Posted on 11/11/2013 9:01:16 AM PST by Kip Russell
In Massachusetts, things aren’t looking very rosy for civil liberties. Already suffering under a “high capacity” magazine ban and other draconian firearms restrictions, some lawmakers don’t feel they haven’t gone far enough toward preventing another Newtown. While there’s already a “safe storage” law on the books, Swampscott Selectman Barry Greenfield believes police should go door-to-door to inspect the gun collections of his town’s residents—to see if they’re in compliance with the law. Apparently Barry isn’t familiar with the Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable search and seizure. Or maybe he feels like when it comes to guns, the word “unreasonable” has a much less strict interpretation, as evinced by his proposed implementation plans. From the Swampscott Patch . . .
The selectman said state law requires Massachusetts gun owners to keep their firearms locked away or rendered inoperable.
The problem, he said, is that police do not have the authority, granted by a local ordinance, to enforce the law and inspect the safeguarding of guns at the homes of the 600 registered gun owners in town.
The selectman said he has spoken with Swampscott Police Chief Ron Madigan about this.
“We need the ability to enforce the state law,” the selectman said.
The latest interpretation of the Fourth Amendment is that any search of a dwelling requires a warrant to be issued with supporting documentation as to whether there is a high probability that a crime is being committed. It keeps law enforcement officers from barging into your home whenever they feel like it and is an effective check on the propensity for police to over-step their bounds.
(Excerpt) Read more at thetruthaboutguns.com ...
“He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.”
– Declaration of Independence
Uh oh. More cavity searches on the way.
Well, it is MA for cryin’ out loud. If it’ll help keep john f’n heinz kerry safe, it’ll be worth it.
Incredibly, this is taking place in Massachusetts--where 240 years ago, a revolution against abusive government power of this sort began.
Swampscott high school students had a hoodie day in honor of trayvon martin, so you can see the thought process in that town.
We need the ability to REPEAL the state law, AND FIRE THE ELECTED OFFICIALS WHO SUPPORTED IMPLEMENTATION!
I thought the Supremes in the Heller case said that wasn't Constitutional.
/johnny
“...Selectman Barry Greenfield believes police should go door-to-door...”
Barry should go with on the first few inspections. There may be a few jobs opening up.
Massachusetts is a communist state.
No, it's not. You haven't been reading the stories out of Lexington and Concord and their descent into lunacy over the past few decades.
Off the top of my head, Concord has banned the sale of bottled water in stores, and the trust-fund babies want to enact an income tax on those without the benefit of tax-exempt income in the town.
Swampscott is pretty well-to-do, iirc. More "limousine" liberalism.
I keep my doors and windows locked.
My House is one big Gun Safe.
An unloaded Gun is inoperable.
Store body bags on your front porch.
He's recently been through a firearm safety course, so he's one of the grandkids that is allowed inside this Darwin test I call home.
/johnny
What’s the point of keeping guns if you won’t use them?
I seem to recall a tale about British soldiers being sent to confiscate some guns that were “unsafely stored” in Concord, Mass. a couple of hundred years ago. That didn’t work out all that well........
For those too young to remember,google the name “Carl Rowan” to find out how “progressives” *actually* feel about gun control.In short,Rowan was a black,and *very* left wing,columnist for the Washington Compost.Apart from racism his big bugaboo was guns.To him,only the cops and military should have guns.Well,a couple of white kids decided to trespass on his property one day (which,of course,they should *not* have done) but with no apparent intent to cause harm or to steal and....well,I’ll let you look up the rest.
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