Posted on 11/01/2001 4:40:40 AM PST by AStack75
State lawmakers look at guns under new light
by Steve Marantz
Thursday, November 1, 2001
There may not be a lot of straight talking on Beacon Hill, but there may soon be some straight shooting.
Spooked by shadowy public safety concerns, four state lawmakers - including a bedrock liberal - signed up for a firearms class this week, and some said they might pack heat in the face of terrorism.
Representatives Marie Parente (D-Milford), Mary Rogeness (R-Longmeadow), and Patricia Walrath (D-Stow) sat in Tuesday on the four-hour Gun Owners Action League course at the State House involving the handling, but no actual shooting, of sidearms.
A fourth lawmaker who had signed up, liberal Rep. Jay Kaufman (D-Lexington), could not attend because of a family illness.
``We're certainly all scared - it's a natural instinct to try and do whatever you can to protect yourself and your loved ones, especially in the face of unknown and un-measurable threats, '' Kaufman said, indicating that he probably won't buy a gun but won't rule out the possibility.
Parente, an 11th-term lawmaker, said she does not have a gun license or a gun, but added, ``If bin Laden gets more out of hand, would I get one, who knows?''
The fact that lawmakers - particularly a liberal like Kaufman - want to learn about firearms signals a seismic shift to gun advocates, who are about to launch a challenge to what they consider overly restrictive state regulations.
``Since Sept. 11 there has been an utter transformation in the firearms debate that never could have been predicted,'' said Kevin Sowyrda, a GOAL spokesman. ``In Massachusetts there's been a psychological shift - you can see it in sales.''
Sales of guns and ammunition are soaring, only partially due to hunting season, according to store managers. Gun sales are up 15 percent, and ammunition sales up 50 percent, at Sparky's Gun Shop of Webster, where lines snaked out the front door in the days following the attacks.
``The big boom is in ammunition, and the caliber is not hunting rounds,'' said manager Paul Adams.
Collector's Gallery of Stoneham, reporting a 35 to 50 percent increase in overall sales, is struggling to get supplies from sold-out wholesalers.
Additionally, gun courses are attracting double and triple the usual number of students, according to instructors. The courses, which run nine hours and include shooting, are required for a state firearms license.
``A normal class would be 11 students - my last class we had 35,'' said David Dufresne, instructor at Boston Gun Range of Worcester.
Dufresne said that even though a gun is useless against bioterrorism, it can represent a ``security blanket.''
GOAL's Jon Green, who taught the State House course, has trained 60 to 80 persons in ``basic pistol'' over the last month - up from a normal six to 12.
``These are people who care about self-preservation,'' said Green. ``When it comes down to it, it may be only they who can protect themselves and their families.''
Meanwhile, gun-friendly lawmakers are about to challenge regulations handed down by Attorney General Thomas Reilly placing strict guidelines on firearms sold in Massachusetts.
Advocates say the regulations fail to define which firearms are legal, and as a result, some popular models are not sold here, including semi-automatic Glocks and Berettas carried by many local police.
``The attorney general has left it up to individuals to make a decision and then worry about whether they'll be prosecuted,'' said Rep. George Peterson (R-Grafton).
Among potential supporters is Kaufman, who is trying to help a constituent caught between a federal requirement to carry a Beretta - as a military medic - and the state regulations precluding the gun.
``It strikes me as a fundamental conflict between a federal calling and a state regulation,'' said Kaufman.
Kaufman acknowledged that a pro-gun position could be politically risky in his district, which includes Lincoln.
``I've had calls from both sides of the gun issue - there are many gun owners in Lexington and Lincoln,'' said Kaufman. ``I'm not advocating access to automatic weapons and a whole host of dangerous guns. I try to exercise my best judgment.''
But gun control advocates yesterday defended the state's strict regulations and licensing process, while deploring the rush to gun training and ownership in the face of terrorism.
``I share with most Americans a fear of the unknown and future,'' said John Rosenthal of Stop Handgun Violence. ``But our problems and enemies are greater than anything a handgun is going to repel.''
Rosenthal said GOAL is ``opportunizing on the tragedy of Sept. 11 and continuing to adapt their message of fear irresponsibly.''
But after holding a .357 Magnum, Parente said she is comforted by the possibility of her neighbors - and fellow reps - owning guns.
``I can't think of a time that private gun ownership has meant so much,'' said Parente. ``This is a different kind of war. Who knows where it will be fought?''
A person may not want to own a firearm, but that does not mean that a person should not know how to operate a firearm.
A person may not want to own a match, but that does not mean that a person should not know how to operate a match.
A person may not want to own a first aid kit, but that does not mean that a person should not know how to operate a first aid kit.
Because you never know, comes what may.
Such as today, when you enter the bank to deposit your paycheck, a robber may enter and then scuffle with a bank guard.
The robber's gun is knocked to the floor and slides in your direction.
You pick it up, because of your training --- EVEN THOUGH YOU DO NOT OWN A FIREARM --- and you eject the clip, pull back the slide and eject the up - till - them - chambered - round, and then toss all the pieces in separate directions.
VIOLA! Just like that, contrary to the ONLY imagination of New York Sen. Charles Schumer wherein anybody with the gun is somebody from whom it will be taken and used against you . . . you, instead, have made the device a paperweight.
CONGRATULATIONS!
``I've had calls from both sides of the gun issue - there are many gun owners in Lexington and Lincoln,'' said Kaufman. ``I'm not advocating access to automatic weapons and a whole host of dangerous guns. I try to exercise my best judgment.
All guns are dangerous to some degree. Too late to excercise good judgement...
Hope to see a huge backfire!
Duh...5,000 dead...how much more out of hand will it take?
No, that was Glendenning of Maryland.
Although Massachusettes and Maryland both begin with M and are both chock full of liberals...now that I think of it - they kind of ARE the same place!
Thats classic.
I took my class with David earlier in the year and I dont think they had more than 5 people, including my brother and I, sitting for the lecture. One small step for the US, one giant leap for Massachusetss.
I think that it would be more prudent to maintain control of the weapon and subdue the robber.
After all, you don't know if he is carrying ANOTHER weapon, so why disable a perfectly good firearm that is usable for subduing the robber or defending others in the bank?
After all, you don't know if he is carrying ANOTHER weapon, so why disable a perfectly good firearm that is usable for subduing the robber or defending others in the bank?
I prefer your solution vs. unloading the gun.
MY understanding of the law is that the firearms that you can legally purchase, is based on your place of residency. The reason someone from Boston can't buy a gun in New Hampshire, is probably because he/she can't buy it in Massachusetts (because they live in the City of Boston). But regardless, Massachusetts is a really confused state that needs to rethink its (or should I say Tom Reilly's) gun laws.
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