Posted on 01/05/2005 9:47:41 AM PST by pabianice
They’re at it again in Massachusetts. Several months ago the Town of Grafton proposed a new policy regarding weapons that would have made it unlawful for anyone who even owned a weapon from setting foot on any town property or doing any business with the town. This proposal created a firestorm that packed the board of selectmen’s meeting with irate citizens. The proposal was withdrawn before the meeting ended.
A new policy has now been proposed. This policy will apply only to town employees, but will ban all town employees, when performing any duties of employment (regardless of where the work is done) from possessing any weapons. “Weapons” include: “firearms, BB guns, mace, pepper spray, dirk knife or a switch knife, or any knife having an automatic spring release device by which the blade is released from the handle, or a device or case which enables a knife with a locking blade to be drawn in a locked position, any ballistic knife, or any knife with a detachable blade capable of being propelled by any mechanism, a slungshot, slingshot, beanblower, sword cane, pistol cane, bludgeon, blackjack, nunchaku, zoobow, “clackers” or “kung fu” sticks, or any similar weapon, a shuriken, or any similar pointed star_like object intended to injure a person when thrown, or a manrikigusari, or similar length of chain having weighted ends, or metallic knuckles or knuckles of any substance which could be put to the same use and with the same similar effect as metallic knuckles, and any electrical weapon.”
All sworn police officers will be permitted to carry weapons "as necessary to perform the functions of their position within the boundaries of the Town." Unaddressed is whether that can carry weapons when off-duty or out of town.
What effect this policy will have on the safety of town employees, and the general public, is unlikely to be salutary.
Will the town pay for amputations for all its citizens? Better ban baseball while they are at it too. Hell they have to give lobotomies to all townspeople. The human mind is the most dangerous weapon of all.
Nothing says "we appreciate your work" more than announcing that you are a perfect crime target.
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
Grafton continues to live up to it's well deserved reputation as a cesspit.
I loved the list of all the banned weapons. This is indeed a sad day for the ninjas of Massachusetts.
still more dangerous is the mindless human.
I don't know the town..can you elaborate a tad?
Just un-freaking-believeable.
These people have way too much time on their hands. What "problem" is Gov't attempting to solve here? Grafton is an extremely upscale town. Something tells me these limo libs probably have voted themselves nuclear free too. Why don't they just vote themselves Aids free and they can "solve" another problem...NOT!
sass,
Seriously though...it's about time.
I mean, how many more times do I have to get my license renewed and get harrassed by a gubmint employee wielding "manrikigusari, or similar length of chain having weighted ends", before something is done about it?
..we have "other" means, down south. :))
Gentlemen and ladies: Please remove all pens, pencils, squirt guns, spitball straws, tools, belts, shoe strings, bats, darts, sticks, whips, cameras, binoculars, purses, backpacks, tool belts, pipe wrenches, large and small adjustable wrenches, screwdrivers, hammers, or any thing that can be thrown, swung, used to protect oneself with or stab others with be left out side the city limits to better protect the dear people in our city limits that have no mean to protect themselves for themselves. If they try to hurt themselves.(sarcasm)
"I mean, how many more times do I have to get my license renewed and get harrassed by a gubmint employee wielding "manrikigusari, or similar length of chain having weighted ends", before something is done about it?"
lmao, how many more Mr. Speaker??? How many more?? If you listen to Howie Carr you'll appreciate that line!!
Right here is an argument for NOT registering firearms. Without registration of firearms (or owners), this kind of law is unenforceable. Either way the law is inexcusably stupid, however.
Quick! Calling all criminals and aspiring criminals! The city of Grafton, MA has just guaranteed you a safe work environment in your chosen field of endeavor!
Without regard to the wisdom or constitutionality of the policy, I'm willing to bet that not a single person covered by the ban has ever had to pull a weapon in the course of performing official duties. Criminals generally don't commit crimes at town hall because, as with this particular Town, that's where the police department is located.
7-4,
Well, I meant driver's license but didn't specify in the post. My fault.
Funny enough though, MA does require a LTC issued by the local PD if you want to carry. And it costs, I believe, something like $100. Matter of fact, there are numerous towns in MA that will not issue an LTC to any resident, period, even if your prints, record, etc are spotless.
Even if one were able to mount a legal challenge that was initially successful (which is extraordinarily unlikely), it would never survive the Supreme Judicial Court.
I've considered your point many times, but it breaks down like this: either go through the motions and expense to get the LTC, or don't and not be able to protect yourself. Or settle for FID and keep a shotgun in the house.
Evidently there must be a rash of violent assaults being committed by armed public employees.
Kalifornia will soon be forced to reduce payroll to avoid bankruptcy and we will no doubt need to disarm our public employees also. Otherwise they may just rob and steal to replace the money we try to withhold.
Located just south and east of Wormtown, Grafton was for the longest time, a washed up mill town, populated by blue collars, dirtbags and bikers. Sort of a desperate gateway to
the perpetually poor and shabby Blackstone Valley.
In recent years, vast sprawling Yuppiedoms have crept in from the east and with them slithered Liberals of the worst sort.
Brainless no-nothings who despite their lack of purpose and intellectual weight, prefer to run the lives of the unenlightened savages they rule.
These days, it's utterly suckfestian.
Concise...thanks..
Grafton may as well take out a full page ad in "Breaking & Entering Review".
I assumed from the nature of this thread that you meant some kind of firearm licensing.
Sorry for the misunderstanding.
Basically it all boils down to submitting to a tyrannical goverment or sticking up for your constitutional rights.
I'm not exactly sure what this means but it sound like every pocket knife I've ever seen.
Oh, and since it's only minutes away from the ever worsening slums of Wormtown, this is like villagers on the French coast setting beacon fires to guide in the long ships of the Viking raiders.
Instead of nice, sweet tempered Vikings, they'll get the Latin Kings from the Peidmont neighborhood.
Uh, yeah.
This is the town next door to me. Hadn't heard about it.
The government must have complete dominance, disarming the citizenry is essential.
No, it's "MISTAH SPEAKAH!"
Gotta love Howie.
You can blame the MBTA for that.
Why do they have employess whom they obviously don't trust, and consider to be a possible threat?
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
Founding Father George Mason, 1788:...."I ask, sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people, except a few public officials."
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
Founding Father George Mason, 1788:...."I ask, sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people, except a few public officials."
I think they are referring to folding knives which are drawn and the blade locked *open* in one smooth motion. Proposed laws of this sort usually have carefully crafted language that can be "interpreted more broadly" later on. Which means you're probably correct; eventually the generic pocketknife will be verboten.
BTW, what's a "zoobow"? Also... "clackers"? Are they talking about those bolo-like kids'toys from the 1970s? Sheesh.
You're right of course! Forgot the Boston accent!! How silly of me! Love Howie!!
Looks like my Leatherman woujld be baned under this policy. I can flip the 3.5" blade out with the thumb of one hand and it locks when it's out.
***************
I guess this makes the rest of MA safer.
Thanks, Grafton!
"Sort of a desperate gateway to the perpetually poor and shabby Blackstone Valley."
I was born (Whitinsville) and raised (Millbury) in this "perpetually poor and shabby Blackstone Valley" and we weren't poor nor did I find it a shabby place to grow up. I think there's alot of good, hard working people there who would be insulted by that description.
As to Grafton weapons policy... perhaps insurance underwriters have something to do with it? I can't imagine somebody would just pull this out of thin air for no reason.
As to the list of banned weapons... my personal favorite is the dreaded beanblower, commonly used by teachers to get the attention of dozing students ;-)
If the prohibition on atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons is ever eliminated, this town would be an excellent test site.
What other type of person would take a government job and live off the efforts of the productive members of society.
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