[UPDATE POST113]S.661 Self Defense Bill

Emoto said:
So, what is this "clear language" about self-defense?
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repeated from page 1 of this thread:

Below is the text from S.661:

SECTION 1. Chapter 278: Section 8A. Killing or injuring a person defense of self or others;

Section 8A. It shall be an act of lawful defense if a person, who is an occupant of a dwelling or in any place that they have a right to be, used deadly force, or less than deadly force, if he or she acted in the reasonable belief that an assailant was about to inflict great bodily injury or death upon themselves or upon another person who also had a right to be in the location. There shall be no duty on a person to retreat from any place that they have a right to be. An act of lawful defense as outlined in this section shall not be cause for arrest or prosecution. Further, an act of lawful defense under this section shall not be cause for the revocation of a license issued under sections, 122, 123, 129B or 131 of Chapter 140.

SECTION 2. Chapter 231: Section 85U. Death or injury to assailants; liability of defender

Section 85U. No person who has committed an act of lawful defense as outlined in section 8A of chapter 278 shall be held liable in an action for damages for death or injuries to an assailant.
 
We need more people to jump on this bandwagon.
All the newbies I see on NES this is your chance to help.
Please contact both your reps and senators we need all the firepower we can get.
 
If you sent a letter or email, it's time to resend and let your legislators know that there will be a public hearing on Feb. 7th in room B-1. Let's get this through.

I wish I could make the hearing but cannot. Be nice to see some NESers there though.
 
yanici said:
If you sent a letter or email, it's time to resend and let your legislators know that there will be a public hearing on Feb. 7th in room B-1. Let's get this through.

I wish I could make the hearing but cannot. Be nice to see some NESers there though.
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Will resend.

I'm with you, unfortunately every time there is a hearing worth going to, I am out for work.
 
Sent emails earlier to all of the committee members and received a response from A+ rated Rep. Puppolo.

Thanks for the email - I have made note of your support of this proposal.



Please know that I will look into this proposal specifically, and overall I will continue to do what I can to help lawful gun owners and hunters in the Commonwealth- Angelo



Sincerely,
Angelo J. Puppolo, Jr.
State Representative
12th Hampden District
State House - Room 540
Boston, MA 02133-1054
Tel: (617) 722-2090
Fax: (617) 722-2848
[email protected]
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Got a letter back from Ben Downing. Here's the gist:

"I'm not on that committee" - No kidding, I told you who's on that committee in my letter.
"S.661 is a bill for ..." - No kidding, I included the text in my letter.
"You input is valuable... Your thoughts are on file in my office and will be given every due consideration as this bill moves through the process." - Filed. Thanks for "helping it along".
 
ToddDubya said:
Got a letter back from Ben Downing. Here's the gist:

"I'm not on that committee" - No kidding, I told you who's on that committee in my letter.
"S.661 is a bill for ..." - No kidding, I included the text in my letter.
"You input is valuable... Your thoughts are on file in my office and will be given every due consideration as this bill moves through the process." - Filed. Thanks for "helping it along".
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Reminds me of a story my father tells... he was Secretary to the General Staff at the Army Aviation Research and Development Command (AVRADCOM) back in the early '80s and occasionally would receive Freedom of Information requests regarding their programs. He took particular pleasure in sending rejection letters regarding secret programs, and always began those letters with "Thank you for your interest in Army Aviation..." ... essentially meaning "go pound sand".

I think you just got one of those letters... [rolleyes]
 
As you may or may not recall, my State Senator, Barry Finegold, took some time and came to my club right before Christmas. He had never fired a gun before. Anway, to make a long story short, I just received a phone call from him to let me know that he will be positioning in favor of S661 and will let the committee know.

I urge all NESers to try to get close to their legislators so that your input will be valued. Thanks to all you guys and gals that have notified their Reps and Senators of this "common sense" bill.
 
yanici said:
As you may or may not recall, my State Senator, Barry Finegold, took some time and came to my club right before Christmas. He had never fired a gun before. Anway, to make a long story short, I just received a phone call from him to let me know that he will be positioning in favor of S661 and will let the committee know.

I urge all NESers to try to get close to their legislators so that your input will be valued. Thanks to all you guys and gals that have notified their Reps and Senators of this "common sense" bill.
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Nice work John... Very nice work.
 
I will write again on this. I may also close down the shop early if i can and try to make it to the hearing.

On an unrelated note... i have never received a response of any kind from any of the letters i have sent. I am not feeling the love.
 
GOAL C.M. said:
Urgent.

Time to crank it up folks. We have a public hearing for this legislation scheduled on Feb 7, 2012 at the State House, Room B-1.

Please see our webpage for more info/links to contact your legislator and the committee members.

thanks
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Is there a standard time at which these hearings take place because I can't find it anywhere, goal's website the committee calendar, and can't find a general calendar of events to get a time on the hearing.

Wrote my Senators, got two more folks involved and should be able to go to the hearing 3 deep. Just need to know what time.
 
"An Act Relative to the Common Defense"
•Will provide explicit protection for those who use force, including deadly force, to protect themselves or others from great personal injury or death
•Provides specific language that would clearly define what an act of lawful defense is
•Protects a law abiding citizen that is involved in a self defense shooting from civil suits
Just in case you didnt know.[smile]
 
Please know that I support a persons right to defend themselves and their homes against intruders. If this bill is brought up for a vote, I will support it.

Thanks for reaching out to me and don't hesitate to do so in the future,
Jim Dwyer
 
Stan Rosenberg

I just registered for this forum so I could share the following. I sent a message to my SS, Stan Rosenberg, not expecting much as he is from Amherst. Here is his reply:

Thanks for bringing this bill to my attention. This is the first I have heard about it. I will speak with Sen. Brewer to learn more. Thanks again for letting me know about and that it is important to you.

Stan

This guy is the president pro tem of the Senate and he has not heard of the bill!
 
Obie1 said:
I just registered for this forum so I could share the following. I sent a message to my SS, Stan Rosenberg, not expecting much as he is from Amherst. Here is his reply:

Thanks for bringing this bill to my attention. This is the first I have heard about it. I will speak with Sen. Brewer to learn more. Thanks again for letting me know about and that it is important to you.

Stan

This guy is the president pro tem of the Senate and he has not heard of the bill!
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Thanks for the help and welcome to NES. Stick around. We need folks like you.
 
I sent a request to Flint arms facebook page to Please support this important legislation by contacting your legislator and the committee members, and if you are able, by attending this important public hearing.
They gave me a big thanks for the heads up.
 
blindndead said:
I sent a request to Flint arms facebook page to Please support this important legislation by contacting your legislator and the committee members, and if you are able, by attending this important public hearing.
They gave me a big thanks for the heads up.
Click to expand...

Great idea! If any of the gun shops are looking at this maybe you guys can get the word out too.
 
I just received this response from my Senator, James Eldridge.... He seems to have the bill in question confused, but, either way, its still just as damning.
Thank you for contacting my office about Senate Bill 661, An Act Repealing the Ban on Modern Sporting Arms. Having given the issue significant consideration and thoughtful review, I am opposed to S.661, and would like to take this opportunity to explain my position on this important issue.

Most significantly, I am concerned that this legislation would threaten the safety of Massachusetts residents. The weapons that this bill would legalize are the weapons of choice for gangs, drug traffickers, mass killers, and terrorists, including the Intratec TEC-DEC9 used by the Columbine shooters. Police across the country find themselves under threat of being outgunned even by a single gunman or small group of criminals. Making these weapons more easily accessible would only exacerbate the threat to public safety that such weapons present.

I understand that those who support Senate bill 661 are interested in making these weapons more accessible for sport and self-defense. While I recognize that some individuals would feel safer owning these firearms, I worry that this legislation will threaten public safety by flooding the market with weapons destined to end up in the wrong peoples’ hands.

In looking into this issue, I learned that regulation of assault weapons has proven to be largely effective in protecting Massachusetts residents’ personal safety. In the decade during which the Federal Assault Weapons Ban was in effect, for instance, the number of crimes involving these weapons was cut by about two-thirds. Since the ban expired in 2004, however, their use in crimes has unfortunately increased.

The current Massachusetts Assault Weapons Ban is partially responsible for the fact that we boast the second lowest firearm fatality rate in the nation, whereas this legislation would undermine our current gun violence prevention laws. Let’s keep Massachusetts safe by keeping dangerous assault weapons out of our state to the greatest extent possible.

Thank you again for contacting my office regarding this important issue. If you have any further questions about this or any other legislation, please feel free to contact me by email at [email protected], or call my State House office at 617-722-1120.


Very truly yours,
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I got the same response from Sen. Eldridge. I explained that I thought that perhaps we were confusing the bills. I pointed out the true purpose of the bill.
I should have suggested that he speak to the other W&M Senator (Jen...can't think of last name) that has shown some level of understanding and support for the bill.

Aloha
 

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