MA - Proposed Gun Club Regulations

[Old Fashioned]

The Massachusetts Governor has proposed new regulations pertaining to gun clubs. The regulations would require clubs to obtain a special license, have a police detail, and have one certified firearms safety instructor present for every 20 attendees (one per five if children are present) for every event that is open to non members. The regulations would also require a safety plan be submitted to the local police department 30 days prior to the event and would ban machine guns from all public events. The Governor says this is to promote safety but I think it is pretty clear what the real intent is. What puzzles me is that there are actually firearms manufacturers located in that state. The Governor is still considering public comment. Any readers in Mass need to let the Governor know what they think of the proposed regulations. First saw this on NRA-ILA. Link is direct to the newspaper story.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/10/22/mass_gun_clubs_all_fired_up_against_proposed_regulations/?page=1

[Dial 1911 for Help]

What if they just memberize everyone at the door? That would get around any of the regs that take effect only when non-members are present.

Course maybe that's the intent of the law, to compile a gun-club member database, so you'd have to have anonymous memberships, but that shouldn't be too difficult. Just sell a membership card for $1.00 and the person presents his card to get in. Viola.

[Aguila Blanca]

This is in response to the tragic incident where a machine gun shoot (organized by the chief of police in a neigiboring town, no less) allowed a young boy to shoot a full-auto submachine gun (I believe it was an Uzi but I don't remember). Although there was supposed to be an instructor supervising, either he wasn't -- or he was doing a very poor job. The kid pulled the trigger, the mullze climbed, and he shot himself in the head. He died, of course -- don't remember if he died on-site or if he died later, in the hospital.

So, because of one tragic incident that most likely would never be repeated because you can pretty well bet that everyone in the machine gun world knows all about it (I know a Class 3 dealer who was turned away from that show to make room for one of the organizer's buddies) who knew all about it within an hour after it took place .. and he's from another state.

The law is compleyely unnecessary, but you know how legislators operate -- they have to make it look like they're doing something (even if it's redundant and extraneous).

Here's one article to get you started: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1P2-19403119.html

[Old Fashioned]

Aguila Blanca, thanks for the info. I was not aware of the details of what led up to this proposed legislation. I think this accident was a case of absolute stupidity.