Massachusetts is poised to take the lead.
State leaders have already introduced and are working to fast track the most onerous anti-gun legislation in the U.S. HD 4420 contains 140 pages of a direct assault on Second Amendment rights that would make California and Illinois blush.
How fast are they moving this clearly unconstitutional package through the legislature? Before it was assigned a permanent bill number, HD 4420 was rushed to the Joint Committee on the Judiciary.
Clearly there are forces at work that want to ram this through without even pretending to afford it proper legal scrutiny. So, what would this monstrosity do? The list is long and scary.
The traditional anti-gun definition of so-called “assault weapons” is tossed out the window and replaced by new terminology that bans almost all semiautomatic firearms.
Firearms themselves are redefined to include even stun guns.
New “safe storage” protocols would be enacted mandating locking up virtually all weapons.
The state would require registration of all guns and feeding devices. A state registry of guns and gun owners. How exactly are law-abiding gun owners supposed to register ammunition magazines under this proposed law? They are reportedly required to apply to authorities for a serial number for every magazine in their possession.
Erect barriers to gun ownership for those moving into Massachusetts from other states.
If a gun owner modified any parts of a weapon, it must be reported to state authorities. This includes providing an itemized list of parts that are modified or used in building a firearm.
Firearm feeding devices must now have serial numbers.
Anyone constructing their own firearm must register it with the state within seven days upon completion.
Those few semiautomatic rifles or shotguns that are permitted are then barred from being owned or carried by anyone under 21.
A laundry list of new requirements is forced onto firearms retailers.
Gun owners are mandated to comply with new weapons training protocols.
The state list of “sensitive” areas is lengthened even further to where even licensed persons are more restricted on where they may legally carry a firearm.
A subsection of Section 48 of the bill indicates there are no exceptions made on gun registration requirements even for people traveling through Massachusetts.
A gun owner’s license will be revoked or suspended if they do not report a change of address to state officials within 30 days.
An interesting challenge would be to dig through HD 4420 and find a single sentence that deals with actual criminals. It is important to understand that the goal of this package is not to address violent crime, but to criminalize law-abiding citizens freely exercising their Second Amendment rights.
Then there’s the “sensitive areas” stipulations of the package. The list of “prohibited areas” is so long and comprehensive that it virtually wipes out the ability to legally carry a firearm outside of the home.
Besides targeting all public locations, any private property where the owner has not provided express consent or posted a sign giving permission is also off limits.
Even worse, the package also prohibits possession of a legal weapon in all parking areas of both public and private locations.
In other words, keep your weapons at home.
This, of course, is in direct conflict with the clear ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court. But Massachusetts and other states that oppose gun rights are plowing forward with their unconstitutional laws hoping that something will somehow pass muster. They are an insult to law-abiding citizens, and it will be a great day when the courts strike down these egregious acts.
