- Seven round mag limit (owners of pre-band mags have a year to dispose of 10+round mags)
- One gun a month - sales (2.5 years in prison, $1000 fine)
- One gun a month - rental/lease (2.5 years in prison, $1000 fine)
- Universal background checks
- Gun show registration (every seller has to be reported and $500 fee paid)
- No bail for gun offenders
- NERF-free schools (airguns, bb guns, paintball guns, air rifles, NERF not allowed on school property- $500 and a year in jail)
- "Rat Rule" ($500 fine if violations are not reported
- Establish crime of assault/battery by firearm
- Required purchase of liability insurance
- Firearms stored in a locker at a specified gun range and not in control of the owner
- 25% tax on ammo and firearms
And this is just what I've been able to pick up on the web, nowhere near a comprehensive or up-to-date list.
Reading this really upset me. Basically, it would make myself and Moose felons if we ever moved back to Massachusetts. So, I did what any good person did and wrote Governor Patrick a letter stating my concerns.
Dear Governor Patrick,
I am a proud Massachusetts native who is currently a resident of North Carolina. Despite politically leaning slightly-right-of-center, in 2010 I worked on your campaign for reelection with a fervor I had never put behind any elected official previously, much less a Democrat. All that you have done in Massachusetts to make it such an amazing, accepting place to live and work makes me proud to call it home, despite leaving the state due to my husband’s job as a federal LEO. However, it is with a heavy heart that I read about some of the points in your proposed gun safety legislation, “An Act to Strengthen and Enhance Firearms Laws in the Commonwealth.”
Many pro-gun advocates appreciate the national debate on gun control, but we urge our legislators to take real and constructive action on the problems surrounding firearm violence. Massachusetts has some of the strongest gun laws in the country, with licensing requirements among the strictest of any state. While your proposed bill does have some points I agree on (specifically those related to mental health), this bill by far and large will criminalize and penalize law-abiding citizens while having no impact on the level of gun violence in the state. It is absurd to think that anyone other than someone who follows the law will dispose of ‘high capacity’ magazines (which are actually standard capacity for many firearms, but I digress), which they have lawfully obtained and owned. To threaten renting or leasing more than one firearm or its magazines in a thirty-day period with fines and imprisonment is absurd: will firearms be rented or sold without magazines in order to meet this point? And what about those who wish to gain hands-on experience with many different types of firearms prior to legally purchasing a firearm? I have been very thankful for gun ranges which allow me to get a good feel of different models by on-site rentals prior to making the financial commitment to not only the firearm and ammunition, but also to classes dedicated to firearm safety.
Possibly the most disheartening of all charges is that if this bill passes, there is no way that I can move back to the Commonwealth with my and my husband’s personal collection of firearms without being considered felons. Because of this, I urge you to please focus your efforts on those who do not believe in law and order, those who would illegally procure and use firearms regardless of what laws were passed, rather than focusing on law-abiding citizens. By disarming the victims, you are ignoring the real problem.
Respectfully,
Rhianna Cohen
And then I forgot about it. Until I got a response today:
Basically, he's telling me to go pound sand. But it is surprising that he mentions not being in compliance with NICS, which I believe not being in compliance with is actually a felony. Correct me if I'm wrong.
But my heart still cries for my home state, which we will likely never be able to return to if this passes, LEO or not.
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