or; 'How to stimulate fear and shut down law abiding business owners'.
Effective or excessive? Debate rages over whether gun legislation is useful and fair
Massachusetts' gun laws and regulations are confusing, contradictory and full of legal loopholes squeezing licensed business owners. They also appear to be ineffective, as the state's gun violence has steadily risen since 1998, when it was heralded for passing the "toughest" firearms laws in the country.
Yet there remains a serious push by lawmakers and other elected officials to maintain the status quo, to uphold the current guidelines without addressing the effects those policies have had on crime, gun-related accidents, and the hundreds of mom-and-pop businesses that sell firearms. The issue alarms the state's legally licensed gun owners and dealers, whose numbers have dropped significantly during what they say is an "assault on their constitutional rights.More...Richard Callaghan, owner of Callaghan Firearm Sales in Marlborough, shows off a recent acquisition -- a working reproduction of an English Brown Bess assault rifle used between 1715 and 1835.' :eyes:
When the federal law expires, "You'll be able to go out and buy your Uzi at Kmart again," said Barrios, Senate chairman of the Joint Committee on Public Safety.