Lexington MA where freedom began, to ban possession of Semi-autos

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

A citizen of the town of Lexington MA has put an article on the spring town meeting to ban the possession of any semi-auto that will "accept" a magazine holding "10 or more rounds" as well as banning all mags that hold "10 or more rounds"
GOAL the watchdog in Mass sent out an email blast alerting people of this. I can't find the link.

The person says this will not affect ordinary gun owners, as it only bans Semi-auto rifles, handguns and shotguns and magazines that can take 10 rounds.

This is the town that helped start our democracy!

In reading the blog for the town reps in Lexington most of them are in favor of this.

Robert Rotberg pushes for ban on assault weapons in hometown of Lexington - News - Lexington Minuteman - Lexington, MA

 

[Whitwabit]

I would say fill the town meeting with as many gun owners as can be found and demonstrate they are against any laws limiting magazines over 10 rds ..

have them search for and watch the YouTube video "Sherriff's demo of how magazine size makes very little difference" ..

I, myself was very surprised by the results !!

 

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

The town meeting is a "representative town meeting" citizens can go but cannot speak unless recognized by the speaker or given a chance by a rep. That is why I ran and continue to run for town meeting rep in my town so I cannot be stifled and can say my piece.

 

[owenwd54]

Vote

Remember them when you vote

 

[Whitwabit]

If signs are allowed no need to speak .. If they aren't allowed inside get a permit to protest, picket what ever it is called on the outside of the building !! and make sure the news papers and TV are given a heads up on the protest .. and not the TV in your town many times they won't rock the boat ..

The town meeting is a "representative town meeting" citizens can go but cannot speak unless recognized by the speaker or given a chance by a rep. That is why I ran and continue to run for town meeting rep in my town so I cannot be stifled and can say my piece.

 

[retiredbadge8091]

That is why it's so important to make sure your state has a state preemptive gun law so you don't have city councils passing their own gun laws creating a patchwork of draconian gun control measures that impede residents gun rights.

 

[Watchdog]

A citizen of the town of Lexington MA has put an article on the spring town meeting to ban the possession of any semi-auto that will "accept" a magazine holding "10 or more rounds" as well as banning all mags that hold "10 or more rounds"

I don't live in Massachusetts (thank goodness), so I don't understand this.

Is "Town Meeting" a type of city government? Or a type of governing body for a city or town? This sounds like someone putting an item on an agenda for discussion, is that right?

What does someone have to do to become the "Speaker" of Town Meeting? Is this an elected position? If so, elected by whom? Are there others like council members or something?

Can just anyone come along and suggest something for the Town Meeting to discuss or act on?

Rotberg refers to this as an "amendment". An amendment to what? Is this something residents vote on?

Any Massachusetts resident want to explain this system to me? I'd appreciate it. Seriously, how does this work?

 

[Wee Hooker]

Believe it or not, Town meetings are still a common way in MA where citizens get together and do a yea or nea vote on any item that makes it onto the town agenda. ( Usually, it only takes from 10 to 200 signatures for a Citizens Petition to get you on the agenda.) They can get pretty crazy as turn out is usually only a few hundred passionate residents looking to make /resist changes for the remaining 30,000 or so residents (who don't bother to come vote.) Most towns have these type of meetings written into their constitutions from hundreds of years ago when the towns were incorporated .( Read: 1600s through 1700's) Clearly, they were meant for the days when there might be a hundred or two people in a town. Most are held in school gyms or the like that won't hold more than a few hundred.

In this case, it is sad that one of the towns known for resisting gun confiscation from the British, is considering a vote to toss those hard won rights away. MA already has some of the toughest (and silliest) laws on mags and "assault weapons" in existence in the US. ( The national assault weapons ban, never went away in MA.)Gun Owners Action League (GOAL) of Ma is mobilizing it's members for the grass roots fight.My bet is that this gets defeated as the town does not want to spend huge chunks of tax's fighting law suits.

That said, if MA leaned any more to the left, it would fall over :-(

 

[Watchdog]

Believe it or not, Town meetings are still a common way in MA where citizens get together and do a yea or nea vote on any item that makes it onto the town agenda.

Thanks for that information, but who is in charge of these meetings? And how did they get to be in charge? Do any elected officials run these shows? I know Massachusetts is a Commonwealth (like Virginia), so things are somewhat different, but still, I don't understand how this works.

If a petition is brought before the Town Meeting and is agreed upon, does it then go up for a vote by all town residents, or does it become like a law or ordinance simply because x-number of people want it to be?

 

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

First you have to run to be elected as a Town Meeting Rep, the position of Speaker or Moderator is also an elected position.
Some things like overrides (MA law says you can only raise property taxes 2 1/2 % without an override) are sent to the public for a vote but a article to ban guns would be only voted on by the town reps, so about 150 people decide for the rest of the town. If it passes usually with a simple majority it becomes law.
Other towns (not Lexington) have "open" town meetings where anyone can go and have a say and a vote.

One year our town meeting voted to eliminate all war, seriously.

If this passes in one town expect to see it in others.

 

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

Lexington is right next to Concord where they recently banned 20 ounce plastic water bottles but still allow 2 gallon plastic water jugs and 20 ounce soda bottles and cans, just not the evil "single serving" water bottles.

One lady pushed for it got it on the town meeting agenda and the moonbats voted it in.

The only thing that will stop this gun ban is not signs or protests, but showing the town how much it will cost in law suits. Moonbats love their money even more than their left wing politics.

 

[the ringo kid]

A citizen of the town of Lexington MA has put an article on the spring town meeting to ban the possession of any semi-auto that will "accept" a magazine holding "10 or more rounds" as well as banning all mags that hold "10 or more rounds"
GOAL the watchdog in Mass sent out an email blast alerting people of this. I can't find the link.

The person says this will not affect ordinary gun owners, as it only bans Semi-auto rifles, handguns and shotguns and magazines that can take 10 rounds.

This is the town that helped start our democracy!

In reading the blog for the town reps in Lexington most of them are in favor of this.

Robert Rotberg pushes for ban on assault weapons in hometown of Lexington - News - Lexington Minuteman - Lexington, MA

That state is turning into a lost cause. About ten years ago, a friend of mine who lived in Oxford, said that a museum or like place, had hundreds of muskets and various rifles from the civil war and before, had their barrels filled with lead....instead of selling them off. That town hall needs to be filled with folks who: Will Not Comply.

 

[the ringo kid]

First you have to run to be elected as a Town Meeting Rep, the position of Speaker or Moderator is also an elected position.
Some things like overrides (MA law says you can only raise property taxes 2 1/2 % without an override) are sent to the public for a vote but a article to ban guns would be only voted on by the town reps, so about 150 people decide for the rest of the town. If it passes usually with a simple majority it becomes law.
Other towns (not Lexington) have "open" town meetings where anyone can go and have a say and a vote.

One year our town meeting voted to eliminate all war, seriously.

If this passes in one town expect to see it in others.

I stand corrected. That state IS a lost cause.

 

[Wee Hooker]

Thanks for that information, but who is in charge of these meetings? And how did they get to be in charge? Do any elected officials run these shows? I know Massachusetts is a Commonwealth (like Virginia), so things are somewhat different, but still, I don't understand how this works.

If a petition is brought before the Town Meeting and is agreed upon, does it then go up for a vote by all town residents, or does it become like a law or ordinance simply because x-number of people want it to be?

Town officials moderate the meeting to a strict set of meeting standards that are set in stone and monitored at state level. While there is (organized and moderated) debate the night of the meeting, much of it is done via campaigning /letter to the editor in the local media for months before the meeting.
That would be answer two, There is no follow on / second chance vote by the thousands of residents who don't show up. The vote of the night is binding (unless someone challenges it in court due to botched procedure, etc.) You either show up to speak and/or vote or let the few that do make the decision for you. :-(

Hell of a process, Democracy!

 

[Hunter8282]

The town meeting is a "representative town meeting" citizens can go but cannot speak unless recognized by the speaker or given a chance by a rep. That is why I ran and continue to run for town meeting rep in my town so I cannot be stifled and can say my piece.

May be time for a little Civil Disobedience!

 

[mg440rt]

May be time for a little Civil Disobedience!

Not worth the effort...Beacon Hill is so bought and paid for it's a lesson in futility to raise an issue based on common sense... ...to prove this point , the last 3 speakers of the MA House were/are in jail for taking bribes or outright extortion . Something to be proud of from the Cradle of Democracy...

 

[cmj8591]

Gun Owners' Action League of Massachusetts

 

[Muss Muggins]

I read through the link, but didn't see what the penalty would be for violating this town's potential ban, or what the class of violation would be (felony, misdemeanor, infraction, etc.) . . .

 

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

From what I can see it would be a penalty of $50 per violation, if you have a bunch of 10 round magazines that could add up quick.
Although the worst part is that you most likely would lose your LTC, License to Carry (which in Mass regardless of the name doesn't mean you can carry, it means you can have a firearm, or empty shell case or powder and only with the express permission of the Chief of Police are you actually allowed to carry, don't question it, it is Massastupid)

From what I understand ALL 10 round and larger magazines would be banned not just those that fit "assault weapons".

DESCRIPTION: This article would prohibit the manufacture, sale, ownership, or
possession of assault weapons and high capacity ammunition magazines in the Town of
Lexington. An assault weapon is defined in several very technical ways, but many
repeating rifles and shotguns, and all machine guns, would be banned together with
magazines holding ten or more cartridges.

 

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

Just got the actual text of the bill

The penalty will be $1000 per violation and the Police are authorized to "seize and destroy guns" so they can kick down your door and take your guns and no grandfathering except for pre 1899 guns.