcement of our current laws shall yield far more positive result than the creation of new ones.

I hope that you find this correspondence helpful in terms of clarifying my current thoughts on this challenging discussion. Again, thank you for taking the time to present your concerns and thoughts. They are very important to me and provide balance to those of many special interest groups.

Most Sincerely,

Linda Dean Campbell
State Representative
15[SUP]th[/SUP] Essex District
 
i used ruger's link too, better to just send directly to your rep. I emailed and called mine and received a quick answer. BTW they were opposed to gov's bill.
 
Here's the response from Sheila Harrington. Still waiting on Eileen Donoghue.

Dear Mr. Twisty, Rest assured, I am very sensitive to the issues you raised in your letter, along with the other members of the Republican caucus at large. We all strongly support the 2nd Amendment and want to protect the rights of law abiding citizens. We are gathering information in order to present a workable proposal to prevent guns from getting into the hands of deranged mass murderers, while still protecting the rights of lawful gun owners. We will fight to protect 2nd amendment rights and to avoid knee jerk like reactions to the terrible tragedy in Newtown. I agree with your assessment of both the Linsky and Patrick proposals. Although I do think something needs to be done to prevent guns from getting in the hands of deranged mass murderers, I personally think that type of prevention may have to start in the schools.

I personally feel teachers are in a unique position to identify children who are isolated, frustrated and angry at a very young age. Possibly we need to develop programs in our schools to help identify these children, and recognize when these attributes are of a heightened nature, at an early age. This type of program may get to the root of the problem, and offer diversion, before these children act out in a violent manner. Placing more restrictions on lawful gun owners does nothing to accomplish this goal. In fact, if someone has become deranged to the extent that they seek to commit mass murder, they will likely choose another means of weaponry to accomplish their goal.

I am committed to working on a real solution and I really appreciate your input on this issue.

Thank you,

Sheila
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Called the offices of Rep. Fattman and Sen Richard Moore this afternoon. Left another message for Fattman and spoke to an aide at Moore's office. She told me she does not have an official position from him on the matter but he has historically supported 2A and GOAL. I said I'm calling to reinforce that position, I voted for him and I as well as many friends and colleagues will be paying close attention to how he and other members of the state legislature respond to these proposals.
 
Just got my reply's from The Gov, Nikki Tsongas, and John Kerry.. Well we all know how there canned responses are.. They are all on Favor of the AWB on both state and federal levels.. I still have not heard from Liawatha.. This state sucks!
 
My latest effort... Sent to my reps and CC'd Linksy. He should be ashamed of himself and hopefully some of his co-horts will help him out on that front.

I cropped down to the text/picture and shrunk it down a bit, it looks better on paper...

MLK_Letter_smaller.jpg

The text:
January 21st, 2013

I am writing to ask you to oppose both Deval Patrick's and Representative Linsky's Gun Control bills. Regardless of their intentions, both bills represent a profound and unconstitutional attack on law abiding gun owners without increasing public safety.

I am writing this letter as I reflect on a day set aside to celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr. as well as the Inauguration of the President of the United States.

President Obama had these wise words in his speech:
“The patriots of 1776 did not fight to replace the tyranny of a king with the privileges of a few or the rule of a mob. They gave to us a Republic, a government of, and by, and for the people, entrusting each generation to keep safe our founding creed.”
–President Obama, Inauguration, January 21st 2013

Martin Luther King Jr. was a man who believed and ultimately gave his life in the fight for freedom and equality under the law even as his efforts were bitterly opposed by public opinion in many places. He was also a man who experienced the blunt end of Gun Control when in 1956 he sought and was denied a concealed carry permit in Alabama who issued such permits based on a “suitability” scheme much like that of Massachusetts today.

Representative Linksy had this to say about opposition to his bill:
“The strong majority of people in the Commonwealth are in favor of more gun control. Only about 8 percent of the [state’s] population are licensed gun owners,”
–Representative David Linsky

Representative Linsky’s comments should disturb you and illustrate precisely why, as the President explained, our Constitution guarantees a Republic so that “mob rule” may not be used to single out small, unpopular groups for discrimination and violation of their civil rights, even if a “strong majority” desire and vote to do so. I find this curious for a state such as Massachusetts that prides itself on leading the nation in defending the civil rights of those who’s beliefs may differ from popular opinion. Even more so given its history in the founding of this nation.

Lastly, I leave you with this image and say I was proud to take part and help organize this event which I hope demonstrates both who these laws really hurt and that they go much too far:
51428d1358718771-mass-2013-2a-state-house-demonstration-attendees-post-here-img_4376.jpg
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Rep. Tackey Chan - He brought up that we already have strict gun laws in place, and have adopted the Fed AWB. Amongst other things specific to Linsky's and Patrick's bill, I explained that our AR's are already neutered and are rifles, thats it, just rifles, not "assault weapons". If you throw a wooden stock or forestock on them people wouldn't care. They have a small caliber and "hunting" rifles use much more devastating rounds.

He further said that he would like to educate his colleagues about how firearms work, and how we have to jump through hoops to get licensed. We spoke for about 20 minutes with basically me giving him bullet points on each bill, why they are ridiculous and will not save any lives but rather will infringe on law-abiding citizens rights. He basically left it at: his job is to hear both sides of the argument from his constituents, he doesn't believe this will be looked at until this summer, and that they have more pressing issues to look at right now. I thought the conversation was going well, and that he would just say that he is opposed, but he didn't. Contact him, as I feel like he has not gotten many reponses on this legislation. I would consider him a non-commital (either way) at this time.

He needs to be swayed by more calls and letters.
 

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