A State of Massachusetts

[Zeno]

In the owners manual for the 10/22 Ruger rife I recently purchased there are required State warnings that must, by law, be included. The following is the warning from the Massachusetts Attorney General. For a 'warning' it includes much frothy information and a puritanical preachy tone that would put the prophet Jeremiah to shame. First-rate stuff full of half-truths, third-rate lies, misleading statements, irrational hooey, guilt flinging, and general idiocy just like the criminals that inhabit the Massachusetts State Legislature. See below:


“WARNING FROM THE MASSACHUSETTS ATTONEY GENERAL: This handgun is not equipped with a device that fully blocks use by unauthorized users. More than 200,000 firearms like this one are stolen from their owners every year in the United States. In addition, there are more than a thousand suicides each year by younger children and teenagers who get access to firearms. Hundreds more die from accidental discharge. It is likely that many more children sustain serious wounds, or inflict such wounds accidentally on others. In order to limit the chance of such misuse, it is imperative that you keep this weapon in a secure place and take other steps necessary to limit the possibility of theft or accident. Failure to take reasonable preventive steps may result in innocent lives being lost, and in some circumstances may result in your liability for these deaths.”

“IT IS UNLAWFUL TO STORE OR KEEP A FIREARM, RIFLE, SHOTGUN OR MACHINE GUN IN ANY PLACE UNLESS THAT WEAPON IS EQUIPPED WITH A TAMPER-RESISTANT SAFETY DEVICE OR IS STORED OR KEPT IN A SECURELY LOCKED CONTAINER.”


Contrast the above warning to that from the State of New Jersey:

“IT IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE TO LEAVE A LOADED FIREARM WITHIN EASY ACCESS OF A MINOR”.

************************************************** **********************

I have no need for warnings and find the continual banal blather of posted and required warnings not just a general nuisance but also a sign that all intelligent and civil behavior that comes natural to any civilized human being is under assault by a pack of demagogic morons that wish to hound and peck me to death with unwarranted scare tactics and puerile lunacy under the guise of Do-Gooding nonsense. Such warnings are inimical to any freethinking individual.

FU*K the State of Massachusetts and just about everyone else on this vile ball of rock vomit. To quote my friend Andy Fox, feh.

Le Misanthrope

P.S. While composing the above screed, I listened to a newly purchased CD;'The Best of Charlie Parker', really some great stuff.

[Ray Zee]

i have some people on the way to remove all weapons from your possesion. you can get hdpm to defend you.

[Rooster71]

This is my favorite part:
[ QUOTE ]
This handgun is not equipped with a device that fully blocks use by unauthorized users.

[/ QUOTE ]
What firearm that has ever been "equipped with a device that fully blocks use by unauthorized users."? The only way to fully block unauthorized users would be to equip it with some sort of chip and have another chip implanted into the owner. When the handgun chip recognizes that the user is the authorized owner, then (and only then) will the handgun be operable.

OK, next we need a way to disable the firearm when its intoxicated owner tries to use it. When that is done, it would be nice to have a firearm that assesses the target for you, this is necessary to avoid accidental discharge. After that, we can work on putting together a handgun that has some sort of giant shield that prevents injuries from stray bullets and richochet.

[John Cole]

First, a remote starter. Now, taking Zeno's weapons. Ray, move to Massachusetts; you're getting soft.

[Ray Zee]

sorry john i cant afford the taxes back there.

[John Cole]

Ray,

You pay taxes? And I thought you were a Libertarian!

[benfranklin]

[ QUOTE ]

What firearm that has ever been "equipped with a device that fully blocks use by unauthorized users."?

[/ QUOTE ]

Essentially, such a system is already functional. The only difference is that the chip is in a ring on the shooter's firing hand. The gun cannot be fired unless the ring is next to the gun. I don't think it is in general production yet, just beta testing.

[Blarg]

Actually, very few people aren't careless, and a very high percentage of them are stupid to boot. I don't think the warnings are harmful in the least, so there's nothing all that negative about them. If they do make a new owner think twice about being stupid with his guns, fine.

Lots of people DO leave their guns unlocked and loaded within easy access of children. Since that could wind up in both the loss of life AND the loss of liberty of the gun owner according to laws that have been drawn up in the last few decades, warning people that both death and a thorough screwing by the courts are possibilities is doing them a favor. I believe there are probably plenty of people who do not know their liability for what other people do. That is, if some kid burgles your house and winds up shooting someone, YOU could be responsible even though you have no control over being burglarized. Face it, the courts love to throw the book at people and make examples of them for the community. Nobody wants to be the fall guy for some unctuous grandstanding prick's display of community-mindedness and concern "for the children."

I'm a gun owner myself and have always enjoyed them and valued them, but frankly I'm sure I'm much more responsible with them than most people, in the same way I've always owned a fist and even became decent at using it, but unlike a great many other people, I'm extremely careful with it and responsible about it. With rights come responsibilities, as they say. A gun is a valuable tool and a fun item for sporting purposes, too, but a scary thing in the hands of a fool or a child.

Since it's the government that's going to prosecute you, there's nothing wrong with them giving you fair warning. Beats the alternative of the Ah HA! Gotcha! way of visiting law upon others.

[benfranklin]

[ QUOTE ]

“IT IS UNLAWFUL TO STORE OR KEEP A FIREARM, RIFLE, SHOTGUN OR MACHINE GUN IN ANY PLACE UNLESS THAT WEAPON IS EQUIPPED WITH A TAMPER-RESISTANT SAFETY DEVICE OR IS STORED OR KEPT IN A SECURELY LOCKED CONTAINER.”

[/ QUOTE ]

I believe that the legislative intent there is that safe storage of guns consists of placing them in 55 gallon drums which are then filled with concrete and buried at sea. They were just too politically correct to come right out and say it.

[ QUOTE ]
I have no need for warnings and find the continual banal blather of posted and required warnings not just a general nuisance but also a sign that all intelligent and civil behavior that comes natural to any civilized human being is under assault by a pack of demagogic morons that wish to hound and peck me to death with unwarranted scare tactics and puerile lunacy under the guise of Do-Gooding nonsense. Such warnings are inimical to any freethinking individual.

[/ QUOTE ]

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts operates under the assumption that all of its citizens, with the exception of its elite and enlightened elected officials, are in need of assisted living in the conduct of their day-to-day activities. Essentially, the government operates under the theory that its citizens are too stupid to come in out of the rain. Based on who they elect to office, that theory has a lot going for it. This is what we could be looking forward to on the national level if JFK II had won a few more votes.


"An armed society is a polite society." -- Robert Heinlein

[John Cole]

Mitt Romney is the governor. I don't know if this proves your point or not.