State House News Service 

May 17, 1999--Drawing parallels to their Revolutionary War-era 
forefathers who seized arms to throw off the yoke of government oppression, thousands of gun rights advocates rallied on Boston Common this afternoon before flooding into the State House to demand that lawmakers repeal the state's 1998 gun control law. 

Boston Police officers at the peaceful rally said there were at least 3,000 people in attendance. 

Gun advocates say the gun law infringes on their Constitutional right to bear arms because its complicated licensing structure gives officials too many opportunities to prevent citizens from getting guns.  They also say the law is confusing and inconsistent. 

Some said the gradual tightening of gun laws is analogous to the abuses British soldiers heaped upon Americans - before the Patriots seized their rights by force. 

"Obviously, in order to be a full citizen, I have to have something to protect my Constitutional rights," said Bob Bagg of Easthampton. "Obviously our ancestors thought it was an important right."  Bagg carried a sign that said: "A man with a gun is a citizen.  A man without a gun is a subject." 

"Any sportsman, any law-abiding gun owner has been affected by (this law)," said Dan Meloche of Spencer.  He stood amidst a crowd of advocates, many of whom were waving US flags or carrying signs urging lawmakers to "Do a 180 on Chapter 180." 

"The only ones who aren't affected are the criminals.  If you're prejudiced to use violence, you're going to commit violence any way you can," Meloche said.  "Legal gun owners aren't the problem." 

The rally and lobbying was intended to show Beacon Hill lawmakers that gun owners will vote against them in the next elections if they don't support repealing the law.  Throughout the three-hour rally, speakers urged the audience to vote against supporters of the law.  Several speakers elicited laughs and catcalls from audience members by mocking the "whiners and handwringers" in the State House, as rally organizer Michael Yacino put it. 

Earlier in the day, supporters of the gun law held a press conference to argue that the licensing structure keeps firearms out of the hands of convicted criminals.  They also said the law's safe-storage provisions prevent children or criminals from stealing guns owned by law-abiding gun owners.  They said 13 children are killed each day from gun violence, adding that those deaths are preventable. 

The law signed July 23 by Gov. Paul Cellucci requires gun owners to store and transport their weapons in either locked cases or with trigger locks. It prohibits the sale of cheap guns like the "Saturday Night Special" and stiffens penalties for people who use guns when committing crimes. 

The new law also wiped out the state's 30-year-old system of lifetime gun licenses and replaced it with several new licensing requirements. According to gun rights supporters, the worst new license is one requiring special permission from the local police chief to own a weapon that can fire more than 10 rounds without reloading.  Police chiefs have discretion to grant that "Class A" license, and gun owners are upset that no elected officials will be held accountable for denials. 

Sen. Richard Moore (D-Uxbridge) said his colleagues were so eager to vote for gun control that they really didn't understand exactly what they were voting for.  Moore was one of 14 senators out of 36 to vote against the measure.  The law passed the House 96-54. 

"I think the Legislature needs to understand that the law is not working," Moore said after speaking at the rally.  "They've created a bureaucratic nightmare." 

Moore criticized the law for drawing police officers off the street to process paperwork.  "I'm convinced that my colleagues and the leadership are wrong on this," Moore said.  "Enough of the members felt they either wanted to go along with leadership or it was the politically correct thing 
to do." 

Supporters of the new law said that when they voted, they resisted intense pressure from the National Rifle Association and Gun Owners Action League. Among those appearing this morning to support the measure was Senate President Thomas Birmingham, former Attorney General Scott Harshbarger and Stop Handgun Violence chairman John Rosenthal. 

"As attorney general, I will do everything in my power to fight the NRA," said AG Thomas Reilly.  "We will fight it in court ... we will fight it in the court of public opinion." 

Added Birmingham: "In most industrial democracies, health care is a right and gun ownership is a privilege." 

About a dozen gun-rights advocates watched the pro-law press conference from across Beacon Street.  They booed Sen. Cheryl Jacques (D-Needham), a prime force behind the law.  Jacques said amendments offered by GOAL  would strip out the law's most important safety provisions. 

"They want high school seniors carrying concealed weapons," Jacques said. 

The Legislature's Public Safety Committee has already had a public oversight hearing on the law, and Senate committee chairman James Jajgua (D-Methuen) is planning to hold another hearing to discuss solutions to the law's "unintended consequences." 

Two corrective laws have already been passed.  They allow military veterans to carry guns in parades and exempt Revolutionary War re-enactors from provision requiring trigger locks.

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The Dark Side of the Gun Control Act of 1998
Boston Media Decieved by "Stop Handgun Violence" Lobby