Posted on 05/03/2007 10:25:12 AM PDT by pabianice
A Special Report Concerning the Tragedy Caused by Gun Control in Massachusetts
In 1998 the Massachusetts legislature passed into law what can only be described as the “Worst in the Nation” gun laws. These laws included many new restrictions on gun ownership including absurd new regulations and statutes on what lawful gun owners can own or buy. The proponents of these new laws passed off this legislation as a “reasonable” means to prevent violent gun crime.
Many anti-civil rights groups and individuals are still celebrating the passage of these laws and the decrease in licensed gun owners as a result of them. However, these same people are not aware of or willing to admit the truth concerning the rise in gun violence since the 1998 laws were passed.
Several anti-civil rights leaders who are aware of the tragic failure of these laws are still struggling to maintain an image of success. They do this by continually stating that these laws have led to Massachusetts having the lowest gun deaths per 100,000 in the country. In fact one such person actually states in his bio that he: “…has played a pivotal role in the successful gun violence prevention efforts in the City of Boston as well as in helping Massachusetts become the state with the lowest firearm fatality rate per hundred thousand population in the Nation.”
While that particular statistic may or may not be true, it does not represent the real truth. In order to truly represent the success, or tragic failure, of the 1998 gun laws we must compare Massachusetts to itself. That is where we find the inconvenient truth.
According to the most up to date reports released by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health www.mass.gov/dph the inconvenient truth is that the 1998 Massachusetts gun laws were not only a tragic failure, they were a deadly one.
Per 100,000 1998 2004 2005
Gun Related Homicides 1.00 1.64
64% Increase
Assault Related Gun Injuries 4.6
7.9
72% Increase
Assault Related Hospital Discharges 1.5
3.9
160% Increase
Gun Assault Emergency Dept. Visits **0.93
2.99
222% Increase
Gun Assault Outpatient Observations ***0.188
1.2
538% Increase
This "inconvenient truth" should be spread nationwide. Proponents of the failed social experiment in Massachusetts are, right now, trying to convince the rest of the nation to adopt our state’s gun laws. They still maintain that they have “led” the nation on sensible gun violence prevention laws. Gun owners and non-gun owners alike must now join together to see that it does not happen.
While the proponents of these laws might never admit the inconvenient truth, the rest of us must. We must also alert others across the nation about the tragedy that has taken place here. It is up to all of us to make sure that other states do not repeat the tragic mistakes made here in Massachusetts.
We here in Massachusetts must also work to undo the mistakes and immediately begin repealing and rewriting the state’s gun laws. These new laws must be gun owner friendly and criminal tough. GOAL looks forward to every concerned citizen and legislator who wants to join the ranks of those who have come to know the inconvenient truth and correct this historical blunder.
Failure by design, my friend. The goal is the total civilian disarmament of the population. As you remove arms from the law abiding population criminals gain ever greater advantage, resulting in calls for more draconian intervention by the state. The goal of gun control is not the safety of citizens, but rather their total dependence on the state. That goal is on its way to being achieved.
What does Mitt have to say about this?
It has now been proposed in the state legislature - I kid you not - that the Massachusetts state police be tasked with periodic in-house visits to law-abiding gun-owners’ homes to “check up” on their firearms and be sure that all registrations are up-to-date, and that all law-abiding gun-owners have crossed all the t’s and dotted all the i’s on their gun registration papers. Fact.
Just another reason why I can’t support Mitt for President.
I hate it when my hospital discharges. Very messy...
L
Sorry - strictly speaking, it wasn’t the state legislature; the suggestion was included in the most recent report of the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security. The full report will be taken up by the state legislature in due course.
Just a passing thought.
Self-incrimination. Warrantless searches. What next, the gulag?
“Just another reason why I can’t support Mitt for President”.
They are already doing that in other states - “checking up” on former gun registrants, and confiscating their firearms if they have not renewed their registrations.
The ONLY reason for registration is to pave the way for confiscation.
It's important to keep your hospital pointed in a safe direction in case of an unintended discharge. Assume every hospital is loaded (actually they assume people with insurance are "loaded").
I hadn’t heard that; which states - do you know specifics?
With a warrant I assume? They can try to find mine. I have three very well concealed compartments.
LOL! I'm trying to wrap my mind around the logic that these MA gun laws which were passed back in 1998 are somehow Romney's fault even though he didn't become governor until 2003, and therefore, you can't support him for president. If it's the AWB bill he signed as governor that is giving you heartburn, then I'm sure it's futile for me to point out that the bill had the full support of the NRA because I find that there are many one issue voters here on FR that think the NRA consists of a bunch of leftist gun grabbers too.
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