MA Advocates Demand Gun Bill Rewrite After Talk with Speaker DeLeo
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
The bill, which was sponsored by DeLeo, advocated for stricter regulations in regards to gun purchases, FID cards, background checks and more. Rather than saying that the gun bill should be completely ripped up, Wallace says that the bill should be amended so that all can be in support.
“I thought the meeting with the Speaker went well,” said Wallace. “He had a lot of technical questions that I answered the best I could. We have worked on a lot of outreach – the rally was just one piece of that – because we cannot support this bill as it is currently drafted.”
Although not commenting on the meeting, Speaker DeLeo’s press contact confirmed that the meeting took place and that DeLeo took time to listen to Wallace’s concerns. The bill is currently in the House Ways and Means Committee.
Finding a Compromise
While many think that Wallace and the rest of the pro-gun advocates want this bill destroyed, Wallace admits that he would rather see a rewrite. Wallace has noticed that in addition to pro-gun advocates being opposed, mental health and school groups have also shown some opposition.
Wallace ultimately wants to see a bill that all can agree to, hoping that GOAL and member outreach can convince the House committee to reconsider the bill in its current form. While willing to let a few things slide through with the current legislation, Wallace really wants to see the piece on FID cards eliminated.
“My biggest complaint with this bill right now is the issue of suitability when issuing FID cards,” said Wallace. “Suitability rulings when handing out LTC licenses is one of the most widely abused problems in Massachusetts right now; expanding that would be ridiculous. We really want this bill amended so that it can fight crime rather than law abiding gun owners. We really need to put some teeth into this bill because a lot of things weren’t considered.”
Too Little, Too Late
Decter believes that Wallace and other members of GOAL, while saying that they want an amendment, are looking to kill this bill. Because of this, Decter believes that legislators should work to pass this bill instead of focusing on trying to make pro-gun advocates happy.
When asked about what piece within the bill she could do without under a compromise, Decter says that the time to compromise is over. If GOAL really wanted to provide input and create a bill that everyone could agree to, then they should have shown more effort earlier in discussions.
“I think that this is a decent bill the way that it is,” said Decter. “I think that there is a real effort to kill this bill and time is absolutely of the essence. This bill has been under discussion for 18 months now; to wait until the 11th hour to try to participate in discussions really is an effort to delay this bill. I have never been convinced that GOAL wants a bill that would curb gun violence.”
Related Slideshow: The Influence of Gun Money in New England States
New Data from The Sunlight Foundation shows state-by-state breakdowns for donations to groups on both sides of the gun debate. The money went toward candidates, political parties, and political action committees (PACs), but doesn't include donations to independent or so-called “super PACs”.
See how much money went to candidates in each of the New England States in the slides below.
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