Gun Control From Beacon Hill

For John, BLUF:  Where is the analysis behind the legislation?  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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In Wednesday's edition of The [Lowell] Sun is an article with a State House byline on the General Court's developing legislation on firearms.  The headline is " Discretion sought on gun licenses".♠  The Reporter is Ms Colleen Quinn of State House News Service. The gist of it is that Police want to have the ability to turn down requests for licenses for rifles and shotguns.

Giving police chiefs discretion to decide who should have a license to carry a shotgun or rifle is crucial to prevent gun violence, domestic-violence murders and suicides, police officials and other activists said at a Statehouse rally Tuesday.

"Crucial"?  This is the magic bullet that will end gun violence?  Really?

Here are my questions.

1. If the local Police Chief has this authority, will there be a reasonable path of appeal?  Does an individual have a right of appeal, and if not, why not?
2. Why do we believe that Police Chiefs being able to deny rifle and shotgun licenses will have any impact on gang or drug gang violence?
3. Once we deal with long guns, how will we deal with the core of Domestic Violence?
4. How does this law deal with "illegal" guns coming into the Commonwealth?
5. How long will this take to make it to the US Supreme Court?
6. SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTION:  Will the Supreme Judicial Court follow the lead of the US Supreme Court in this issue?
7. At the end of the day, will the Police, like the Bobbies in England, be walking around Lowell and Boston without guns on their hips?  That is my standard for defacto rejection of the Second Amendment.♥

We do need controls on who can own a gun.  We don't wish to see the mentally unstable with a gun.  Nor do we wish to see known criminals with guns.  On the other hand, we should avoid doing violence to the Second Amendment.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  Here is an updated version of the article.
♥  There would still be the ability to deploy an armed police team from the Police Headquarters and to employ those QUANGO SWAT Teams, if they are still legal.