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On gun laws, Mass. emerges as a model
This policy issue seems to be an excellent model, common sense controls combined with respect for rights. It also shows there is a middle ground between the loud, extremist positions.
Hopefully Mass. will pass this into law and it will succeed in reducing violence.
On Wednesday, Beacon Hill experienced a surreal day. In a country where gun-control proposals usually provoke a harsh backlash from uncompromising gun-rights advocates, the Massachusetts House passed legislation to tighten up the state’s already tough gun laws, and it was praised by both gun control advocates and gun rights lobbyists. With the vote, the state has turned itself into a leader when it comes to bridging what often seems like an intractable gulf between the two sides.
“Overall, I’m thrilled,” said John Rosenthal, head of Stop Handgun Violence and the creator of the Massachusetts Turnpike billboard that currently estimates 50,000 Americans have died from gun violence since the Newtown, Conn., elementary school massacre in 2012. “It’s the first time in a long time where everyone could be heard.”
Concurring was the organization one might least expect, the Gun Owners Action League. The state affiliate of the National Rifle Association called the bill “a great victory for Second Amendment advocates in Massachusetts.”
GOAL won several changes to the original legislation, including the requirement that police chiefs who deny a gun permit explain why in writing and that state suicide data collection include all forms of suicides, not just those from firearms. Another change allows private firearms sales to be made via a state online portal rather than forcing buyers and sellers to complete the transaction at a licensed dealer.
“Overall, I’m thrilled,” said John Rosenthal, head of Stop Handgun Violence and the creator of the Massachusetts Turnpike billboard that currently estimates 50,000 Americans have died from gun violence since the Newtown, Conn., elementary school massacre in 2012. “It’s the first time in a long time where everyone could be heard.”
Concurring was the organization one might least expect, the Gun Owners Action League. The state affiliate of the National Rifle Association called the bill “a great victory for Second Amendment advocates in Massachusetts.”
GOAL won several changes to the original legislation, including the requirement that police chiefs who deny a gun permit explain why in writing and that state suicide data collection include all forms of suicides, not just those from firearms. Another change allows private firearms sales to be made via a state online portal rather than forcing buyers and sellers to complete the transaction at a licensed dealer.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2014/07/12/gun-laws-mass-emerges-model/KhSU8PJXXArVqkGeTHrVpN/story.html
Credit due to SecularMotion for bringing this to attention in RKBA
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