Massachusetts Tackles Gun Control

January 15, 2013

Some of the weapons collected in Wednesday’s Los Angeles Gun Buyback event are showcased Thursday, Dec. 27, 2012 during a news conference at the LAPD headquarters in Los Angeles. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s office says the weapons collected Wednesday included 901 handguns, 698 rifles, 363 shotguns and 75 assault weapons. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Guests:

David Hemenway, professor of public health at Harvard University.
David Linsky, Democratic state representative from Natick.

More:

Boston Globe “Momentum grows for tougher gun laws in Mass.“
CBS News “Half of Americans support new gun control laws, polls show“

Other stories from this show:

When Doctors Don’t Listen

http://twitter.com/kerskine Keith Erskine

I’m disappointed in this segment. No where was it mentioned that the right to bear arms is an individual civil right. You missed an opportunity to ask Rep. Linsky why he thinks his legislation would be constitutional.
http://twitter.com/twosidesormore twosidesormore

Antony,
your show today was totally unbalanced. One of the worst in recent times. Where was the gun right advocate? Are you a journalist or another activist? Where is your responsibility towards facts?

1. Guns stored in gun clubs: how are you going to store securely all these thousands of guns in a single location? My gun club has ~3000 members, a good 10% have that kind of firearms. Clubs with a club LTC are very few in the State because of statutory issues. Mine is not one of them for instance. Most clubs are little more than a series of wooden shacks and a bunch of firing ranges. Where should we store thousands of weapons? do you want them to be stolen for real and enter the black market? do you think a known place where all the weapons are stored would be more secure than my secret room with gun safes and alarms in my home? This is just opening the door to confiscation of the weapon itself, because no gun club will be able to accommodate the requirement.

plus, don’t you think it violates the “keep” portion of the second amendment?

was it too much for you to be a journalist and ask pertinent questions to Linsky?

2. Liability insurance. That is akin to a poll tax. or like forcing a blogger to buy a libel liability insurance before exerting his first amendment rights and creating a blog. another stupid and unconstitutional idea. And how are you going to prevent that people are not priced off the market? This is a constitutional right, after all.

again, was it too much for you to think and try to raise some of these objections?

How can you ask to people to give up their rifles to a third party for safekeeping – a first in America- force them to buy an insurance, that does not even exist anywhere in America, therefore basically disenfranchising lost of gun owners, and then be surprised if gun owners of this state feel victimized and abused?

Rifle are used rarely in crime. In each instance where they have been used in mass shootings, other commonly available weapons, from shotguns to revolvers, would have accomplished the same level of carnage. What’s the point of fixating so much on a rifle in common use for lawful purposes?

This is not a serious way to get at the issues of gun violence in America. This is just a form of bullism on a minority that hardly has any representation at the State house.

The Federal courts will be the only avenue left, if this bill goes forward in its current form.
- Anthony_Brooks
  
  I don’t disagree with your point. But you can be assured that we intend to give the state’s 2nd amendment advocates plenty of opportunity to respond. Today’s segment was simply an effort to inform our listeners about some of the new inititiatives being offered by lawmakers. There will be plenty of time and opportunity in the days and weeks ahead to debate this issue. When it comes to balance, it’s important to consider what we do on any given issue over the course of many weeks and months — rather than in just one segment.
  But again, I appreciate your perspective on this.
  Thanks,
  Anthony
  - http://twitter.com/OriginalEMZ Jeff
    
    Like the days and weeks that New York spent discussing new gun laws? What is the likelihood that legislation like this will be rammed through? Is it really so much to ask that “journalists” such as yourself play devil’s advocate, and at least try and bring some balance to the equation?
  - PaulD
    
    Anthony, I think it would behoove you to go to a gun range in Massachusetts with a qualified and licensed gun owner or instructor. This way you would, hopefully, have a much better understanding of what this debate is about. I’d suggest the same to Mr. Linksy.
    
    I’d be happy to host you but otherwise contact GOAL.
Dad-teacher-Marine

Dear WBUR, I love you. I am currently a teacher, but I am also a former Marine. I support some new restrictions on guns. I agree that 30 round magazines are not needed, mental health checks should be standard, but to EVEN SUGGEST that I should bring a gun to a private facility seems to violate the 2nd and 4th Amendments. I do not see how expanding police Chief powers will help. Our state has seen a significant decrease in crime, along with our nation. Restrictions are one thing, but total violations of intelligence are something totally different. I do not know why the Representative was pandering to his constituency, when he could have offered real, tangible solutions.

WHY, WBUR did you let him use your station to campaign? The show was unbalanced and there was I did not hear the thoughtful questions I come to expect from you.
Don in Arlington

Could you please have your guest acknowledge the fact that about every six to twelve months, there will be a spree killing somewhere in the US, at a school, business, shopping mall, etc. and the victims will largely unknown to their assailant. The only thing linking these now commonplace events is the killers’ easy access to weapons, and he thinks this is a price americans should be willing to pay to have access to weapons? Could you also have him please admit that these tragedies would not be stopped by someone in the location with a bigger, cooler gun?
- Anthony_Brooks
  
  Hi Don,
  
  I think you meant to post this on today’s program — in resonse to Jim Wallace with the Gun Owners Action League.
  
  Thanks,
  
  Anthony
- http://www.facebook.com/futo.buddy Futo Buddy
  
  why would you want him to lie?
- Pdwpdw
  
  Could you please acknowledge that the chances of being a victim of a “spree killing” are much less than being hit by lightning? Even the absurdly biased, recent issue of Time magazine is willing to acknowledge this. Further, could you please acknowledge that there are numerous examples of “spree killers” being stopped early by law abiding citizens with concealed carry firearms? One such event happened in Portland around the same time as the Newtown tragedy.

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Massachusetts Tackles Gun Control