MA state representatives are petitioning to "prohibit subdivisions of the commonwealth from restricting the use or provision of firearms" (Bill H.3264). Section 29 of the bill includes stand-your-ground language, threatening to turn one of the bluest states in the country into the Wild West shooting ground that is Florida.
Why is this important?
It is entirely lawful, defensible and a matter of commonsense for states to take action to control the use of deadly weapons to ensure the safety and the well-being of their constituents. To withdraw the right of the people to debate and decide these issues amongst themselves is a violation of democracy and quite possibly a threat to the continued safety of our schools and neighborhoods.
Stand-your-ground laws increase the incentive for aggressive and sometimes racist vigilantes to unnecessarily provoke violent incidents that lead to gun deaths, trusting that they can avoid accountability for their actions by pleading self-defense.
