GOAL: Massachusetts Gun Law Reform Plan

By Jim on December 19th, 2008

The Gun Owner’s Action League has a new site up that features information about how to reform Massachusetts’ bigoted and unconstitutional gun laws. See this announcement thread at NES for posts by GOAL.

Here’s what GOAL has in mind for reforms:

Here’s how our reform would strengthen our criminal laws:

It creates a special unit of the State Police, known as the Criminal Firearms and Trafficking Division, that will be attached to the Department of the Attorney General and will assist that office with the investigation and prosecution of all crimes of violence involving the criminal use of a firearm and intrastate firearms trafficking.

It will create tough laws to punish prohibited persons who are in possession of firearms.

Creating laws regarding breaking and entering with the intent to steal a firearm.

Creating clear to understand unlawful transfer laws.

Creating laws to punish those engaged in unlawful intrastate commerce of firearms.

Creating laws preventing the unlawful confiscation of firearms.

Creating laws regarding the use of a “Deceptive Weapon.”

Creating a separate definition section for the criminal enforcement chapter.

Creating a “State Firearm Crime.”

Here’s what our reform would do to enhance individual rights:

Make it very clear that there is an individual civil right to keep and bear arms and that the government must operate under that presumption.

Reduce the number and types of firearm licenses (currently four) to one.

Create understandable and commonsense terminology that is currently used and understood by the firearms owning community.

Create a new definition of a “Prohibited Person” and using that term throughout the laws as the means of legitimately denying a citizen a firearm license.

Make the rights inherent for the license based on the age of the holder rather than having to acquire a new license at a particular age.

Remove the authority of local licensing agents to deny a persons civil rights without due process.

Remove the laws regarding the state licensing of retailers already licensed by the federal government.

Create clearer language for the judicial review process of a denied license.

Remove jail sentences for lawful possession infractions and moving any jailable offenses to the criminal enforcement chapter.

Remove restrictive storage laws that have been found to be unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Massachusetts is one of the worst states in the entire country when it comes to 2nd amendment civil rights. The state has violated the 2nd amendment frequently and forced its citizens to adhere to a crazy quilt of off-the-wall and discriminatory gun laws.

Hopefully GOAL and the citizens of MA will be able to make some progress getting the laws down there fixed. If you are a Massachusetts gun owner and you aren’t a member of GOAL then you should make it a point to join them by downloading their membership application (in PDF format).