How did Connecticut & Massachusetts become so anti firearm?

How, or why did this come about?

The Connecticut River Valley is where much of the firearms industry originated. Winchester, Colt, Smith & Wesson, Marlin, Parker, Hopkins & Allen/Merwin & Hulbert, Sharps, Springfield Armory, and a multitude of smaller manufacturers. All in Connecticut and Massachusetts at one time or another.

With industry come jobs and a tax base, and prosperity. You would think that Connecticut and Massachusetts would be the most pro 2A/ pro firearms area of the country.

And now one of the few left, Smith & Wesson, is moving to Tennessee.

 

As a lifelong Nutmegger, I barely noticed until I came around to the understanding that it was my responsibility to protect myself and my family.

First, it was the shift to one-party rule, and that party happened to be D, who tend to be in favor of government regulation of every aspect of citizens' lives.

Then, Sandy Hook happened. There was even less public opposition to anti-2A legislation after that, and the horrific event is still being used to cudgel responsible people and guilt them into supporting broader regulation of firearms ownership, not only here but in Blue states across the country.

The "Constitution State" my left foot.

 

I think this all started long before that. Not sure when the shift to one party rule began, but Sandy Hook was in 2014. Winchester was gone long before that, as was Marlin, Parker, etc. But at least Colt and Smith & Wesson remained.

So, I’m still really confused as to why those two states are not strongly pro 2A. It’s not just the firearms manufacturers themselves, but the other nearby manufacturers that are supported. For example, a firearms manufacturer might outsource the production of components or even shipping containers to local businesses. Therefore creating even more jobs and taxpayers. I don’t think those two states are known for having low taxes, so more businesses should be encouraged to remain, such as firearms manufacturers, to reduce the individual tax burden.

 

I don't live in that area (and thank my luck that I long ago took up living down here in paradise - south Florida...). From a distance though basic stuff still applies.... Generally speaking - you get the government you deserve in most places. The gradual changes in the northeast didn't start yesterday. Changing that situation can still happen but it will take the majority of each state's voters and won't happen overnight (if at all...). Me, I always figured those states were where you ended up as a punishment... .

 

How gun friendly or unfriendly can be tied directly to a state's ratio of urban vs rural population. Illinois is the perfect example: it's a big state with a ton of rural area but Chicago has SO many people living there it controls the entire state's politics. Boston probably rules a lot of Mass. Conn is probably hurt by it's proximity to NYC.

 

I've always thanked my lucky stars that it (the anti gun fever) hasn't yet caught on in NH. I'm not from NH but we share a border and they call NH and VT "Twin State". VT has become increasingly anti gun over the years with lots of MA, NY and CT implants. Even more so with covid. Lots of these 2nd homes are now primary homes and they bring their crappy politics with em.

Just a matter of time

 

During all the hoopla leading up to the 1968 Gun Control Act, I spent a few summers in the 1960s going to the public library, making a list of the articles under Firearms Legislation in the Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature, getting the magazines off the shelves, reading them (mostly antigun diatribes by Northeastern opinionators) and taking notes on gun control arguments. It is no accident that Massachusetts was home of the Salem Witch Hunts. The meme of finding a scapegoat for social problems and dunking them in ponds to see if they drown and hang them if they don't is how they think.They banned "Lady Chatterley's Lover" in Boston. It's in their DNA to ban things to reform people.

 

Liberal who are out to save the the world did it. But not all liberals are anti-gun. The Liberal Gun Club of America is a staunch defender of 2A rights.

 

Look up the term High Justice.
It defines the real difference between a subject and a citizen - the right to lethal self-defense.
It seems that most folks in the northeast prefer to be subjects... .

 

You might as well add the extremely biased reporting of gun issues in both the Boston and NYC media markets. Especially in the last two years, unashamedly editorialized reports as "news" with the clear intent of demonizing law enforcement, weakening their abilities to deal effectively with street violence and the real reason for it. Add my state of NJ, and it's a perfect Anti2A quadfecta.

 

I think everyone forgets that there was a large contingent of people who preferred to stay British subjects instead of independence. Those people didn't move back to England, and they reproduced.

 

Can't speak for CT, but I visited Mass and Boston frequently during my college days. I enjoyed the nights when I would visit fight bars with Dropkick Murpheys playing live in the bar. Even then, it was rare to hear about a gun owner let alone someone enthusiastic about firearms like many people here. Same attitude in NJ. Gun control in many of the small New England states has effectively "worked" to convince law abiding citizens that firearms make bad people. The founders would be turning over in their graves if they knew how weakened the 2A has become in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

 

You know that this has been researched quite thoroughly. I suggest that one go to Google Scholar and read the literature. You just don't want to project your own political paradigm in to the discussion.

 

Alot of the lower part of the state is being building up from the people escaping mass but close enought to still work in boston. I am surprised it has not happened yet. They will vote like they did in mass and turn NH into mass. I am seeing it try to happen in my small home town in mass. People that buy lake houses try to change things. Stay in mass if you done like how NH and ME are being run.

 

As a "Behind Enemy Lines" resident of Massachusetts I can say that gun owners are part at fault for letting this happen. Many get out of the state leaving those that stay here with less people to fight the good fight. Those that do stay tend to stay low, which isn't a good thing when it comes to politics. Add that MA and CT are dedicated Blue states and Republican politician are few and far between and you have a perfect storm of issues that basically overtake us gun owners.

As an example we in MA have a very good support network for gun owners in the Gun Owners Action League and Comm2A. There are several hundred thousand gun owners in MA, but GOAL can barely keep 10K members to try and sway the MA legislature to more pro gun bills. Also, Comm2A is a pro bono legal team that goes after towns and Gov't who trample on residents 2A rights. You'd think they'd get support by gun owners, but largely you'd be wrong. Add in a very large FUDD population that only care about their hunting shotguns and it's a bad overall situation.

You just have to look at 2016 as an example. Our AG decided that the Assault Weapons ban would be enforced in MA and came down like a load of bricks on gun stores and forced the stop of ARs, AKs and all similar rifles. Gun owners marched on the state house to protest and we barely were able to field 2000 people. With the number of gun owners in MA we should have tripled that number at least. Gun owners here are just to damn lazy and to be honest it's almost like we deserve it for be so lame.

I'm no better. When I can I'm bailing out of this hell hole and moving to NH. Be nice to live in a free state for a while.

 

The rise of 'G' violence in the late 80's, the crack war in the early 90's, and Sandy Hook were the catalyst for our infringed rights. The 'G' violence is gang not gun, it's just that the gangs like guns.

Malloy did us in, in the middle of the night, behind closed doors. The CT state supreme court upheld the infringements, even though the 2nd amendment is enshrined in out state constitution.

Sad state of affairs here.

 

Spot on.

 

I wasn’t meaning to incite recent politics. We need to stay on target.

It was stated that being anti 2A was ingrained in Connecticut and Massachusetts citizens genetically. Really? Anyone ever hear of Lexington, Massachusetts, Paul Revere, the Battle of Bunker Hill, Concord, etc?

The folks that founded these companies weren’t anti 2A.

One would think the right to keep and bear arms would be instilled in the psyche of folks from these two states. Plus the industry is good for local employment opportunities and politicians from those states would support industry.

 

Thats the problem tho, politics slowly did that to those state. Death by a 1000 cuts. it was so slow, no one batted and eye.

 

Naw, man. I'm old, so the "catalyst for our infringed rights" as far as I'm concerned was the assassination of JFK - when I was 16. The assassination of Bobby a few years later added more "catalyst" to the mixture.
Anti rights advocates have probably been pushing for more gun control since before I heard about it too. But shortly after JFK was shot was when I first learned that there are people around that don't like my having guns.
BTW, it didn't make any more sense to me back then than it does now. I mean, I didn't shoot JFK! The truth is, I kinda liked the guy. But I didn't shoot Oswald either for that matter. So why would anyone want to take my guns???

 

This is my opinion exactly.

 

Oddly, industry, until recently, tended to be concentrated in industrialized urban areas, the very areas that now are the most anti 2A. E.g., Winchester and Marlin in New Haven, Colt in Hartford, Smith & Wesson in Springfield, Sharps in Bridgeport & Hartford, etc.

 

That should be a slogan or put on a sign. "People that buy lake houses try to change things". Its so true. Our local range went broke once fighting a legal battle with a jersey or NY implant who wanted to buy the quaint lil rural setting farmhouse just down the road from the range and apparently wanted to take legal action against the realtor for not informing g her of the existence of the range. The real kicker, the name of the road is "Gun Club Road".

She spent alot of money trying to shut it down and while she wasn't successful, she was successful in making sure $60K went to legal fees, making the club broke for a while. The leadership is now very wary of expanding the facilities because of ACT250 and not wanting to get into another legal battle, they have told me that they won't even put a membership.card reader at the gate for fear of setting off the ACT250 thing. I'm a lil fuzzy on all of it but basically what I gather is they can only maintain what already exists and cannot change the footprint or facilities in any way unless they want to risk going broke again.

I don't understand it, only get lil tidbits, I'm not a lawyer and don't speak legalese but it just seems we have to tip toe around the jersey new York neighbors and walk on eggshells lest we get shut down, etc..... The club president is a lawyer actually, I'd like to gather a lil more insight from him on these matters....