Massachusetts Gun Owners Rally at State House

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Rockrivr1

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Attention all Massachusetts gun owners. After the AG's sneak attack on all semi automatic rifles GOAL has called for a rally at the State House this Saturday at 10AM. The Legislature is in session Saturday and this will be covered by major news outlets as they will be there covering what the Legislature is doing. Bring as many friends and family that you can to make this rally huge. Bring flags, bring signs and let them know gun owners are not going to roll over for this attack to our rights!!!

GOAL's Link to the Rally

http://blog.goal.org/ra/
 
Best of luck getting anyone to hear about this crucially important immediate show of political opposition out here in No Man's Land.

"Activism" is quite possibly the worst place on THR for 'getting the word out.' Don't bother posting in General until long after this rally, though.

I would recommend that MA gunowners who want to have semi-autos going forward pepper this call to action to whichever local groups (not just gun related) they have access to. If the turnout is in the dozens, the anti's will take it as a called bluff and move to cement their gains.

Has anyone heard if a test case is being pursued yet? It would be a good idea for some brave soul who wishes for that responsibility to demand they be subjected to the law as soon as possible, preferably by friendly police & local authorities just as shocked by the new ban as anyone. An anti-gun city will likely refuse to prosecute for the time being in order to deny standing for a rapid court challenge, so it is important to find an official willing to use the system against its own injustice, before this becomes "settled law" that can be more vigorously defended based upon the supposed tacit permission of those who allowed it to persist.

So long as the case is brought before a judge and quickly dismissed due to frivolous prosecution, it can begin to establish precedent to protect those who will not be handled with kid gloves further down the line. Let's not wait for an ugly, violent, felon to be our great hope for judicial review. Multiple concurrent cases would be even better, practically forcing a declarative ruling on the legitimacy of the law.

TCB
 
Yeah, I had put this in the Legal section but the Mods moved it here to this section. Northeastshooters.com has the biggest concentration of Mass gun owners and I've been spreading the word to other forums like this one, 1911forum, The Firing Line, S&WForum and a few others. We're also pushing to get all the gun ranges to send out the message to their members. Trying to spread the word far and wide.
 
Trying to spread the word far and wide.
Well this Texan certainly appreciates it. Hopefully you guys can muster a larger number of protesters than all of California could after their most recent of a long series of injuries. They scrounged up all of like three or four dozen for a San Diego protest a couple days later IIRC.

I have a feeling that even MA, as outnumbered and spread out as gun owners are there, is still a better investment for out of state donations.

TCB
 
Generally you want to be where the legislators can see you; they're the ones you're trying to influence. Far too many groups concentrate on posing for the media, which does them little real good. In most cases the media is your enemy, not your friend.

If you can get inside the building (not a given, most places, nowadays) you have the most impact. Otherwise, concentrate on where they enter or leave the building and where they park their cars or wait for their limousines. You don't necessarily have to make them run the gauntlet, you just have to be where you can be seen by the largest number of politicians.

Shouting, chanting, or making threatening gestures is often counterproductive. Mostly, you just have to be *there*, with something to show them why. Pick up a few rolls of brightly-colored gift wrap tape, cut off pieces, and tie them on as armbands, and the attendees without a sign will establish they're part of the group.

If there are windows in the assembly hall, put the largest group you can where the pols can see them if they look out the window.

I don't know what parking is like there, but your vehicles are useful to establish presence. Fill every available parking place. Hang a placard or banner if you can. Ask for volunteers to circle the block and/or the parking areas. Do it when the politicians are breaking for lunch or winding up their session and will be outside to see.

If you're planning to be there all day. designate some R&R places. A park, coffee shop, diner, etc. If attendance is good you might want more than one to keep from overrunning its capacity.

If possible, set up an "after the rally" event. A speech, potluck, or just an unorganized get-together. Again, depending on attendance, you might need more than one. *This* is the time for you to get people to form a more coherent group.

You're probably *not* going to see any immediate affect. Probably not in the next session either. You just have to keep the pressure on.
 
TRX, this all dropped out of the sky Wednesday morning. This is kinda soon for an organized response. Especially what we were fed so far- this is the weirdest one ever. They say it doesn't really affect civilian 'owners' just certain post ban models stocked in retail shops. Who will have to sell these items out of state, cause they can't eat the inventory.
So it will take a retail owner to put his business on the line for a feeler for lawyers to research? Not too likey huh? It could be 'all emcompassing' or hollow words, we don't really know yet. Or like the last bill a couple years ago, state attorneys recommended it be gutted or dropped -it was, within a week. We just don't know enough yet to come out swinging. We know one thing, a black Democrat governor from Illinios who went to law school with the prez, he never once brought forward or signed a gun control measure in his 8 year term. We now have a 'RINO' who I met and shook hands with just a few weeks ago. So I feel I was stabbed in the back big time.
I have emailed my state senator and rep, who are both GOP gun owners, and just as confused as the rest of us- but I want to see how this pans out before I remind his excellency I why will not be voting for him again...
As far as parking for an event that might drawn 10,000 or 100,000? more?? Since the Marathon bombing, there are over a half million CCW holders now, half the adult population has atleast a long gun FID.... nearly half are girls... a lot of interested parties nowdays, AG shoulda taken this into account huh? This place- whole part of town- is from pre revolutionary days. You couldn't park 100 cars within a mile of the state house- been there done that! The sidewalks are almost 300 years old, as wide as 2 beer bellies at best. Us pedestrians block intersections and driveways like a freight train... ever try to stop dead with 5000 gun ownin' guys behind you not paying attention?? So you start to feel sorry for the people who actually live there and we are all over the place like a hoard of Vikings- that's why chartered buses are the way to do it. Park ranger GOT to arrange a safe on site place to off load, all traffic ticket safe. They can let us off, cross the river, eat lunch and come back and get you like a kid infront of the schoolhouse, 'not so frightening to the peasants'??? Just the aristocrats??
It should be interesting, but I can't make it tomorrow...
 
TRX is giving good advice.

Try to get a sympathetic politician to set an appointment with you at the time. This gives you another reason to enter the building. Ask if they'll meet with your group outside where others can see. Take the private meeting even if the public request I'd declined.
 
MA was the root of so much rebellion during the American Revolution. If MA was able to stand up to the British, surely, it can stand up to some sneaky anti-gun liberals and get ARs (modern muskets) back!
 
That's part of the confusion giggity, a class A license holder can own, carry and buy anything as anyone else in America can. A non CCW human can't. There are class 3 people here too. That's the urban myth about 'Mass guys can't own guns' for the last 40 odd years. And all along, all these years, Clinton or not.
And the AG said this 'edict'? still won't affect 'us'. Just- so they say- retailers are not suppose to, weren't suppose to- sell post ban manufactured hi cap mags, muzzle devices etc. Added to this is now a 'what we don't know yet' list. A firing mechanism? capacity?outward appearance? relation to a 1990 whatever banned assault weapon, that they say shouldn't have been on the shelf all these years anyway. Sort of finally demanding law enforcement to finally enforce an old law? And warning sellers to comply? Or is it? Really, first glance, I see it as the retailers and manufacturers who should be sweltering on the pavement, with us owners standing under the trees in support, not the other way around right? There ain't enough trees around the common to shade all of us anyway..
BTW, patriots were cleaver people. They had the for-thought to start a uninating contest in cooler weather!!!
 
That's part of the confusion giggity, a class A license holder can own, carry and buy anything as anyone else in America can.

Well, not really. We can only purchase handguns that have gone through the AG's tax, um, I mean safety test. Unless they are the "List" they cannot be sold in MA. Oh and the best part is that there's really no place to see an "official" list of what's approved and what's not. It's the biggest smoking mirror crap you will see.

Glocks, Kimbers, Taurus, etc' all cannot be sold new in Ma.

As a side note the rally went really well today. 2500 to 3000 attendees, several pro-gun legislators, 100s of flags, some good anti AG signs and even the LEs stayed away so as to not cause any issues.
 
Just- so they say- retailers
That's because retailers are more likely to play ball with bad laws than angry constituents so long as they can stay in business selling alternative products. Constituents won't be happy that the new regs make their ammo expenditure smaller due to the inability to acquire semi-autos, however, and that is what separates them from a business.
 
Don't forget to contact any businesses that sell gun related merchandise; which would include gun stores and pawn shops as well. You could also check out any sporting goods stores; which may or may not help.
 
That's a sore point Drec. 350 FFL's and a dozen makers within a 3 hour drive- a couple are multi million $ corps, how many you think showed? More than zero? Maybe a few.
Seems around midnight a 'letter to rescind' was signed and sent by 58 legislators, many are dems! Healey is just trying to follow her orders from the DNC, and New York and Connecticut AG's pulled this off without a word. Never mind death threats hung on the iron fence!
My senator has asked the state attorneys - not under her AG's office, to determine the legality of the entire action. That's what brought down the 2014 bill from the speaker of the senate. It was like this one, 50% duplication, 50% infringement, that could leave the state liable to an expensive lawsuit. so a waste of tax money at the least. Pencil pusher who couldn't care less about a human right, care a real lot about rolls of pennies... whatever works eh?
Too bad people who spent so much of their life studying law, have no respect for it, or such an ego to think everyone else is so dumb as not question their actions. Well, this action is going downhill fast, but it won't be forgotten that fast.
BTW, a photo taken from higher up, shows 3 'crowds'? about 15 deep, one nearly 200 people long... so as many as 5500 to 6,000?? Even if a bunch were just tourist from Japan and Ireland watching the show- it thickens the soup!! Especially to the coward peeking thru a 3rd floor window.
Not bad for a 18 hour notice!!
I don't think the statehouse wants to see a well organized and advertised rally... this 'half fast' one shook their cage!
 
This might be the last post on this thread... MY state senator, Donald Humason, put forward a bill today, Sunday, to strip the Attorney general's office of all maters pertaining to firearm sales and restrictions, those to be the domain of the house and senate in future.... so that might be the end of that... this time... DNC is having a bad day all over huh?
As a property owner here and Oklahoma, I was miffed to have to be distracted by this 'evil plot'... but that's what the statue of the minuteman is all about. Drop everything and face the threat... right now. I explain it to my okkie friends as 'like what you do when you know a twisters coming!' State gun law threats don't exist there..
Once you lose a right, it is so hard to gain back... good luck, keep fightin' the good fight
 
Power back the people! Alright!

I hope this goes through, and more importantly hope it serves as a lesson to future legislatures about the dangers of delegating their authority when it "seems like a good idea at the time"

Any word on co-signers or et cetera that might indicate whether this bill has legs (I'm aware that won't develop instantly)?

TCB
 
Here's an update. Saturday noon to 2 or whenever. INSIDE the statehouse... so please no carry's to the door, or you will slow up the Ashburnton street entrance- the only one open so far, Saturday again- so please don't slow the rest of us up. If there are more there than last week, now known to have been 5,000, so if 6 or 7 k of us are trying to go thru one security point, got to not be setting off buzzers...
We are to track down the offices of out senators and rep, and possibly meet the governor, and speaker.. whoever you want to talk to. So it is a no big poster, no big flags, dress as if you were in a historic site on current business, to approach a Politian as a citizen and taxpayer and not look like a lunatic fringe will go much further. Like a old man told me when I was a kid. Pretend you are going to church, and act that way when you git in there....
To rescind the AG's order is senate bill SD 2637, from Sen Don Humason, and a bill in the house filled by Rep Lombardo is worded exactly the same, to save time in debate. So these bills are what we are suppose to mention as we shake hands etc.
The third bill is to strip the AG's office from all gun issues in future. Sounds high, we'll see. The AG's office is not in that building, that's closed on Sat's- and she ain't talking to us anyway!!
Apparently Healey was suppose to address the DNC on stage last night about her bill... that got canceled... we've got em on the run, they've got to run further faster!
If you wan to come, but aren't a Mass voter, the hall is a museum of the last 400 years, battle flags, relics, and a wheellock musketoon off the Mayflower! Another is in the NRA museum in Fairfax,Va. One was owned by Myles Standish, the other Gov Winthrop's I think.
As I hear updates, I will post them. thank you THR!
 
No more news, seems Wayne La Pierre was asked to attend? No word on that, but Mass could use some backing from someone somewhere now and then- for the last 40 or 50 years?
I am parking at an all day place- less than 20 bucks, half mile walk. Sounds as good as it's gunna get.
Be there or be square.....
 
Some serious looking gun owners, a couple 'men of the cloth', mixed in with a few hundred beer bellies in tee shirts and Bermuda shorts wandering around like little lost puppies... with the mega phones of a 'black lives matter' group echoing in the marble halls.... to meet no one but staffers if you're lucky, as all senators and reps were in session to finish bills by Sunday night. Was that an NRA regional rep was handing out cute little yellow snake stickers?? ... funny the NRA in Fairfax knew Friday PM the AG and her process was going to supreme court rather than be voted on in the house... citizen finds out on the news after the building closes? ... that's handy!
All the huge oil paintings and statues and relics of patriots of the revolution all around. .. is that what they risked everything for? Dems to circumvent due process with a big grin? Isn't that what the British government was doing? No, they weren't even trying things this bad! This bold. The king would have said 'that is wrong, goes against the Magna Charta, you musn't do this to my subjects'. And now Mass citizens sit at home like a dog that got yelled at.
So out of 400,000 gun owners, 1% bother to show up? It reminds me of Churchill's words 'in a democracy- the people- get- the government- they deserve'. So what month or decade this is resolved in State courts... who knows.... in the mean time, AR's get hidden in a secret place... and deal stock collects dust on a shelf
btw- I did see atleast 2 FFL dealers in the crowd...
 
In typical fashion pro gun bills were blocked by Speaker of the House Deleo stating he would not bring them forward in the last days of the legislative session. I'm pretty sure he'll block them when they get back as well.

GOAL (Local Gun Owners Action League) is planning a number of events to keep this issue up front in people's mind. Of interest is a "Rolling Rally" of trucks, cars and motorcycles flying American, Pro Gun and Gadsden flags. Route is being planned with the hope of passing some of our legislature's houses. I'm sure they'll love that.
 
Find out where the speaker is having his next fundraiser and plan a "rolling protest" on that night. Hit him in his wallet.
 
So what's happening now?

It's turned into a slugging match between the MA Gun Owner's Action League and Comm2A. The AG has turned to radio and TV to continue to push her agenda and trying to bash both organizations. Basically they are getting under her skin and there are questions now. 58 Legislators have come up against her policy asking why they were not updated about her move. A number of these legislators, both Ds and Rs are writing legislation to propose in the next session to reverse her decision. And on top of that she's trying to block a "Freedom of Information" request for all documentation used to come up with her directive, which isn't going over very well either.

Instead of working with us, she's double downed by going after several gun makers with Lawsuits. She's going after Glock because she's saying their guns are unsafe. She's going after Remington because they refused to give her sale records of firearms sold to residents of MA dealers/residents. In turn S&W and the National Shooting Sports Foundation have leveled lawsuit against the AG. Kahr and Savage, who are also in MA, are also considering lawsuits.

There is another rally this Wednesday at the State house.
 
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