I append an example of the process that Westford Pro 2A used
for the local town election this June. Posted with permission;
names replaced with [<number>] on my own initiative,
for the loftiness.
=====
Town Election is Tuesday, 6/30. Westford Pro 2A has been hard at work
screening relevant candidates on their Second Amendment positions. Here are
their grades with details below. Names are in order as on the ballot.
Selectman
[1] - B
[2] - B
[3] - B
Board of Health
[4] - B
[5] - I, did not respond
Moderator
[6] - A
[7] - I, did not respond
Planning Board
[8] - B
[9] - A
School Committee
[10] - B
[11] - I, did not respond
[12] - B
[13] - I*, see below
[14] - I, did not respond
[15] - I, did not respond
Grade A - The candidate fully supports the Second Amendment in word, deed,
and/or takes a pro-active approach to demonstrating this.
Grade B - The candidate states that they fully support the second amendment,
but no other evidence is available to show how they might act.
Grade C - The candidate has made remarks that Westford Pro 2A considers less
than fully supportive of the Second Amendment, but we are unaware of
any actions by the candidate to undermine the Second Amendment.
Grade F - The candidate has made actions to limit the Second Amendment rights
of people.
Grade I - Incomplete or unavailable, or he candidate did NOT respond to
questions, or could not be reached.
Details:
For Selectman candidates we ask 2 questions.
- Do you believe the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution confers an individual right to be respected?
- Do you believe that individual towns may place additional burdens on law-abiding firearms owners in addition to Federal and State Law?
[1] - B
I do believe the Second Amendment confers and individual right to be
respected.
I do not support Westford placing any additional restrictions on law abiding
firearms owners.
[2] - B
First, I would like to thank you for reaching out and representing this
coalition. I feel it is important to have a strong voice especially when it
comes to a subject as constitutional as our Second Amendment right.
Based on my previous comment this should come as no surprise. I feel strongly
that our Second Amendment right to bear arms should not be infringed upon. It
most certainly needs to be respected under all circumstances. I do not
believe that individual towns should be within power to place additional
burdens on law-abiding firearm owners. Rules, regulations, and restrictions
are purely a Federal and State matter in my opinion.
[3] - B
Do you believe the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution confers
an individual right to be respected?
Yes.
Do you believe that individual towns may place additional burdens on
law-abiding firearms owners in addition to Federal and State Law?
No. I believe laws should be made at the State and Federal levels.
Thank you for the opportunity to respond!
For the Board of Health, we asked the following questions:
- Do you believe the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution confers an individual right to be respected?
- Do you believe that firearms are a public health issue to be regulated by Boards of Health and via a person's primary care physician?
[4] - B
- Yes, I believe very strongly that the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution grants an individual the right to keep and bear arms.
- I do not believe that firearms are a public health issue to be regulated by Boards of Health or via a person's primary care physician.
For Moderator we asked the following:
- Do you believe the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution confers an individual right to be respected?
- Many law abiding firearms owners feel they are a persecuted minority, with people of power often attempting to infringe on their right to keep and bear arms. What statement could you make to address this concern?
[6] - A
They say a picture is worth a thousand words and I hope you can see the photo
I've attached to this email. It's a copy of my License to Carry Firearms here
in the State of Massachusetts. Here are the answers to your questions:
- Absolutely! Everyone has the right to bear arms and protect themselves and their families in any dangerous or seemingly threatening situation. This has always been a law of our land and I believe that anyone who chooses to own firearms should be respected for that choice.
- What comes to mind immediately is the bumper sticker that says "if guns are outlawed, then only outlaws will have guns". Both of my parents and my younger sister have a license to carry. Our Mother made sure my sister and I took the course "Women on Target" so we would know proper hand gun/shotgun/rifle and machine gun safety. She also made sure that we requested Large Capacity for our License to Carry ID.
Citizens should be diligent and be aware of current and changing gun laws to
make sure they can still legally have the right to bear arms.
For Planning Board we asked:
- Do you believe the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution confers an individual right to be respected?
- Do you believe that Shooting Ranges, which have lawfully operated for decades, should be forced to shut down when new neighborhoods are built nearby?
[8] - B
I do believe that the Second Amendment confers an individual right to be
respected. The Second Amendment gives us the right to protect our home and
family.
I do not believe shooting ranges should be shut down. People have options on
where they can live, and they should check their surroundings before they make
a choice.
[9] - A
- I do believe that the US Constitution's second amendment confers the rights of the "people to keep and bear arms"
- I do not believe "that Shooting Ranges, ..., should be forced to shut down". I support the rights of existing owners and organizations to continue their lawful operation of pre-existing uses such as shooting ranges, farm uses, etc, regardless of how or when a new neighborhood is built in close proximity.
I served 5 years on the Planning Board from 2000-2005 as well as a 3-year term
on the Westford Historical Commission. I also served on the Master Plan
Implementation Committee, Route 110 Master Plan Committee and Stepinski Land
Acquisition Committee. I stand by my demonstrate record on these committees
to support a balanced approach to preserving the rights of property owners and
new developments.
While I do not have a LTC at the current time, I did obtain my "Rifle and
Shotgun Shooting" merit badge when I was a Boy Scout in Belmont MA. I
received training and practiced my shooting skills in the Belmont Police
Shooting Range as well as at a Boy Scout summer camp. I look back fondly to
when I received my initial training from Belmont Police Sergeant who would
become Chief of Police several years later.
For School Committee we asked:
- Do you believe the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution confers an individual right to be respected?
- Do you believe in "age appropriate" firearms safety training (such as Eddie Eagle for young children and Home Firearms Safety for older students)?
[10] - B
In the interests of full disclosure, I am not a gun owner but that is a
personal choice, not a political one. Many residents of Westford are
responsible gun owners and as an attorney and a fellow citizen, I respect
their individual constitutional right to gun ownership. This can however
create safety issues in homes and with children, so I agree that it is only
responsible for the schools to address gun awareness, just as the schools
address other safety issues such as avoiding playing with matches or touching
a downed power line, among a host of other safety issues.
I am admittedly not familiar with all of the details of the firearms safety
training programs mentioned in your letter so I cannot specifically endorse
those programs. I support the current weapons awareness curriculum in our
schools, which I believe includes some aspects of the Eddie the Eagle program.
My understanding is that this includes basic safety awareness of what to do if
a child encounters a weapon unexpectedly - "Stop", "Don't Touch," "leave the
area" and "tell an adult" for younger children, and also includes role playing
exercises and other activities for older children.
[12] - B
I support the constitution as well as the second amendment and the right for
law abiding citizens to bear arms.
I also believe that all children should understand and have respect for
firearms. I would support any initiative that would bring awareness to our
youth to ensure their safety and respect regarding guns.
[13] - I(*)
[13] did not actually answer our questions but he did send us an email
which we are reprinting here for you to review.
Thank you for your letter dated June 12th and your interest in my position on
your two questions regarding Second Amendment rights and firearms safety
training in our town. I appreciate your interest in my thoughts; however,
both of these questions are outside of the purview of the School Committee,
thus any response that I might provide would not be actionable by me or any
others holding a seat on the School Committee. If you or your fellow Westford
Pro 2A members have any questions related directly to the scholastic education
or related budget or policies, please do not hesitate to reach out and I would
be happy to provide some insight into my stance on those issues.
