Been following the forums for a while now, but this is my first ever post. I was at the rally Saturday and noticed my representatives did not sign the petition. Wrote this email to Chris Walsh, Karen Spilka and Tom Sannicandro...
Good afternoon Representative/Senator (Insert Name),
As a Massachusetts resident from the town of Ashland, I am very disappointed to see that you did not sign the letter written to the Attorney General on Saturday, regarding her actions taken on Wednesday making an interpretation to the long standing Assault Weapons Ban in Massachusetts. While I understand you are a democratic Representative/Senator and may feel gun control is an important issue, I believe the Attorney Generals actions sets a dangerous precedent and violates the rights of all law abiding citizens in this great State.
As a former Marine, current firefighter and a family man, Safety to myself, my family and the members of the community is a top priority. Any steps that can be taken to make our town and this State safer is something that should be considered. With this said, I do not believe that these gun control measures are the solution. Since 2007, the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting shows that only 7 deaths have occurred in Massachusetts as a result from any type of rifle, not just those the AG considers Assault Weapons.
Lawful Gun owners in the State face some of the strictest laws and penalties, losing their License if even being arrested for a crime that carries a minimum punishment of 1 year in prison, regardless if they are convicted or not. Due to these regulations, gun owners in the state of Massachusetts are law abiding citizens, who follow all laws because they do not want to lose their 2nd Amendment rights. Yet, these are the same gun owners who purchased "10,000 illegal Assault Weapons" according to the Attorney General on Wednesday.
It is my opinions that outlawing and banning different types of weapons will not make our towns safer. If we really want to make our towns safer, we should pass and enforce legislation that gives stricter penalties to those who use weapons to commit crimes. The real issue here is not us, yet our rights are being taken away from us, without due process and without the input of the citizens, Representatives and Senators of the House.
I personally do not own any of the weapons being banned by the Attorney General, but this is an important issue to me because of the manner in which it was done. If the Attorney General can make a decision about a gun law that has been in place for almost 20 years in the State of Massachusetts, and make these changes/interpretations... Changes that prior Governors, Attorney Generals, Representatives and Senators have not made in the past 18 years, and can do so without the consultation of our representatives, Senators and members of the community, then it makes me believe she can make these changes and interpretations to issues and laws that even you may feel strongly about and have been fighting for.
In my humble opinion, this issue goes far beyond assault weapons and gun ownership. This is an issue about due process, doing what is right and protecting the rights of all law abiding citizens. Even if you agree with the measures taken by the Attorney General, I hope you will support the actions taken by the other representatives and senators, asking the Attorney General to reverse her order on Wednesday. Let us all work together to make this State safer, but let us do it through voting and legislation. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Very Respectfully,
gmbarroso