Massachusetts Gun Reform: Week of 10/23

Massachusetts’ gun laws are some of the strongest in the nation. These policies, that keep guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals, have made Massachusetts the state with the lowest gun violence. However, gun-rights extremists are working every day to roll back these safety policies and oust gun violence prevention allies from elected office.

What’s happening in Massachusetts this week?

1) Mass. Gun Sense Champs Push to Fund Research on Gun Violence

United States Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) and Dr. Michael Hirsh, Chief of Pediatric Surgery at UMASS Memorial Medical Center, helped lead a U.S. Capitol press conference on October 18th to call for Congressional funding of gun violence research. Video of the press conference can be found here. Why research gun violence prevention? Read more here.

2) Lowell Gun-Rights Activist Petitions Council For State Review of City Gun Policy

Is Lowell’s firearm licensing policy legal? Perennial Lowell gun-rights activist and firearms instructor Dan Gannon petitioned the Lowell City Council on October 17th to send the city firearm licensing policy to the Massachusetts Legislature for review. The Council responded by voting to send the petition to the Lowell legal department for review.

3) Sandy Hook Lawsuit Heads to Connecticut Supreme Court

Does the gun industry have immunity from law suits? Federal law provides them with broad immunity, but the Sandy Hook case could test that statute in state court. The high-profile Sandy Hook gun case is scheduled to be heard by the Connecticut Supreme Court on November 14th. The suit against Remington, filed by Sandy Hook survivors, seeks to hold them liable for the 2012 shooting of 20 first-graders and 6 adults in Newtown, CT. Briefs have been filed by the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, NRA, and National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) among others.

4) Who will represent Attleboro, Foxborough, Mansfield, Sharon, and Norton in the State Senate?

Gun lobby-backed candidate for State Senate Jacob Ventura was defeated in an October 17th special election by Foxborough Democrat Paul Feeney. The Bristol & Norfolk seat was previously held by Jim Timilty, who was Chairman of the Joint Committee on Public Safety & Homeland Security and A+ graded by the NRA-affiliate Gun Owners Action League (GOAL).

5) Upcoming Events:

October 28th, 7pm: Vigil to remember victims of Las Vegas shooting in Framingham

November 2nd, 7pm: Justice and Healing; an evening with AG Maura Healey and Rev. Liz Walker in Wellesley

December 1-3: Columbinus, a play that examines the events that led to the shooting at Columbine High School, performed at Harvard

Founder Responds to Las Vegas Mass Shooting

Stop Handgun Violence Response to Las Vegas Concert Shooting

Boston, MA – Last night a gunman perched in a hotel room on the 32^nd floor of Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas shot and killed at least 58 concert-goers and wounded 515 others. After raining bullets and terror down on concert-goers, the shooter was found dead in his hotel room. While the details of this latest mass shooting – the worst in US history – continue to emerge, Stop Handgun Violence founder John Rosenthal made the following statement:

“While the horrific magnitude of this massacre is yet unknown, we do know that the shooter was able to get access to at least ten high-powered firearms capable of large scale destruction. We know that our national gun policy allows unrestricted access to military style assault weapons and large capacity ammunition clips, and this irresponsible public policy has deadly consequences. Congress and the President are responsible for dangerous gun policies that make mass shootings and 91 Americans dead from gun violence a daily occurrence in the US.

“Congress took zero action when 26 died at Sandy Hook, 32 died at Virginia Tech, 70 were injured at Aurora, and 107 injured at Orlando. How many others will be shot and killed in vain? Congress and the president continue to send prayers while working to make deadly weapons more available without background checks or detection by law enforcement. Clearly Congress and the President care more about gun lobby blood money campaign contributions than public health and safety from preventable gun violence.

“Right now, Trump and the gun lobby are pushing legislation through Congress that would undermine and dismantle the concealed carry permitting system of each state and a second bill that would deregulate silencers and make it easy to kill without detection. We reap what we sow and must work together to defeat these bills. We must instead pass legislation to protect Americans, like urban Massachusetts has done on a bipartisan basis, achieving the lowest gun death rate in the nation.”

If you agree with our founder, sign the petition urging action on gun violence now.

CITIES ACROSS AMERICA PARTICIPATE IN SECOND ANNUAL “CONCERT ACROSS AMERICA TO END GUN VIOLENCE”

(Boston, MA. – September 25th, 2017) Over the weekend, a coalition of gun violence prevention artists, activists and organizations participated in the Concert Across America to End Gun Violence. Events ranged from selfie soloists to over 60 live concerts, digitally connected by #ConcertAcrossAmerica and ConcertAcrossAmerica.org.

Over 2,000 Americans (and still counting) sung along from home with the World Record Challenge, from September 21-24. Participants recorded a video of themselves singing “Nothing More” by the Alternate Routes and posted it on social media using #ConcertAcrossAmerica.

“Musicians often want to give back and to give a voice to those who have been lost to gun violence.” said New Orleans Coordinator Givonna Joseph, of OperaCréole, “As musicians, we care about our communities and we have a long history for fighting for social justice causes.”

World record submissions included videos that ranged from choral arrangements to a cappella, to Hawaiian ukulele versions, to gospel and Spanish versions. Participants included thousands of individuals from all walks of life including school children from over a dozen schools including San Mateo, CA, Bedford, MA, Memphis, TN, the Southeast Asia School for the Deaf, and social work students in San Jose, gun violence victims like Purpose Over Pain, a group of mothers who lost their children in Chicago, Trenelle Gabay in New York and Natalie and Mark Barden in Connecticut, the San Quentin Men’s Prison choir, the Grandmothers Against Gun Violence in Seattle and Cape Cod and a senior center in California. With the largest group submitting from a Birmingham, AL Unitarian Church.

“The overwhelming response to the world record challenge across America underscores the fact that no community has been spared from the gun violence epidemic,” said Concert Chair and Stop Handgun Violence Founder John Rosenthal. “We were excited to see so many new volunteers roll up their sleeves and commit to ending gun violence.”

“It is so great to see the one song being sung in so many different ways. and it really makes you feel united with others around the country!” said Shikha Hamilton of the California Brady Campaign Chapters.

Organizers of the event will continue to collect and catalogue videos for submission for a world record later this week. To watch videos visit the website: concertacrossamerica.org or visit the Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/ConcertAcrossAmerica/

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About The Concert Across America

The Concert Across America will take place from Sept. 21^st, International Peace Day to Sept. 24th, leading into the Congressionally designated day of remembrance for murder victims. This nationwide musical experience, spearheaded by Stop Handgun Violence in Boston, brings together a network of organizations, activists and artists to take a united stand against gun violence. For more information visit http://concertacrossamerica.org.

Stop Handgun Violence Responds to Foxborough Murder Suicide

Boston, MA – In response to the murder suicide of a father and young boy in Foxborough, Massachusetts, Stop Handgun Violence founder, John Rosenthal, made the following statement:

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the young boy’s family as they grieve this incredible loss of life. Unfortunately, we know all too well that guns and domestic violence are a lethal mix. When a gun is used in a domestic violence assault, a victim is 12 times more likely to die than when other weapons are used.

“While we are thankful that the Foxborough Police did everything they could to prevent Mr. Scaccia from purchasing a weapon earlier this year, we are disappointed that illegal guns remain accessible in Massachusetts. While we are still waiting for details on how Mr. Scaccia gained access to a firearm, we know that 2/3 of guns used in crime in Massachusetts originate from purchases outside the state, where many sales are conducted without a background check.”

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Stop Handgun Violence (SHV) is a Massachusetts based non-profit organization committed to the prevention of gun violence through education, public awareness, effective law enforcement and common sense gun laws. SHV has been the lead advocate in Massachusetts for enactment of the most effective gun violence prevention laws and first in the nation consumer protection regulations. The organization does not seek to restrict Constitutional rights, but advocates only for common sense legislation that will help save lives. For more information, go to www.stophandgunviolence.org

150,000 Americans Killed by Guns Since Sandy Hook

150,000 AMERICANS KILLED BY GUNS SINCE SANDY HOOK –
NO ACTION BY CONGRESS TO PREVENT BLOODSHED

Boston, MA – In the less than five years since the horrific shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, 150,000 more Americans have been killed by guns – a number that is more than 30 times the number of Americans killed in the Iraq War.

The digital counter on the website of Stop Handgun Violence tallies the gun deaths, based on historical averages gleaned from US Center for Disease Control death statistics. Each year the counter is updated to reflect the most recent data. This year, it went up by 88 deaths per day, which many agree is a conservative estimate.

“This horrific death toll should be enough to convince Congress to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and people suffering from mental health crises. Instead, we have seen private sales background checks fail to pass, and the current administration has actually removed 170,000 military veteran mental health records from the NICS background check database,” said John Rosenthal, founder of Stop Handgun Violence. “It would be shameful if Congress had just done nothing, but the reality is even worse. Now some members of Congress are pushing to make silencers easier to obtain, making it easier for criminals to get away with murder without detection. They are also pushing to allow untrained civilians to carry loaded, concealed weapons without any permit whatsoever, all across the country. It sounds outrageous, but it’s true. Concealed carry reciprocity would turn the weakest standards for carrying guns into the national standard. How many more Americans have to die before Congress realizes more guns are not the answer?”

While Massachusetts continues to be a national leader on gun violence prevention with the most effective gun laws and the lowest gun deaths rates in the nation, Commonwealth laws will be greatly undermined by the currently proposed federal concealed carry legislation – a policy which the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association and the International Chiefs of Police Association have both publicly opposed.

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LINSKY CONTINUES THE FIGHT TO REDUCE GUN VIOLENCE IN THE COMMONWEALTH

BOSTON- Representative David Linsky (D-Natick) hosted a Gun Violence Prevention Lobby Day on July 18, where dozens of advocates and supporters from across the country joined together in support of H.3081, An Act relative to extreme risk protective orders. The bill, filed by Representative Linsky, was heard at a Public Hearing of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary following the Lobby Day. Among the group who spoke both at the lobby day and hearing in support of Representative Linsky’s bill were representatives from Americans for Responsible Solutions, Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, Stop Handgun Violence, and the Massachusetts Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence.

“Massachusetts has some of the most effective gun laws in the country. We have one of the lowest rates of gun violence and gun deaths in the country. That is because we know that effective gun laws work. Plain and simple, Extreme Risk Protective Orders save lives. Let’s make our Commonwealth’s gun laws even stronger by passing this bill,” said Representative Linsky. “I thank everyone who came today to speak on behalf of H.3081. It means a lot to me, and to all of the citizens of Massachusetts, because this bill saves lives.”

An Extreme Risk Protective Order (ERPO) is a civil court order that would expand upon current Massachusetts law by temporarily restricting access to firearms by persons who exhibit dangerous or threatening behaviors towards themselves or others, but who are not otherwise prohibited under federal or state law. Studies have shown that individuals who are in the throes of a crisis, and are engaged in dangerous behaviors, are significantly more likely to commit an act of violence towards themselves or others within the near future. The procedures for obtaining, enforcing, and terminating an ERPO would closely follow a procedure followed in Chapter 209A relative to domestic violence restraining orders, thereby utilizing many of the court and law enforcement systems already in place.

“One year ago today, my father purchased the gun that he would eventually use to take his own life,” said Jenna Yuille, Engagement Manager for Americans for Responsible Solutions and a survivor of gun violence. “While it’s too late to save my father’s life, this proposal may someday save the life of someone you know. I’m honored to support this legislation and am grateful for Rep. Linsky’s leadership on this important bill. I urge Massachusetts’ elected leaders to help give families the tools they need to prevent gun tragedies and save lives.”

“The Extreme Risk Protective Order would be a lifesaving tool for the people of Massachusetts. Using ERPO, concerned family members and law enforcement would be able to petition a court to temporarily remove guns from those who pose a danger to themselves or others,” said Josh Horwitz, Executive Director of Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. “After all, those closest to us are often the first to notice the signs of crisis. This tool would allow family members and law enforcement to prevent tragedies before they occur. Massachusetts has the opportunity to be the next state to reduce gun violence in all its forms by passing H.3081 into law.”

Studies have shown that a gun in the home is 22 times more likely to be used to kill or injure someone in a domestic homicide, suicide, or unintentional shooting than to be used in self-defense. There are 20,000 gun suicides every year, which accounts for over half of all suicides, and two-thirds of all gun deaths.

“Representative Linsky’s Extreme Risk Protective Order bill will empower families to intervene when a family member in crisis poses an extreme risk to themselves or others,” said Angus McQuilken, Co-founder of the Massachusetts Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence. “This law will save lives by addressing the two leading causes of gun death, suicide and homicide. Firearms are the most lethal form of suicide, and if we remove the gun from the equation, we can prevent senseless tragedies. This bill is based on laws in other states, such as Connecticut, that are using this mechanism effectively to prevent loss of life. We urge the Legislature to approve this life-saving legislation, and send it to the Governor for his signature as soon as possible.”

The ERPO is a tool that originated by request from California law enforcement after the deadly shooting on the University of California Santa Barbara campus in 2014, where the shooter had exhibited dangerous behaviors, and despite warning from family members and mental health professionals, law enforcement did not intervene. Similar laws have been passed in Washington, Connecticut, Indiana, and Oregon.

“Laws similar to the Extreme Risk Protective Order being proposed in Massachusetts have been able to save lives in other states,” said Allison Anderman, Managing Attorney for the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence and the Americans for Responsible Solutions Foundation. “With this responsible legislation, Massachusetts has a real opportunity to help individuals in crisis who are at an elevated risk of injuring themselves or others and remove guns from dangerous situations. I applaud Rep. Linsky for introducing this lifesaving bill that has the potential to prevent future gun tragedies in Massachusetts.”

In the last decade, 2,287 people from Massachusetts were killed by gunfire, and in 2015, 55% of all gun deaths in Massachusetts were suicides.

“Today, I was proud to testify in support of this bill with a broad coalition of advocates that included law enforcement, gun owners, victims, clergy, and policy experts,” said John Rosenthal, Founder of Stop Handgun Violence. “If passed, this bill will save lives by empowering families and medical professionals to take action where a loved one or patient is in the middle of a mental health crisis. Proven policies like this one will keep Massachusetts a national leader on gun violence prevention.”

“Meaningful gun laws save lives,” said Representative Linsky. “I urge the members of the Judiciary Committee to release H.3081 favorably, and for the rest of my colleagues to support this common sense piece of legislation as it advances through the legislative process.”

Join us on July 18th

Please join us on July 18th at 1pm in Massachusetts State House Hearing Room A-1 for a Hearing of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary to make your voice heard and keep Massachusetts the safest state in the nation.

There will be a chance to lobby your elected officials at 11am on the same day in Nurses Hall on the 2nd Floor of the State House.

You can be sure that members of the Massachusetts gun lobby affiliate, GOAL, will be showing up in large numbers to push for easier access to guns and silencers. Your presence in support of gun violence prevention will speak volumes, nobody is required to testify.

We will be speaking out about three bills in particular:

1. Extreme Risk Protective Orders (H3081) – We support this bill, which would allow police, concerned family members, and concerned healthcare providers to petition for the court to temporarily remove guns from people who have demonstrated that they are at an extreme risk of harming themselves or others. Duke and Yale researchers found that a similar law prevented dozens of suicides of in Connecticut.

2. and 3. Repealing the Silencer Ban in Massachusetts (H763 and H789) – We oppose these bills, which were filed by allies of the gun lobby. They would repeal the Commonwealth’s ban on silencers, which has almost wholly prevented silencers from being used criminally. This is an especially dangerous time to weaken state laws on silencers, as the United States Congress is also poised to make them readily available through private sales without a background check.

More information about the hearing and a complete list of the bills to be heard can be found here. And more information about all the gun-related bills introduced in Massachusetts can be found here.

If you have any questions about how to get to the State House or what the day’s events will entail, please contact us at programs at stophandgunviolence dot com.

Thank you,
The Stop Handgun Violence Team

Extreme Risk Protective Orders – H.3081

Massachusetts Bill Would Prevent Suicides

UPDATE: the hearing for this bill has been scheduled for Tuesday, July 18th at 1pm in State House Room A-1. Please join us to support this important bill. With 22 veterans and dozens of others committing suicide every day in America, we need to do more to address suicides. Read more about how this bill can prevent tragedies before they occur.

In many states—including Massachusetts—if you are worried about a family member’s mental state or they are making concerning comments about suicide or shooting others, there is not much you can do to prevent them from buying or possessing guns.

Background checks will not stop people in crisis from buying guns if they have not been hospitalized for lengthy mental health crises in the past. A 2016 Duke study in Florida found that almost two-thirds of gun suicide victims with severe mental illnesses would have passed a background check on the day of their suicide.

This is a huge hole in the system that needs to be filled: families and law enforcement need a tool to prevent these tragedies before they occur.

Enter extreme risk protective orders (ERPOs).

Laws in Connecticut, California, Indiana, and Washington have moved to change this reactionary model to gun safety, and Massachusetts could be next. H3081, introduced by Rep. David Linsky of Natick, would provide immediate help for such people at extreme risk for harming themselves or others by petitioning on-call judges at any hour of the day or night.

The process is similar to restraining orders, where petitioners must demonstrate why the gun owner is an extreme risk and the subject of the petition has their day in court to defend themselves. The orders are temporary—lasting for one year—but subjects can appeal to have their order lifted early.

Do Extreme Risk Protective Orders Work?

Research presented by Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health firmly supports this concept. Nine out of ten people who survive a suicide attempt do not go on to die from suicide. But guns are far more deadly than other means: suicide attempts by cutting or ingesting drugs or poison succeed less than 2% of the time. If we can help people get through their moment of crisis alive, 90% of the time they will not end up taking their own life. According to Duke and Yale researchers, in over half the cases in Connecticut from 1999-2013, police were so concerned with the mental health of subjects upon serving the ERPO that they had them transported to emergency rooms for treatment.

This law is doing what it intended: pinpointing those at risk, helping them get treatment, and saving lives. These suicide prevention measures will not be able to save every life, but they certainly can save some. And to those families, that is everything.

Stop Handgun Violence Founder John Rosenthal Renews Call to Boycott Shaw’s and Star Market

Vote with Your Wallet!

Last night, in a rousing speech to gun safety advocates, John Rosenthal renewed his call to boycott the companies that are owned by Cerberus Capital Management. Cerberus owns the Freedom Group, which includes gun manufacturers Bushmaster and Remington; this represents about 20% of the gun industry. You can watch a video of his full speech below.

Cerberus owns the following:

Shaw’s, Star Market, OSCO Drug, ACME, Jewel, and Steward Healthcare (owner of St. Elizabeth’s Hospital).

We have HAD IT with this funding of the hateful gun lobby, so we will be boycotting Cerberus and their bread, butter, Bushmasters, bullets, and bandages!

Please print out this letter and give it to the manager at your local Shaw’s and Star Market stores. Together, we can defeat the gun industry with our wallets. Thank you for your support!

Letter to Shaws and Star Market

https://www.facebook.com/stophandgunviolence/videos/1605342219500034/

What’s Next for Massachusetts in 2017?

Greetings fellow advocates!

Did you know over 70 gun bills have been introduced in the Massachusetts State House?

Believe it! There’s a lot going on in our state. Keep reading for a preview of what’s to come in 2017.

We scoured through these bills and built a tool for learning about them on our website. You can see which bills are our top priorities and read short summaries of all of them here. Or you can check out specific categories of bills like assault weapons and licensing.

Please take a moment to sign our letters to the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security (Sen. Michael Moore, 617-722-1485 / Rep. Harold Naughton, Jr. 617-722-2230 / Rep. Alan Silvia, 617-722-2230) and the Joint Committee on the Judiciary (Or call the chairs: Sen. William Brownsburger, 617-722-1280 / Rep. Claire Cronin 617-722-2396) urging them to “report favorably” on the gun safety bills that have been referred to their committee.

And if you’re able, please consider clicking here to donate and help us continue our efforts to educate the people of Massachusetts about gun safety.

Here’s a look at what we’re fighting for in Massachusetts in 2017:

H3081: This bill establishes Extreme Risk Protective Orders: a civil procedure for concerned family members, healthcare providers, and police to remove guns from people who present a high risk of suicide or danger to themselves or others. Tell the Joint Committee on the Judiciary you support this bill!

H1283: This bill closes a background check loophole for private gun sales by requiring that all private sales take place at an authorized dealer’s location and access the dealer’s background check system. Tell the Joint Committee you support this bill!

S1292: This bill requires data collection that could be used to prevent trafficking. Tell the Joint Committee you support this bill!

S1298: This is an omnibus bill that closes the background check loophole for private gun sales and provides funding for police anti-violence training. Tell the Joint Committee you support this bill!

Remember, calling is the best way to make sure your voice is heard! You can contact the co-chairs of these committees here:
Judiciary: Sen. William Brownsburger, 617-722-1280, William.Brownsberger@masenate.gov / Rep. Claire Cronin 617-722-2396, Claire.Cronin@mahouse.gov
Public Safety & Homeland Security: Sen. Michael Moore, 617-722-1485, Michael.Moore@masenate.gov / Rep. Harold Naughton, Jr. 617-722-2230, Harold.Naughton@mahouse.gov / Rep. Alan Silvia, 617-722-2230, Alan.Silvia@mahouse.gov

With your support, we have continuously fought against gun lobby influence to keep Massachusetts on track as a leader in smart gun safety policies. We look forward to another year of advocating common sense with all of you.

Thank you for your ongoing support!