Posted on 07/09/2004 10:47:54 AM PDT by beaureguard
Governor Mitt Romney has signed into law a permanent assault weapons ban that he says will make it harder for criminals to get their hands on these guns.
“Deadly assault weapons have no place in Massachusetts,” Romney said, at a bill signing ceremony on July 1 with legislators, sportsmen’s groups and gun safety advocates. “These guns are not made for recreation or self-defense. They are instruments of destruction with the sole purpose of hunting down and killing people.”
Like the federal assault weapons ban, the state ban, put in place in 1998, was scheduled to expire in September. The new law ensures these deadly weapons, including AK-47s, UZIs and Mac-10 rifles, are permanently prohibited in Massachusetts no matter what happens on the federal level.
“We are pleased to mark an important victory in the fight against crime,” said Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey. “The most important job of state government is ensuring public safety. Governor Romney and I are determined to do whatever it takes to stop the flood of dangerous weapons into our cities and towns and to make Massachusetts safer for law-abiding citizens.”
The new law also makes a number of improvements to the current gun licensing system, including:
Extending the term of a firearm identification card and a license to carry firearms from four years to six years;
Granting a 90-day grace period for holders of firearm identification cards and licenses to carry who have applied for renewal; and
Creating a seven-member Firearm License Review Board to review firearm license applications that have been denied.
“This is truly a great day for Massachusetts’ sportsmen and women,” said Senator Stephen M. Brewer. “These reforms correct some serious mistakes that were made during the gun debate in 1998, when many of our state’s gun owners were stripped of their long-standing rights to own firearms. I applaud Senate President Travaglini for allowing the Senate to undertake this necessary legislation.”
“I want to congratulate everyone that has worked so hard on this issue,” said Representative George Peterson. “Because of their dedication, we are here today to sign into law this consensus piece of legislation. This change will go a long way toward fixing the flaws created by the 1998 law. Another key piece to this legislation addresses those citizens who have applied for renewals. If the government does not process their renewal in a timely fashion, those citizens won't be put at risk because of the 90 day grace period that is being adopted today.”
“Never before has there been such bi-partisan cooperation in the passage of gun safety legislation of this magnitude in this nation,” said John Rosenthal, co-founder and chair of Stop Handgun Violence. “I applaud the leadership of the Governor, Senate President, House Speaker and entire Legislature for passage of this assault weapons ban renewal. They have shown that Massachusetts can continue to lead the nation in protecting the public and law enforcement from military style assault weapons.”
Hard to imagine this commonwealth was once the cradle of liberty.
And, of course, military, police and the body guards of our masters will be exempted...
Disappointing.. so right on gay marriage, SO WRONG on gun rights.
Congratulations, Romney, you've helped accomplish something the British were never able to back in Jefferson's day.
Very, very sad.
Tell that to the patriots that revolted against the tyranic and oppresive British government that was started in his very state.
Romney apparently believes that we, as citizens, do not get the same right to remove our govt as we see fit by matching up weapon for weapon like the American patriots.
I suppose that the next history texts will merely state that Paul Revere was a silversmith.
And some people here have listed him as a 2008 presidential choice...
Mit Romney would have been on the side of Gov. Gage in 1775 as "assault weapons" in civilian hands were the start of our war of independence.
On April 19, 1775, British and American soldiers exchanged fire in the Massachusetts towns of Lexington and Concord. On the night of April 18, the royal governor of Massachusetts, General Thomas Gage, commanded by King George III to suppress the rebellious Americans, had ordered 700 British soldiers, under Lieutenant Colonel Francis Smith and Marine Major John Pitcairn, to seize the colonists' military stores in Concord, some 20 miles west of Boston.
Absolutely right. Concord and Lexington were about gun control. They are now two of the most PC towns in a PC state.
Massachusetts Governor Condemns Extremists
BOSTON - National guard units seeking to confiscate a cache of recently banned assault weapons were ambushed on April 19th by elements of a paramilitary extremist faction. Military and law enforcement sources estimate that 72 were killed and more than 200 injured before government forces were compelled to withdraw.
Speaking after the clash Massachusetts Governor Thomas Gage declared that the extremist faction, which was made up of local citizens, has links to the radical right-wing tax protest movement.
Gage blamed the extremists for recent incidents of vandalism directed against internal revenue offices. The governor, who described the group's organizers a "criminals," issued an executive order authorizing the summary arrest of any individual who has interfered with the government's efforts to secure law and order.
The military raid on the extremist arsenal followed wide-spread refusal by the local citizenry to turn over recently outlawed assault weapons. Gage issued a ban on military style assault weapons and ammunition earlier in the week. This decision followed a meeting in early this month between government and military leaders at which the governor authorized the forcible confiscation of illegal arms.
One government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, pointed out that "none of these people would have been killed had the extremists obeyed the law and turned over their weapons voluntarily." Government troops initially succeeded in confiscating a large supply of outlawed weapons and ammunition. However, troops attempting to seize arms and ammunition in Lexington met with resistance from heavily armed extremists who had been tipped off regarding the government's plans.
During a tense standoff in Lexington's town park, National Guard Colonel Francis Smith, commander of the government operation, ordered the armed group to surrender and return to their homes. The impasse was broken by a single shot, which was reportedly fired by one of the right-wing extremists.
Eight civilians were killed in the ensuing exchange. Ironically, the local citizenry blamed government forces rather than the extremists for the civilian deaths. Before order could be restored, armed citizens from surrounding areas had descended upon the guard units. Colonel Smith, finding his forces overmatched by the armed mob, ordered a retreat.
Governor Gage has called upon citizens to support the state/national joint task force in its effort to restore law and order. The governor also demanded the surrender of those responsible for planning and leading the attack against the government troops. Samuel Adams, Paul Revere, and John Hancock, who have been identified as "ringleaders" of the extremist faction, remain at large.
"Mitt" Romney revealed himself as the TRUE son of Limousine Liberal George Romney, who, I believe was part of the liberal Republican Cabal who refused to support Barry Goldwater, a conservative Republican who ran against Johnson in 1964.
DON'T forget this in the future when he tries to ooze himself to the top like other so-called "Republicans" like Giuliani, Schwarzenegger, Pataki, Whitman, Kean and McCain.
These people don't need guns - they can afford private armed bodyguards.
They don't even need the Constitution. They have the bucks to emigrate to Switzerland.
It took a while for the Crown to take back Massachusetts as the land of good obedient subjects, but after over 200 years of unaccustomed freedom, it has!
Unreal.
My ass. Gimme one instance where the dreaded assault weapon was used in a crime in MA.
Another fine republican.
ASSAULT IS AN ACTION, NOT A DEVICE
You always know what you're going to get when you vote for Republicans.
So when terrorists open-up with AK-47s on State St, do they get charged with excessive weaponry or will the cops just tell them that AKs were banned and ask them nicely to go home?
Bang!
We need to have a serious discussion on the relevancy of the 2nd Amendment. Do we as a people have a right to defend ourselves or not?
I didn't. My personal choice is SC Governor Sanford or MS Governor Barbour.
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