Sudbury townwide ban on agenda

Similar petitioner articles were put forth in Wayland in 2014, 2018, and 2019. Withdrawn before TM in 2014 and defeated in 2018 and 2019. It takes a lot of calls, emails and attendance at Select Board, Planning Board, Finance Committee, etc. meetings prior to Town Meeting to shape public officials opinion. We were lucky to have a number of pro-2A residents who pitched in a lot of time to attend and comment at various meetings prior to Town Meeting.
The Sudbury article proposes to amend town zoning - usually that means a positive recommendation from the Planning Board and concurrence of the Select Board and Legal Counsel. Sudbury residents need to attend meetings of those boards and be vocal during the public comment segment.
 
GL2020 said:
Local town politics is one of the few times contacting people makes a difference. Write, Call, email the zoning board, selectmen (or town council), letters to the editor of the local paper.
It does make a difference. If Every person involved in this idiocy hears from 10 different people they'll seriously rethink what they're doing.
If they use RTM every member has to hear about it before they vote.
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namedpipes said:
I wonder how much the local town government is willing to SPEND in court fighting to defend a blatantly unconstitutional bylaw.
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MetroWest said:
The Sudbury article proposes to amend town zoning - usually that means a positive recommendation from the Planning Board and concurrence of the Select Board and Legal Counsel. Sudbury residents need to attend meetings of those boards and be vocal during the public comment segment.
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Town Officials » Sudbury

sudbury.ma.us sudbury.ma.us


Town Counsel » Document Categories » Select Board

sudbury.ma.us sudbury.ma.us

www.metrowestdailynews.com

Sudbury board has chosen a town manager. Two negotiation sessions are planned

Sudbury's choice for town manager, Andrew Sheehan, must give his current employer 60 days notice before leaving.
www.metrowestdailynews.com

 
Its a town meeting. The board can state an opinion on the article, but there is not much they can do to kill it. If it gets 2/3rds vote - the only way it can be blocked is if the AG states its not legal. Even with the Bruen decision, i don't see the AG helping here.

The town meetings here are boring as frig. There are 55 articles, this being the last. Educated guess, it will put it at Day 3 and and half asleep when it comes up. With all the kooks in this town i will be surprised we have enough residents to oppose this.

What is interesting is the wording of the bylaw will make it illegal to reload. But the sponsors report says it wont. Its amazing that someone could be allowed to put that inaccurcy in the report and it does not need to be checked. Well that and the littleton comments.

The town counsel did not publish an opinion on it. That may be an interesting contact.
 
Select Boards tend to err on the side of caution when you start threatening to kick them in the wallet. "If the board votes in favor of xyz I will tie the town up in lawsuits for so long that your grandchildren will still be paying for them" usually gets their attention.
 
VTski4x4 said:
Select Boards tend to err on the side of caution when you start threatening to kick them in the wallet. "If the board votes in favor of xyz I will tie the town up in lawsuits for so long that your grandchildren will still be paying for them" usually gets their attention.
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It’s not a board vote. It’s a town meeting vote
It’s all about who shows up and raises their hand. Unfortunately
 
ddeck22 said:
i don’t know if Raytheon had their FFL for everything there, but that got demolished a few years ago to make way for Whole Foods and other upscale stores.
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That site was primarily radar and radar signal processing circa '2000. They even had a radar test stand in the back parking area (which warmed up things near by). I'm not sure or don't recall, going further back, if Raytheon Missile Systems (et al) had a presence there prior to relocating the primary site to Tucson.

The majority of the work related product from Sudbury moved over to the Marlborough facility and would imagine that, if they have a primary FFL address, it would have moved there or to the HQ in Waltham. Really not sure how that is handled for that level of licensing having manufacturing sites all over the US. Might be some sort of blanket license federally.

There was lots of interesting stuff going on at both those sites primarily at the higher/system level components of national defense as opposed to individual munitions (e.g. large/wide impact things that may utilize or protect against such munitions).
 
Uzi2 said:
No, that's called MOB RULE.

Our system of government is supposed to protect the rights of the individual, NOT succumb to some group with a bunch of loud mouthed, emotional basket cases trying to curtail the rights of others.
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Right. That's my point - a Town Meeting, where the articles are passed on (generally) a simple majority of those in attendance, is as close to a direct democracy as you can get. One person, one vote, if you wanted it to go differently, you should have shown up with more of your friends. The only thing that could be more democratic, in an authoritarian sort of way, is compulsory voting, with no abstentions allowed.

This is why our State and Federal governments are NOT democracies, but republics, where mob rule can be tempered. This is why home-rule petitions generally need to be vetted by larger governing entities.

When people b!tch about the .gov not being representative, remember that in DPRM, 2A people are an oppressed minority.
 

FWIW....​

from Sudbury Weekly​

###
Planning Board Kinda Sorta Takes Position on Firearms Zoning

The Planning Board met on Wednesday. Among their agenda items was the citizen's petition on firearms, ammunition and explosives. This is article 55 "Control of Firearms" on page 49 of the warrant.

After much discussion they settled on a bit of a technical position. They're going to draft a report that states that they don't think the zoning bylaw change, as written in the warrant, can be administered effectively because the language lacks sufficient definition. Most members have been very careful not to discuss where they stand on firearm regulations more broadly. (1:31:35)

They'll need to vote on their position, which is currently being drafted, at a meeting just before Town Meeting, likely on Monday or Tuesday of next week. And there's still speculation that there could be a significant amendment offered on the floor of Town Meeting, so they made it clear that their position is for the article "as written." This leaves room for them to take a new position should the article be amended.

However, it seems unlikely that their position will change. They spent much of the discussing reiterating that they haven't had enough time to fully evaluate and consider the bylaw change. (1:22:10)

While most zoning bylaws are developed by the Planning Board and go through their preferred process, this one is being put forth by a citizen petitioner.

In terms of the "no time" argument, it cuts two ways. On one hand, the petitioner brought this before the Planning Board all the way back in September 2022 and the Planning Board declined to take it up, work on it, or sponsor it. At the time the thinking was that they had enough on their plate already. Their decision essentially kept the bylaw on the path of a citizen's petition rather than a Planning Board-developed article that could have gone through months of expert development.

On the other hand, if an amendment is being readied for the floor of Town Meeting, particularly because very limited detail has been shared publicly, it's also true that such a late-breaking change would leave little time for the Planning Board to consider it thoroughly.

Despite clear commentary from the Select Board all the way back on March 21 that they would like to work with the petitioner and Town Counsel to strengthen the language, it's unclear who is working with Town Counsel. Even the Select Board had not received the expected memo from Town Counsel as of Tuesday April 25th. Comments by Planning Board Chair Garvin and Select Board Chair Russo (1:46:20) in the most recent meetings of their respective boards (and others: 1:27:30) indicated that something is happening in the background, but most of the details have been absent in open meetings.

We did learn a bit more from Town Manager Sheehan on Tuesday when he noted that the petitioner had developed a potential amendment that would make sales/assembly of firearms allowable in three zoning districts by way of a special permit that must be granted by the Zoning Board of Appeals. Sheehan said this would mimic zoning bylaws that have passed in other communities like Brookline and Newton. (1:41:50)

So what does this all mean for residents? Meetings this week were mostly cliffhangers on this article. Residents remain largely in the dark on details for now, and it appears everyone will find out what happens when the article comes up at Town Meeting.
###
 
MetroWest said:

FWIW....​

from Sudbury Weekly​

###
Planning Board Kinda Sorta Takes Position on Firearms Zoning

The Planning Board met on Wednesday. Among their agenda items was the citizen's petition on firearms, ammunition and explosives. This is article 55 "Control of Firearms" on page 49 of the warrant.

After much discussion they settled on a bit of a technical position. They're going to draft a report that states that they don't think the zoning bylaw change, as written in the warrant, can be administered effectively because the language lacks sufficient definition. Most members have been very careful not to discuss where they stand on firearm regulations more broadly. (1:31:35)

They'll need to vote on their position, which is currently being drafted, at a meeting just before Town Meeting, likely on Monday or Tuesday of next week. And there's still speculation that there could be a significant amendment offered on the floor of Town Meeting, so they made it clear that their position is for the article "as written." This leaves room for them to take a new position should the article be amended.

However, it seems unlikely that their position will change. They spent much of the discussing reiterating that they haven't had enough time to fully evaluate and consider the bylaw change. (1:22:10)

While most zoning bylaws are developed by the Planning Board and go through their preferred process, this one is being put forth by a citizen petitioner.

In terms of the "no time" argument, it cuts two ways. On one hand, the petitioner brought this before the Planning Board all the way back in September 2022 and the Planning Board declined to take it up, work on it, or sponsor it. At the time the thinking was that they had enough on their plate already. Their decision essentially kept the bylaw on the path of a citizen's petition rather than a Planning Board-developed article that could have gone through months of expert development.

On the other hand, if an amendment is being readied for the floor of Town Meeting, particularly because very limited detail has been shared publicly, it's also true that such a late-breaking change would leave little time for the Planning Board to consider it thoroughly.

Despite clear commentary from the Select Board all the way back on March 21 that they would like to work with the petitioner and Town Counsel to strengthen the language, it's unclear who is working with Town Counsel. Even the Select Board had not received the expected memo from Town Counsel as of Tuesday April 25th. Comments by Planning Board Chair Garvin and Select Board Chair Russo (1:46:20) in the most recent meetings of their respective boards (and others: 1:27:30) indicated that something is happening in the background, but most of the details have been absent in open meetings.

We did learn a bit more from Town Manager Sheehan on Tuesday when he noted that the petitioner had developed a potential amendment that would make sales/assembly of firearms allowable in three zoning districts by way of a special permit that must be granted by the Zoning Board of Appeals. Sheehan said this would mimic zoning bylaws that have passed in other communities like Brookline and Newton. (1:41:50)

So what does this all mean for residents? Meetings this week were mostly cliffhangers on this article. Residents remain largely in the dark on details for now, and it appears everyone will find out what happens when the article comes up at Town Meeting.
###
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Thank you for this notice. As a Sudbury resident that cares I've been getting anyone I know that is pro2A to show up to this vote tomorrow. Even my wife is coming to vote with us. We can't let them pull the same garbage they did in Littleton.
 
JJC said:
Thank you for this notice. As a Sudbury resident that cares I've been getting anyone I know that is pro2A to show up to this vote tomorrow. Even my wife is coming to vote with us. We can't let them pull the same garbage they did in Littleton.
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(0)1776 my ass.

I grew up there. Still embarrassed…
 
chris_1001 said:
(0)1776 my ass.

I grew up there. Still embarrassed…
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Do you have family and friends here still? If so then call or text them to show up tomorrow. Now, if you were a friendless only child then you have nothing to add. Let the people that want to protect 2A work.
 
JJC said:
Do you have family and friends here still? If so then call or text them to show up tomorrow. Now, if you were a friendless only child then you have nothing to add. Let the people that want to protect 2A work.
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Wow… No we moved out after I was done with HS

My family is all dead except for my sister who never went to school there (she is 16 years older than me)

Only one friend still lives there, is a liberal and I dont talk with him anymore.

I got my fid there at 15 and still have it.

Don’t be a prick because you live there now. Did you buy into the town? You live there long?

I bought a car in Sudbury in 2021 and had to wear a mask after the mask mandate was lifted.

It’s the new needham or what.

I left long ago and it went to shit. It’s getting worse and good luck fixing it.

And don’t try and call me out. You know Sudbury is all about money and status now. Long gone are the principles I grew up with.

Again, don’t be a prick. It’s not worth my time saving it. It was lost a while back and I’m not moving back.

ETA: when I was there people shot, dirtbiked and we had open campus at LS.

I remember some fun times back in the day.

2 Edit: one thing I noticed about the town was how a lot of people back in the day would overextend themselves to live there because of LS. You’d go to some homes where they could barely afford to furnish it.

In fact my childhood home looked the same except for the kitchen upgrad. From 1986 to 2021. Not even the fixtures in the bathroom were upgraded since we bought it in 1972.
 
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chris_1001 said:
Wow… No we moved out after I was done with HS

My family is all dead except for my sister who never went to school there (she is 16 years older than me)

Only one friend still lives there, is a liberal and I dont talk with him anymore.

I got my fid there at 15 and still have it.

Don’t be a prick because you live there now. Did you buy into the town? You live there long?

I bought a car in Sudbury in 2021 and had to wear a mask after the mask mandate was lifted.

It’s the new needham or what.

I left long ago and it went to shit. It’s getting worse and good luck fixing it.

And don’t try and call me out. You know Sudbury is all about money and status now. Long gone are the principles I grew up with.

Again, don’t be a prick. It’s not worth my time saving it. It was lost a while back and I’m not moving back.

ETA: when I was there people shot, dirtbiked and we had open campus at LS.

I remember some fun times back in the day.

2 Edit: one thing I noticed about the town was how a lot of people back in the day would overextend themselves to live there because of LS. You’d go to some homes where they could barely afford to furnish it.

In fact my childhood home looked the same except for the kitchen upgrad. From 1986 to 2021. Not even the fixtures in the bathroom were upgraded since we bought it in 1972.
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Well it's a good town still but the wrong people are in charge (or screaming to be heard). Not being a prick if I defend where I have lived for more than a decade. I'm calling you out to help fight this crap, not for anything else. Your "it's not worth my time" is all the commentary needed about how you feel about 2A. If "it's not in my town" then it doesn't effect me is a hell of a strategy. Thanks for stopping in to buy a car though.
 
JJC said:
Well it's a good town still but the wrong people are in charge (or screaming to be heard). Not being a prick if I defend where I have lived for more than a decade. I'm calling you out to help fight this crap, not for anything else. Your "it's not worth my time" is all the commentary needed about how you feel about 2A. If "it's not in my town" then it doesn't effect me is a hell of a strategy. Thanks for stopping in to buy a car though.
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Hey, I work in hopkington and the range is under attack. I’m not a member, or a resident. Nothing I can do. Same with Littleton.

I shop at the mill, I do some shoots at hopkington.

I’d rally for Sudbury also. But I’m now an outsider. If anyone I know is still in the town besides the above guy it’s been a long time and lost contact.

The town stuff is only open to current residents. My original reply’s are of disappointment.

I absolutely bitched about the mask bs to the dealer. Pulled it down most of the time and gave them shit for upholding it. No one cared.

I live in franklin and we here have been invaded as well. I used to shoot, dirt bike and other stuff that has been shut down by the transplants.
 
chris_1001 said:
Hey, I work in hopkington and the range is under attack. I’m not a member, or a resident. Nothing I can do. Same with Littleton.

I shop at the mill, I do some shoots at hopkington.

I’d rally for Sudbury also. But I’m now an outsider. If anyone I know is still in the town besides the above guy it’s been a long time and lost contact.

The town stuff is only open to current residents. My original reply’s are of disappointment.

I absolutely bitched about the mask bs to the dealer. Pulled it down most of the time and gave them shit for upholding it. No one cared.

I live in franklin and we here have been invaded as well. I used to shoot, dirt bike and other stuff that has been shut down by the transplants.
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Well that's different. Now I like you. Anybody can help because lots of people know people in these towns. When I heard about the Littleton vote I called my friends living there and they had no idea. They let their neighbors know too. It still went south but eventually being proactive will have a result. I would like to see Sudbury be that first wall they run into.
 
chris_1001 said:
used to shoot, dirt bike and other stuff that has been shut down by the transplants
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Socialists are a plague that consumes everything. The best interests of the collective trump personal freedoms every time now, and as soon as this mindset switch takes place - there is no way back.
People just accept it for granted and think it is the only way it should be.
 

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