07/15/2023
While I have been inactive on this page for some time, I feel that it is necessary to address a certain issue, as well as provide a glimpse into the future.
I am watching very closely over Massachusetts Bill HD.4420. If you are not familiar with HD 4420, I strongly suggest you look into it. I will provide a link to the bill at the end of this message.
HD 4420 is 140 pages of absolute destruction to the second amendment and any firearm owner in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Our state has a very extensive history of Anti-Gun views, which is very disappointing, considering this is where the American Revolution started. In Massachusetts, we already have some of the strictest gun laws in the country. Many of these laws are often questioned on their constitutionality, as many of them should be. The Bruen decision was a perfect example of a state abusing its powers to prevent the people from obtaining fi****ms. While it is clear that the majority of residents in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts are in favor of gun control laws, there is a line that cannot be crossed. In reality, that line was crossed in 2016, with then-attorney general Maura Healey released a notice to gun owners and FFLs statewide that Ms. Healey interpreted the law in a way no one else did, and that she would be enforcing the law in the way she saw fit. This left many questions for law-abiding citizens and store owners, many of which were left unanswered. The general consensus from the AG office was "read the law, do what you think is right. You are responsible for figuring it out. Do not ask us questions, we will not provide assistance to you. If you do not interpret the law the way the Attorney General does, you will be penalized and charged." At that point, it was not about safety. It was about stripping away OUR right under the idea of "the law said this, and we interpret it as that, therefore you are the problem and you will forfeit one of the basic rights you are given as a human in the United States of America." Considering that 2016 was the line, what would we consider this?
If this were about safety to us, THE PEOPLE, than HD4420 is unnecessary. Per the Center for Disease Control, Massachusetts has the lowest firearm mortality rate in the country. Seeing this, why do we need further restrictions? What does this bill do, aside from take away the rights of those of us who follow the law, and give criminals the knowledge that they yield more power than the family man defending his wife and children, or the woman that they are robbing. Is this what we want? To give criminals the confidence they need to perform whatever heinous crimes they choose to commit? It is not about your safety, nor mine. It is about their safety. The politicians on Beacon Hill, who work in a location guarded with the fi****ms they do not want you to have. No government tries to take away the rights of people under the impression of safety, unless the government is trying to do something that the people will not like. And that is what I worry is brewing.
I do believe there are many representatives and Senators on Beacon Hill that understand the oath they took. I believe there is time left to protect our rights, but we must act fast. I will be in touch with our Senator and Representative as soon as possible regarding Bill HD4420. I also intend to attempt to speak, whether in person or over the phone, with Representative Michael Day, the presenter of HD4420, and Governor Maura Healey. While it will be difficult for someone with no status like myself to get in touch with these people, I truthfully want to listen to their side of this argument. I want to be able to understand their side, and I want them to be able to understand mine. Even if we disagree, we need to be able to discuss it, otherwise we are doomed. I will make sure to keep you notified if I am able to speak with either of these individuals.
It is a long, uphill battle ahead. But it is to preserve the right that we all deserve to share. The right to keep and bear arms.
Bill HD4420: https://malegislature.gov/Bills/193/HD4420
Firearm Mortality CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/sosmap/firearm_mortality/firearm.htm
