Who would show up at the state house for Bill H2259

[henchmen77]

I wanted to see who would be interested in speaking in favor of H2259 when there is a public hearing on this bill?

Also if GOAL had a day on the hill for this bill. Who would take the time to show up and show support? I hear from people that firearm owners never want to take the time to show up and support things on the hill. Is that the case?

 

[Hiltonizer]

All depends on the timing... I work in the city on weekdays, but most gatherings are during business hours... and if I wish to support the RKBA, it's best I keep that income

Weekends, i'm 50/50 on typically, busy schedule. But early mornings never work as I'm usually hungover

 

[cekim]

As above - its all about the timing, but this is important stuff...

I can actually take time from work during the school day relatively easy - I just tell my boss (me) to bite me... Outside the school day its harder to make arrangements...

 

[Len-2A Training]

Hearings are only held during the M-F workweek.

At the risk of having Jim Wallace castigate me for saying this . . . based on ~20 years of going into Boston and testifying each year (until a number of years ago when they decided to do this every 2 years instead), I've come to some conclusions:

- Most of the committee members do NOT pay much or any attention to what any of the pro-gun people have to say. I've watched committee members read magazines, make phone calls, leave the room for extended (1 hour or more) periods of time, etc. while I and others gun rights activists testified. [I recall one time when the committee of ~15 had dropped down to only 3 members in the room while we testified!!]

- NO record is made of our testimony. It is NOT recorded, no stenographer, very rare to even see a committee member jot down any notes.

- After taking the day off and spending all day at the hearings for many years, it is clear to me that they are strictly "going thru the motions" since MGLs REQUIRES a public hearing, but otherwise they ignore our verbal testimony and go off and do what they want to anyway . . . unless one is able to cut a deal in the back room (see below). [The law requires that they hold a public hearing, but the law does NOT require them to consider any of the public testimony before voting on an issue!]

- I've watched committee members hang on every word when an anti-gun person gets up to speak. I've witnessed them make extremely sympathetic, biased remarks at such testimony.

- I've concluded that concise written testimony and meeting/talking/calling committee members off-line is a much more effective way of making my points. The "real action" is all done in the back rooms.

- GOAL will probably retort that it is important for us to show "numbers" at the hearing to make it clear that we do count and do pay attention. I can't dispute that point but can hope that phone calls to legislators, written testimony, etc. can also make the same point. [NOTE: Email isn't given much credibility and Faxes are NOT always delivered to our Reps/Sens by "State House Policy" as I once got a call from the State House Mail-room advising me that they were NOT going to deliver my Fax to my State Rep!]

Just one person's opinion.

 

[cekim]

Just one person's opinion.

Unfortunately, you are likely correct, but this is how they win...

"They" have no scruples or principles, they don't care if someone is a wife-beating, coke addict, pimp or child rapist so long as they support their position - they keep/put that person in power...

Listened to NPR today talking about the ALCU's exec signing on to secret blacklisting to further their fund raising goals and liberal after liberal said it was fine that the head of the ALCU was lying and going against their principles and even admitting on the record to breaking Federal Law so long as he promoted their interests...

So, this is what we are up against. Strident, principle-free, lunatics who don't care who they hurt, how few people they actually represent and what the ultimate result of their actions is - only that they feel like they are forwarding their agenda in the immediate term...

I understand your disenfranchisement, but feel compelled to pick up where you have given up... We simply cannot sit around pissing and moaning and letting the gears grind us up... [sad2]