Attempt to broaden "may-issue" gets it in the slats in Massachusetts

[friendly_iconoclast]

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/07/17/state-senate-begins-debating-anti-gun-violence-bill/6VnoPwQ5iXb8LRygiqVk0J/story.html

Senators pass an altered gun bill
House provision loses to gun groups


By Joshua Miller
| Globe Staff July 17, 2014

Under pressure from gun rights groups including the National Rifle Association, state senators Thursday rejected a provision aimed at keeping rifles and shotguns out of the hands of dangerous people before approving a broad bill meant to reduce firearm violence.

The provision, which was included in the House version of the legislation that passed last week and the Senate bill that was debated Thursday, would give police chiefs discretion to deny issuing permits for shotguns and rifles to those they deem unsuitable...

...State Senator James E. Timilty, Democrat of Walpole, defended the change, which passed by a vote of 28-10.

He said he was concerned that the provision might violate the US Constitution’s Second Amendment and could have landed the antigun violence measure in court. “I think a suit would have followed,” said Timilty, Senate chairman of the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security...

Naturally enough, the usual crowd of prohibitionists have a sad, which is too bad
as the bill has a few good elements previously discussed here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1172149134

[NYC_SKP]

1. Regressive. Be a friend of the local police chief or risk the consequences.

Sometimes, the powers that be get it right.

[friendly_iconoclast]

2. I'm even happier that it was *Democrats* that quashed this nonsense

There are only 4 Republicans in the 40-member Senate, and the amended bill passed
28-10. Even if all the Pubbies voted for it, that still means that 60% of Senate Dems
thought the expansion went too far.

Slowly, yet surely, reactionary gun control is being pushed back...

[Eleanors38]

3. It is impressive to see Democrats knock "may issue"

expansion out of an otherwise decent bill. If they see may-issue as that onerous in MA, maybe there is a sense that this remnant of Jim (that large raucous black bird whose name shall go unmentioned) laws no longer fits the culture of New England, if they ever did. Though I oppose gun registration, any sort of permitting should be through a constitutionally-sound Shall Issue process.

[VScott]

4. Even MAIG is opposed to the idea of "may issue" licensing

for rifles and shotguns... ff to 49:40

https://malegislature.gov/Events/EventDetail?eventId=678&eventDataSource=VideoService&videoSource=sen

And I don't think it's because hell has frozen over; if anything it's because even MAIG/MDA knows their limitations,
and would prefer to dispel the stigma of their predecessors agenda that there's no such thing as a bad gun control
law.