Minuteman Monthly Newsletter Issue 53 December 2005 Dear Minuteman Monthly Subscriber, There is a law on the books in the state of Massachusetts as well as a few others that mandate trigger locks or locked storage for all firearms in the home. That's right my friends. The long arm of the law can now reach into your private home and force you to lock up all of your firearms, under penalty of law in a few states. Should the Massachusetts legislature have taken these steps? Is it the job of government to reach into our own homes and tell us what to do with our guns? I don't think so and I'll bet you don't either. The law was enacted, despite very vocal opposition by Massachusetts gun owners. From the information I've heard, legislators were contacted by their constituents at a rate of over 300 to 1 against this intrusive policy, but it passed anyway. So much for representative government huh? This month's Minuteman Monthly Aiming Point is about mandatory safety and storage laws. These laws are popping up and we have to have a firm stand on them. Mandatory storage and trigger lock laws might be coming your way soon. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ SAVETHEGUNS.COM QUOTES OF THE MONTH FOR DECEMBER "The loyalists in the beginning of the late war objected to associating, arming and fighting, in defense of our liberties, because these measures were not constitutional. A free people should always be left... with every possible power to promote their own happiness." Pennsylvania Gazette April 23, 1788 "The object and practice of liberty lies in the limitation of government power." -- General Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964) WWII Supreme Allied Commander of the Southwest Pacific, Supreme United Nations Commander "I do esteem individual liberty above everything. What is a nation for, but to secure the maximum liberty to every individual?" D. H. Lawrence (1885-1938) Source: Letter, 12 July 1916 "If the personal freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution inhibit the government's ability to govern the people, we should look to limit those guarantees." William Jefferson Clinton, August 12, 1993 "The United States can't be so fixed on our desire to preserve the rights of ordinary Americans..." William Jefferson Clinton, March 1, 1993 NOTE: Wow!! It's amazing how different President Clinton was, as compared to the people in America's past. Let's make sure the Clinton's don't get back into the White House through a possible run by Hillary in 2008. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ BUY.COM Offering 10% Off Amazon.com Book Prices That's right, Buy.com is offering in stock books at 10% less than at Amazon.com for the same title. Please use my Buy.com advertisement at the top of any page at www.SaveTheGuns.com. This is the heart of the Christmas shopping season!! Don't wait another week. Don't wait for the last day. Save your gasoline and the hassle of traffic and clerks spraying perfume at you. Do your Christmas shopping at www.SaveTheGuns.com. SHOP NOW, BEFORE YOU FORGET!! http://www.savetheguns.com/online_store.htm ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ SAVETHEGUNS.COM GUN SAFETY TIP OF THE MONTH NEVER climb a tree or fence or jump a ditch with a loaded gun. You will have very little control over your firearm during a fall. Don't do anything with a loaded firearm that decreases your ability to control it safely. Jumping a stream, climbing to your tree stand or getting through very thick brush should be done with an unloaded firearm. I'd rather see you miss a chance shot at a game animal, than take one under the chin during a trip or fall, where you lose control of the gun. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ NRA MEMBERSHIP Thank you for reading this month's Minuteman Monthly Newsletter. www.SaveTheGuns.com is an NRA Membership Recruiter. You still have an opportunity to give an NRA Membership as a gift for Christmas. However, the package might not arrive in time for the big day. Give the gift that keeps on giving. Give an NRA Membership today. Click here: http://membership.nrahq.org/default.asp?campaignid=XR017807 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ MINUTEMAN MONTHLY AIMING POINT FOR DECEMBER 2005 The Lawful Commerce In Arms law that was just signed by President George W. Bush was a landmark effort that protected law abiding firearm makers from being sued by the victims of a violent crime where a gun was used. That's great, except for the fact that a part of the law requires that a trigger lock be sold with every new firearm. How long will it be before using that trigger lock WILL BE REQUIRED BY LAW. ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- MANDATORY LOCK TEXT OF S.397 Lawful Commerce In Arms S. 397 SEC. 5. CHILD SAFETY LOCKS. (a) SHORT TITLE- This section may be cited as the `Child Safety Lock Act of 2005'. (b) PURPOSES- The purposes of this section are-- (1) to promote the safe storage and use of handguns by consumers; (2) to prevent unauthorized persons from gaining access to or use of a handgun, including children who may not be in possession of a handgun; and (3) to avoid hindering industry from supplying firearms to law abiding citizens for all lawful purposes, including hunting, self-defense, collecting, and competitive or recreational shooting. (c) FIREARMS SAFETY- (1) MANDATORY TRANSFER OF SECURE GUN STORAGE OR SAFETY DEVICE- Section 922 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by inserting at the end the following: `(z) SECURE GUN STORAGE OR SAFETY DEVICE- `(1) IN GENERAL- Except as provided under paragraph (2), it shall be unlawful for any licensed importer, licensed manufacturer, or licensed dealer to sell, deliver, or transfer any handgun to any person other than any person licensed under this chapter, unless the transferee is provided with a secure gun storage or safety device (as defined in section 921(a)(34)) for that handgun. ------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------- The anti-gun Democrats in Congress and in the state legislatures have had a lot of success through incrementally tightening the laws that regulate the sale, possession, transfer and storage of firearms. Now that a trigger lock or safe storage device in required to be sold with each gun, how long will it be before the elected anti-gunners in your state make it mandatory to use them on all your guns? +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ CHRISTMAS SHOPPING AT SAVETHEGUNS.COM Have you browsed my "Online Store" pages yet? I have worked hard in trying to bring you the products I thought you might be interested in. Here's a few items that I've seen from a few of my affiliates. I just bought a dozen (12) 64" X 90" blankets from the Sportsman's Guide for $57.97. That's an amazing deal at just $4.83 for each blanket. They are 70% man made fiber and 30% wool. Click on my Sportsman's Guide advertisement at the top of every page on www.SaveTheGuns.com. Once there, the item number for the blankets is LX5M-62845. Or plug in the keyword "blankets" (without quotes), they're on the second page. Or how about getting your Dad one of those "Shake to Light" Flashlights, as seen on television ads. They don't use batteries. Just shake the flashlight up and it generates enough electricity to work. I found them at CheaperThanDirt.com. Just use my CheaperThanDirt.com advertisement at the top of every page on www.SaveTheGuns.com. They're just $7.97!!! The item number for these shake up flashlights is LIGHT-133. Use the Buy.com advertisement banner at the top of every page as well. At Buy.com, through my advertisement, I found a 512MB Secure Digital (SD) Memory card for your digital camera for just $29.95!!! That would allow you to take hundreds of top quality photos with your digital camera without having to upload them to your computer for quite a while!!! Christmas is coming faster than you think. The shipping on most items is pretty quick, but you really shouldn't waste too much more time... +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ MASSACHUSETTS MANDATORY LOCKS LAW ------------------------------------------------------------------- Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 140 Section 131L. (a) It shall be unlawful to store or keep any firearm, rifle or shotgun including, but not limited to, large capacity weapons, or machine gun in any place unless such weapon is secured in a locked container or equipped with a tamper-resistant mechanical lock or other safety device, properly engaged so as to render such weapon inoperable by any person other than the owner or other lawfully authorized user. ------------------------------------------------------------------- The above copy of Chapter 140 Section 131L may be alarming to many of you. IT'S THE LAW. In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, it is completely illegal to keep a loaded firearm ready at your bedside in the case of an emergency. Every single study I've seen indicates that firearms are used between 700,000 and 2,500,000 times a year to thwart crime. A good percentage of which occur in the home. A mandatory safe storage device, such as a trigger lock, locked pistol box or gun safe, would impede the homeowner's ability to defend members of his or her family in the case of an emergency. In short, I would say that individual families are the ones who should be making the decisions in their own homes for proper firearm storage. It is not the duty or responsibility of law makers to reach into every home and dictate to families how their guns should be stored. Each family is different and should have the freedom to determine proper firearm safety and storage procedures for themselves. I've taught gun safety and firearm education since I was about twenty two years old, I'm now forty one. My son could unload a semi-automatic handgun at five years old. I don't need state legislators telling me that I have to child-proof my guns, when I have already gun-proofed my child. I have advocated for the use of trigger locks, pistol boxes and gun safes. I think that for firearms that are not for immediate use in case of an emergency, they're a good idea. As I mentioned in last month's Minuteman Monthly Newsletter, a good pick proof gun safe that's bolted to both the floor and the wall can help prevent your guns from getting stolen. Having to put a lock on every gun in your home or to keep every gun in your home in a locked gun safe is not right for every family. It's a very controversial and a very personal decision that every gun owner has to make. It's not right for elected local, state or federal officials to step into your lives and make that decision for you and your family. This brand of legislation is intrusive and frankly insulting. Be prepared, be informed and be ready to fight. Because mandatory gun safety locks and mandatory firearm storage laws may be coming to your state and town. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ You may forward, post, print, copy or pass around the information in this newsletter as you wish. However, please tell people where you got it. Tell them you got it from www.SaveTheGuns.com. Thanks, Marc Richardson Owner/Founder www.SaveTheGuns.com "To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them..." Richard Henry Lee, Additional Letters From The Federal Farmer, 1788 To opt-out of further e-mails from www.SaveTheGuns.com simply reply with "Unsubscribe MMM" in the subject line.