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Newsflash -- Precision Target Sports Bill Moves to Governor's Desk!!
- Thread starter Cross-X
- Start date
I called AND e-mailed. Here is the latter:
Dear Governor Romney:
I write to urge your enactment of H 4552, which would bring the MGL into conformity with the CMR by including the latter's exception for firearms designed for "formal target shooting competition" in the MGL.
The effect of this would be to make unnecessary the exceeding expensive and pointless "consumer safety" testing required for handguns generally in the case of those firearms so designed and utilized.
These guns are not cheap "Saturday Night Specials," neither are they the type found at crime scenes. Rather, these guns are exceptionally high quality, expensive tools.
For these reasons, there is no quality issue warranting the "consumer safety" aspect of the testing, still less any sort of "public safety" issue regarding their criminal abuse.
Because of the 5-gun drop-testing requirement, very few (about 3 makers) are even available in this state, to the great detriment of competition shooters. Removing the destructive testing requirement, which H 4552 does, would make a wider range of these target pistols available to competitive shooters.
Please sign this bill when it reaches your desk. Thank you for your time and attention.
Very truly yours,
Dear Governor Romney:
I write to urge your enactment of H 4552, which would bring the MGL into conformity with the CMR by including the latter's exception for firearms designed for "formal target shooting competition" in the MGL.
The effect of this would be to make unnecessary the exceeding expensive and pointless "consumer safety" testing required for handguns generally in the case of those firearms so designed and utilized.
These guns are not cheap "Saturday Night Specials," neither are they the type found at crime scenes. Rather, these guns are exceptionally high quality, expensive tools.
For these reasons, there is no quality issue warranting the "consumer safety" aspect of the testing, still less any sort of "public safety" issue regarding their criminal abuse.
Because of the 5-gun drop-testing requirement, very few (about 3 makers) are even available in this state, to the great detriment of competition shooters. Removing the destructive testing requirement, which H 4552 does, would make a wider range of these target pistols available to competitive shooters.
Please sign this bill when it reaches your desk. Thank you for your time and attention.
Very truly yours,
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Color me puzzled, but I don't see any evidence that this bill is sitting on the Gov's desk. Checked the GOAL and State websites. Here's the latest info on this bill from the State as of ~3 minutes ago:
I'm used to seeing a listing showing that the bill was sent to the Gov. But when I see the last entry of "House concurred in the Senate amendment" I wonder if the entire bill doesn't still have to pass the House?
I'm used to seeing a listing showing that the bill was sent to the Gov. But when I see the last entry of "House concurred in the Senate amendment" I wonder if the entire bill doesn't still have to pass the House?
LenS said:
If I'm reading that correctly, the bill had already been pased and engrossed by the House on 2/16/06. From there, it went to the Senate where it passed a 3rd reading on 5/11/06 and also at that time an amendemnt to the bill was voted on and passed (FWIW, it was an amendment submitted by Barrios),
The House Bill protecting the rights of target shooters (House, No. 4552),— was read a third time.
Pending the question on passing the bill to be engrossed, Mr. Barrios moved that the bill be amended by striking out all after the enacting clause and inserting in place thereof the following text:—
“SECTION 1. Section 123 of chapter 140 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2004 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the first paragraph the following paragraph:—
Clauses Eighteenth to Twenty-first, inclusive, of the first paragraph shall not apply to: (a) any firearm lawfully owned or possessed under a license issued under this chapter on or before October 21, 1998; or (b) any firearm designated by the secretary of public safety, with the advise of the gun control advisory board established pursuant to section 131½ of chapter 140, as a firearm solely designed and sold for formal target shooting competition. The secretary of public safety shall compile a list, on a bi-annual basis, of firearms designated as formal target shooting firearms in accordance with this paragraph. Such list shall be made available for distribution by the executive office of public safety.”; and by striking out the title and inserting in place thereof the following title: “An Act further regulating the use of target shooting weapons.”
This amendment was adopted.
After remarks, the question on passing the bill, as amended, to be engrossed was determined by a call of the yeas and nays, at eighteen minutes before two o’clock P.M., on motion of Mr. Lees, as follows, to wit (yeas 38 — nays 0) [Yeas and Nays No. 251]:
The yeas and nays having been completed at fourteen minutes before two o’clock P.M., the bill was passed to be engrossed, in concurrence, with the amendment.
Sent to the House for concurrence in the amendment.
On 7/13/06 the House agreed to the amendment (they had already voted on the bill itself). I assume the suspension of the House rules on that date simply means little or no debate took place regarding the amendment.
The one thing I hate about the MA general court homepage is that sometimes it can take days for it to be updated.
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LN, thanks for the detailed explanation.
Please, guys and gals, make a call to the Governor's office in support of this bill!
The direct line to his office is: (617) 725-4000.
Darius Arbabi
The direct line to his office is: (617) 725-4000.
Darius Arbabi
Update - Target Bill Goes to Governor's Desk!!!
"After nearly two years of effort, H.4552 has finally been sent to the Governor's desk for his consideration. With only a week left in the legislative session, the Massachusetts Senate voted 36-0 to send the bill to the Governor. If this newest bill is signed by the Governor, it will represent the 36th and 37th change to Chapter 180 of the Acts of 1998.
This is what the current bill does:
1. Formally places in law that any firearm lawfully owned or possessed under a license issued under this chapter on or before October 21, 1998 would be exempt from the testing criteria. As our members know, this language was passed into law in Section 79 of the Acts of 1998, but was never actually placed into the statutes. This bill now properly places this exemption in Chapter 140.
2. Instructs the Executive Office of Public Safety, with the Advice of the Gun Control Advisory Board, to create a list of formal target shooting firearms that shall be exempt from the testing criteria. This process will be similar to how the approved roster works now.
Below is actual language of the current bill:
“SECTION 1. Section 123 of chapter 140 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2004 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the first paragraph the following paragraph:-
Clauses Eighteenth to Twenty-first, inclusive, of the first paragraph shall not apply to: (a) any firearm lawfully owned or possessed under a license issued under this chapter on or before October 21, 1998; or (b) any firearm designated by the secretary of public safety, with the advice of the gun control advisory board established pursuant to section 131½ of chapter 140, as a firearm solely designed and sold for formal target shooting competition. The secretary of public safety shall compile a list, on a bi-annual basis, of firearms designated as formal target shooting firearms in accordance with this paragraph. Such list shall be made available for distribution by the executive office of public safety.”; and by striking out the title and inserting in place thereof the following title:- “ An Act further regulating the use of target shooting weapons.”.
http://goal.org/target/index.htm
"After nearly two years of effort, H.4552 has finally been sent to the Governor's desk for his consideration. With only a week left in the legislative session, the Massachusetts Senate voted 36-0 to send the bill to the Governor. If this newest bill is signed by the Governor, it will represent the 36th and 37th change to Chapter 180 of the Acts of 1998.
This is what the current bill does:
1. Formally places in law that any firearm lawfully owned or possessed under a license issued under this chapter on or before October 21, 1998 would be exempt from the testing criteria. As our members know, this language was passed into law in Section 79 of the Acts of 1998, but was never actually placed into the statutes. This bill now properly places this exemption in Chapter 140.
2. Instructs the Executive Office of Public Safety, with the Advice of the Gun Control Advisory Board, to create a list of formal target shooting firearms that shall be exempt from the testing criteria. This process will be similar to how the approved roster works now.
Below is actual language of the current bill:
“SECTION 1. Section 123 of chapter 140 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2004 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the first paragraph the following paragraph:-
Clauses Eighteenth to Twenty-first, inclusive, of the first paragraph shall not apply to: (a) any firearm lawfully owned or possessed under a license issued under this chapter on or before October 21, 1998; or (b) any firearm designated by the secretary of public safety, with the advice of the gun control advisory board established pursuant to section 131½ of chapter 140, as a firearm solely designed and sold for formal target shooting competition. The secretary of public safety shall compile a list, on a bi-annual basis, of firearms designated as formal target shooting firearms in accordance with this paragraph. Such list shall be made available for distribution by the executive office of public safety.”; and by striking out the title and inserting in place thereof the following title:- “ An Act further regulating the use of target shooting weapons.”.
http://goal.org/target/index.htm
LoginName said:
If I understand things correctly, then the bill made it in before the ten-day window in which Romney could pocket-veto it: i.e. he doesn't need to sign it; he just needs to not veto it. Excellent work, GOAL!
LoginName said:
What is a "target shooting weapon"? If it's for shooting targets it's not a weapon, it's sporting goods. JB can kiss my pasty white ass.
Rob Boudrie
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It is symptomatic of this state - the only way a bill stands a chance is by labelling it "further regulation".
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Savage110FP said:
Won't happen!
TC marketed them for hunting as well as target, therefore it will not pass the "test" of being marketed/mfrd SOLELY for target shooting.
I have one of the original TC Contenders and remember well how they were marketed back then (late 1970s).
![[grin]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/041.gif "Grin [grin]")
