If you thought Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey’s midnight raid on Bay Staters’ gun rights — banning the sale of all “assault rifles” with the stroke of a pen — was a clear infringement on the United States Constitution and an abuse of her powers, you’re right! If you thought Massachusetts legislators would right this wrong, you’re wrong. From masslive.com:
Massachusetts’ entire congressional delegation and 19 Massachusetts mayors have come out in support of Attorney General Maura Healey’s interpretation of the state’s assault weapons ban.
“This is a common sense step to not create a new law but enforce a law that’s been on the books for many years to make sure we don’t have military style assault weapons in the hands of people in our streets and in our communities,” said Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse.
New law, old law, at this point, what difference does it make? Given the political support for banning the sale of AR-15-style firearms, there’s only one way Massachusetts gun owners can roll back this insult to their Second Amendment protections: the courts.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) is filing a lawsuit against Healey’s perfidy. Massachusetts judges have a long-standing antipathy to gun rights. The odds of the NSSF being successful are somewhere between slim and none, and Slim just left town.
This despite the simple, inescapable fact that the expanded “assault weapon” ban has sweet FA to do with Massachusetts’ crime rate. As the aforementioned Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse acknowledged — and then dismissed. In a pre-crime kinda way.
Opponents of the ban point to 2014 FBI data showing that not a single homicide that year was known to be committed with a rifle in Massachusetts. There were 33 homicides by handguns and 48 by unknown firearms.
Morse said that data is “not the point,” and Massachusetts should be proactive in preventing gun violence. “It’s another opportunity for Massachusetts to lead, to take action before something does happen and we look back and say if only we had taken action, if only we had courage to stand up and enforce something that’s already on the books,” Morse said.
Yup, it’s ye olde “if it saves one life…” routine. A routine too far for TTAG’s Ralph, who’s busy plotting his Bay State escape. How many more will follow? The ballistic bifurcation of America continues. Unabated.
Its time for MA gun owners to chew bubblegum or kick ass.
And they’ve got lots of bubblegum!
It’s chewing time!
A lot of people in MA chew ass and kick bubblegum.
Why do we not just arrest these people without warrants and throw them into prisons for the rest of their lives without a trial?
I mean if they will not obey the Constitution and respect our right, why should we respect theirs?
There is a second method and it is coming.
No, it’s not. People are too comfortable and will always insist “It’s not bad enough to resort to that”. It would take the majority of people losing everything, including regular meals, to get them to be willing to fight.
Agree. People will not jeopardize jobs, income, families for prison in Ppls Republic of Mass. BTW, have you ever noticed Mass State Police dress uniforms? Eerily out of a fascistic regime of the 1930s. Not at all funny.
“…No, it’s not. People are too comfortable and will always insist “It’s not bad enough to resort to that”.”
General Washington and his army did not have a great deal of support at the time either.
Just saying.
It doesn’t take a majority. Our war of independence is a good example. It was a minority, but a passionate, vocal one that instigated the war. The number of people who currently think armed resistance is the only path forward is actually pretty small. If it grows to 10% or more, then things will probably start happen.
Hello NSA watchlist.
The vocal minority in the colonies did not instigate the war. They were not the cause of the tyrannical intolerable acts that the British parliament levied on the colonies. They just actively resisted them until the British finally crossed the line. It was years, YEARS, in the making.
Not in Massachusetts, 90% of everything in the last box will rot before they are willing to do something about their problem. I for one resent the statist politicians they keep sending to DC.
the voters need the list of the traitors so they know who to not vote for next cycle….
“Opponents of the ban point to 2014 FBI data showing that not a single homicide that year was known to be committed with a rifle in Massachusetts…Morse said that data is “not the point,” and Massachusetts should be proactive in preventing gun violence.”
In his defense, it’s much easier to “prevent” something that isn’t happening than to try to stop what actually is happening.
As a current example, my idea to prevent the Earth from being eaten by a gerbil the size of the Milky Way galaxy is, so far, far more successful than my attempt to keep stuff from piling up on my desk!
Agreed. The law in my home banning myself from using copious amounts of cocaine and then starting fires HAS kept my home from burning down or exploding. Even though I am not a drug user. Preemptive law passing works!!
That was Senator Jeff Flake’s reasoning for voting for the weapons laws after Sandy Hook. Lo and behold, he voted for every other weapon law after that. Guess who’s now on the list?
Maybe it’s about time that the “fly-over” states need to start thinking about drawing new lines on maps and erecting new fences.
better yet build the wall north to south just on the east and west….
Healey Wrongly Writes Writ Wronging Wronged Wights’ Rights
Wights? Like, Barrow Wights? The hobbits trespassed on their land. Seemed reasonable to respond. Also, +1 for obscure english word!
Where is BlinkyPete? We need his non-violent solution now.
“Morse said that data is “not the point,” …… Yeah don’t let facts get in the way.
Typical MassHole politician. Of course I don’t want to be accused of being some kind of _ _ _ ist or having some type of phobia if I were to point out that he is of the same persuasion as Healey and how these people like to push their beliefs and agenda’s on everybody else.
More interesting, perhaps, [in 2014] “in Massachusetts. There were 33 homicides by handguns and 48 by unknown firearms.”
That’s for the whole state, for a whole year! That’s an average WEEK in Chicago. But they are using that for an excuse to violate the Second Amendment protected rights of every person in the state of Massachusetts?
“This is a common sense step to not create a new law but enforce a law that’s been on the books for many years to make sure we don’t have military style assault weapons in the hands of people in our streets and in our communities,” said Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse.
After all, the Mayor wouldn’t want a well armed citizenry with capable weapons when he and his fellow statists infringe on more rights. They want to make sure they are the only ones with guns. Citizens in his mind should obey thier overlords, and not tell the “betters” like him what to do and have the means to enforce it.
You should see how shitty Holyoke is. I used to take everyone though there that visited me when I was forced to live in the Springfield area. Even people who didn’t cuss would usually say something like WTF happened to this place as we drove through?
As a New Englander, Massachusetts local police departments, and the Massachusetts state police have absolute control over a US citizens 2nd amendment rights, or as The local police department personnel would say : “It’s a privilege in MA. , and you don’t have any rights in the station.” A permit *(FID card/low capacity longarms and ammo…LTC/for pistol–with a $!#t load of other restrictions, constitutional waivers, suitability clauses, and other Stasi BS Bureaucracy. )* , is required to purchase , to posess , to own, and to carry. The local Chief of Police, or the Licensing officer can determine if your a suitable candidate to exercise your 2nd amendment rights * privileges*….a FID card, or LTC can be suspended or revoked at a whim. Recourse is limited. A surrender order from the local police department can be issued to “remove any firearms, or other weapons from a person’s posession. *(violation of the 4th,5th, and 6th amendments.)* Yes, “Paul Revere needs to make a comeback! “
Frightening because it is true. Police states don’t belong in this country.
I’m glad I was only forced to live there for two years. The problem is the gun owning population was around 200k out of a state with 5 million people. Gun rights will lose, and continue to lose in the state because there aren’t enough people who care.
“Massachusetts local police departments . . . have absolute control over a US citizens 2nd amendment rights”
@Groutboy, you are absolutely correct. That’s why it’s critical to live in a town with a chief who respects 2A. I’ve lived in MA for about 7 years, and lived in two towns where I had absolutely no problems with obtaining unrestricted licenses to carry.
My current locale is a red town in a sea of bilious blue. My state rep and state senator are both Republicans with NRA “A” ratings. And my chief of police is a peach.
So, I am able to enjoy a degree of firearms freedom. Meanwhile, up in Boston, people are denied their rights. It always warms my heart to walk around Beantown well-strapped while the sheep who pay for all that infrastructure are stupidly disarmed.
“… (violation of the 4th,5th, and 6th amendments.)”
The Second Amendment (and its analogs) is simply the proverbial “canary in the coal mine” and the first target for governments who have no intention of respecting any rights.
Saying it another way, the Second Amendment exposes governments who embrace the “ends justifies the means” worldview. If you operate under the condition that anything is permissible if the ends justify the means, then you happily infringe other rights as well in your quest to quash the Second Amendment.
Anyone surprised by this has spent little or no time in the Bay State. But don’t feel left out, these gun grabbing, Liberty restricting activities are coming to a town near you soon enough. Vast majority of Americans no longer care for individual liberties, many posters often express that here on this forum. Good luck Ralph finding a freer state, maybe for a while anyway.
Good luck, Ralph. And Godspeed.
Given that there are 360? cities and towns in MA, that mean 340 of them disagreed.
19 yea, 340 nay, the nays have it
“Morse said that data is “not the point,” and Massachusetts should be proactive in preventing gun violence. ”
Facts aren’t needed to justify new infringements, just a smug sense of moral superiority. It saddens me that a state that played such a large roles in establishing liberty and independence for this nation has now turned into a bunch of mindless, dependent, unthinking slaves to the state. I’m glad my ancestor essentially said “f— it” and left in 1791.
How hard is it to believe that the odious Massachusetts political class favors anything that will enhance their power at the expense of ours? Not hard at all.
Many years ago when I learned about the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror, I found it hard to believe that people as sophisticated and cultured as the French could descend into such barbarity.
Later I realized that it wasn’t barbarity at all. It was well-deserved payback. The squealing of the French political pigs as they went to the guillotine back then must have been music to the ears of Robespierre and his cohorts, as it would be to my ears today.
It would be appropriate to point out that Robespierre was guillotined without a trial by his compatriots for giving a speech detailing the excesses of The Terror and urging restraint…
The Massachusetts legislature are cowards and the people are even more cowardly.
Ultimately, the gun manufacturers need to step up and refuse to sell any firearms to any state or local agencies that are not also legal for citizens to own in that state.
This may be the only way that the gun industry can save itself, otherwise it will die a death of a thousand cuts.
Vs spending money on fighting this I think we need to relocate released criminals to that state for a fresh start without these weapons of war. Let’s see how that plays out.
Seeing how Watertown cow-towed with the whole shelter-in-place after the marathon incident with armored cars and SWAT yanking people from homes and pointing long rifles at people in windows, do you honestly expect anything to change? Sheeple dont care enough to want to exercise their rights when faced with a large well armed force trampling their rights, nothing to see here, move along..
Yep, martial law=Boston Strong…….Orwell is either laughing or crying.
They call this “Common Sense.” And again they have proven common sense isn’t common.
So it’s ok to overstep your legal authority and essentially create a law as long as the very same politicians who failed to pass the same law support you? Last time I checked AGs (lawyers) weren’t allowed to make law. Could you imagine courtroom proceedings if lawyers were allowed to make up laws as they went? “He’s guilty of wearing the color blue. It’s against my new law.” Argument against “you are a man – I find you in contempt of court for violating MY new law” etc, etc. It’s the same as playing “I win” with my 5 year old just more frustrating as others have to abide by the results.
Establish infringement on long guns first. Go for handguns next followed onto sling shots.
You forgot about knives. Two Massholes in the legislature tried to restrict the purchase and sale of steak knives. No, I’m not kidding.
Told ya so.
When it breaks down (soon), there are groups that will strike fast and take out enough of the elite to cause mass chaos. During the chaos, most of the rest of the political elite will be hunted down and put to justice.
That’s how I see it happening. Will you do your part?