Posted on 12/22/2006 8:46:39 AM PST by kiriath_jearim
NEW BEDFORD — Mayor Scott W. Lang is asking the city's legislative delegation to push for a statewide ban on the sale of military-style weapons — including the AR-15 semiautomatic rifle used by a gunman last week to kill two employees and himself at the Foxy Lady SouthCoast.
"I'd like our local delegation to sponsor a bill that takes that type of weapon out of civilian hands ... any type of military weapon," he said. "This is not an appropriate weapon for a civilian to have.
"It's a killing tool. ... It's a weapon that's used to destroy an opposition army. We don't need a battlefield in the middle of our city."
The announcement came as the Foxy Lady opened its doors last night with free food and admissions passes. Mayor Lang said he is still in the process of talking to local legislators, but he expects "an enthusiastic response" to his proposed ban.
He also noted he has strong ties with federal legislators from the area and may discuss the idea of a ban with them.
Both the mayor and Police Chief Ronald E. Teachman have noted that officers were outgunned at the Foxy Lady standoff, with only their sidearms and a single-service rifle.
The AR-15 "has firepower that police do not have available to them, except in extraordinary circumstances," Mayor Lang said.
The AR-15 is the commercial version of the military M-16, and is legal for licensed gun owners to buy.
Although it lacks some of the M-16's capabilities, plans to modify the AR-15 so it matches its military cousin can be found on the Internet.
Although California has banned the AR-15, it is still legal to own and carry in other states.
Scott C. Medeiros, 35, the Foxy Lady gunman, had a Class A license that allowed him to purchase and carry an AR-15, according to police in Freetown, where Mr. Medeiros lived and maintained his firearms permit. The AR-15 was also used by John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo, the 2002 Beltway snipers.
Marc Folco, award-winning outdoors columnist and author of The Standard-Times' Open Season column, voiced early opposition to Mayor Lang's proposal. He and other gun ownership advocates are meeting with the mayor today, he said.
"The gun itself isn't evil," Mr. Folco said. "It's an inanimate object."
He said the key is keeping guns out of the wrong hands, but conceded that, in the case of Mr. Medeiros, "They did seem like the right hands. There was nothing to tell police otherwise. I think he just snapped."
But he added his belief that the gunman would have been able to do as much damage even without the semiautomatic rifle.
"If (Mr. Medeiros) didn't get an AR-15, he could have used anything to cause that mayhem. He could have made a bomb."
Mr. Folco said he does not own any military-style weapons himself.
"I don't like them," he said. "I would never buy them. But I do believe that people have a right to buy them for target shooting or collecting purposes."
Mayor Lang said he is a supporter of the Second Amendment, but added, "Let's apply some common sense to the Second Amendment and modern technology. Why not a bazooka? Why not a tank? It doesn't make sense."
This isn't the first time a New Bedford mayor has tried to have gun legislation passed. In 2004, Mayor Lang's predecessor, Frederick M. Kalisz Jr., pushed unsuccessfully for a home-rule petition that would have stiffened the penalties for carrying banned weapons within New Bedford and raised the mandatory minimum sentence for illegally carrying a firearm from one year in a county facility to 21/2 years in state prison.
Mr. Medeiros' rampage at the Foxy Lady began at about 2 a.m. Dec. 12 when he entered the strip club with the rifle and fatally shot two employees over a romantic rivalry.
The first police officers to respond to the scene didn't even get a chance to get out of their cruiser before Mr. Medeiros peppered the car with at least 24 bullets. Both of the officers were hospitalized with gunshot wounds.
According to Chief Teachman, the bullets cut through the cruiser door panels "like a hot knife through butter."
Both the chief and Mayor Lang said officers involved in the Foxy Lady standoff were outgunned.
Mr. Medeiros' rifle had a range of "1,000 feet and is deadly accurate," far greater than police-issue handguns, Mayor Lang said. The gunman hit police vehicles that were hundreds of yards away, according to police.
Chief Teachman said police are not typically trained to deal with a weapon such as the AR-15.
"Is society still willing to accept that this level of firearm is readily available?" the chief asked. "This is a legal gun, owned by a legal person, who up until (the Foxy Lady shooting) had done nothing wrong, but because he had this level of firepower at his fingertips, he was able to create a very dangerous situation."
Mayor Lang said he would like to see Massachusetts follow California's example and ban the AR-15. "If it's legal, it's a loophole that's got to be closed," he said.
I'd like to see Massachusetts outlawed, towed out to sea, and sunk! Take New York with it!
They were using a Bushmaster AR clone. So what's the slight error?
"I'd like our local delegation to sponsor a bill that takes that type of weapon out of civilian hands ... any type of military weapon," he said."
Gee, Mr. Lang would that include the military weapons of the past, including the Model 1863 Springfield Rifle, or the Model 1903 Rifle, both of which were made in *your* state??
As for me - I'm keeping the President's (Heston) words in mind.
Yup. We decided that a year or so ago when the "assault weapons" ban was not renewed. Next question?
The AR-15 "has firepower that police do not have available to them, except in extraordinary circumstances," Mayor Lang said.
What, you mean extraordinary circumstances like opening up the trunk of the patrol car and taking one out? If your police force is "undergunned", that's your fault, Mayor. What do you tell their widows, that you denied them the ability to protect themselves because they couldn't be trusted with a small, civilian semi-automatic rifle?
Chief Teachman said police are not typically trained to deal with a weapon such as the AR-15.
Really Chief? Are you admitting to negligence in training your officers? Are you saying that your police officers are about as prepared to deal with a serious situation as Barney Fife, and you are as much at fault here as the Mayor?
"Let's apply some common sense to the Second Amendment and modern technology. Why not a bazooka? Why not a tank? It doesn't make sense."
Well, a bazooka is already banned as an "implement of destruction". You can buy a used tank if you have the money, but most people don't. At any rate, the gunnery on the tank would have to be disabled (de-milled) before you could use it. Unless you went through the proper channels and got ATF permission. As far as I know, that's never happened, making it a straw argument.
The AR-15 shoots the same kind of ammunition that small-game hunters use for woodchucks. It is NOT a high-powered rifle. If the mayor and the chief don't know the difference, stop by and see me some weekend when I'm not busy, I'll show you.
We do if those in elected positions are violating the Constitution.
Interesting. IIRC, Miller held that it was "militia style" weapons that were protected by the Second Amendment. Be fun to see the Liberals go to court to get Miller overturned after all these years of their citing it.
The second amendment isn't about collecting, and only about target shooting in so far as it helps keep the militia "well-regulated".
Under the Supreme Court's "Miller" decision, if anything is protected by the second amendment, it's the keeping and bearing, by the people, of military type arms.
BLOAT ??
What's that stand for?
That's what they said at Gettysburg, but guess what.
"My deer rifle, a Remington 700 bolt action"
Or my Parker Hale 1200 in 30-06, which Rebecca Peters of the U.N. Civilian Disarmament Campaign has reclassified as a "medium range sniper weapon" because it is in a military caliber, bolt action, equipped with a scope, is glass bedded for accuracy, and should therefore be banned from civilian ownership.
Note: I bought the rifle _after_ hearing of Ms. Peters' agenda.
Really? My mistake, then. I didn't make the connection between 'Bushmaster' and 'AR-15' when this was reported back then.
They exist. A the directorate deputy is a lefty, and has several of them. Bolt action, with the bolt on the left side, pump and semi-auto shotguns with the ejection port on the side, even AR-15 types with the ejection port on the left (those are more rare than the bolt actions).
My shotgun is ambidextrous, it ejects down and the safety is in the middle of the tang, suitable for left or right thumb.
Hmm.... interesting.
My deer rifle is in 270, but I think the 30-06 probably has to be the most used civilian round out there. OTOH, the military doesn't use it much anymore that I know of. I think they like the 223 and the 308. 'Course those are also widely used by civilians.
The same could be said of any common deer rifle. Gonna ban them too? Call 'em sniper rifles. Such an action could have "Unintended Consequences", but give it a try anyway.
Buy
Lots
Of
Ammo
Today!
"The AR-15 "has firepower that police do not have available to them, except in extraordinary circumstances," Mayor Lang said."
This statement is an absolute lie. Every LEO in the country are armed with surplus military, usually the latest or better than the military.
Muhammed had military training (Army), and presumably went for a weapon he was familiar with.
Hizzoner is an idiot. And idiots make laws.
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