Common Sense - Massachusetts Style

Question: What do you do if you are responsible for some of the most restrictive gun laws in the nation, presenting law-abiding individuals with layer upon layer of bureaucratic and financial hoops to jump through just to exercise their Constitutional right to bear arms?

Answer: Another hoop.

BOSTON - With a quick electronic scan of a fingerprint, gun shop owners in Massachusetts will know immediately if a customer is eligible to buy a weapon, using a system that officials say is the first of its kind in the nation.

What? Don't tell me they're actually going to make it easier for law-abiding citizens to purchase firearms in Massachusetts!

Under the new system, local police will still be the licensing authority, but fingerprints and photographs will be taken electronically and stored in the statewide system. The license will be produced by the state's Criminal History Systems Board and fit into a wallet, much like a driver's license.

[snip]

The new electronic system is in addition to a federal instant check that is conducted by telephone before a weapon sale is completed.

Yeah, didn't think so.

"It represents a real quantum leap in public-safety information-technology applications," said Public Safety Secretary Ed Flynn, who planned to unveil the new system Wednesday at the Four Seasons Firearms shop in Woburn.

Ah yes, "public-safety". It's FOR THE CHILDREN, don't you know?

"This enables us to make sure that the only people bearing arms in the commonwealth have the right to bear arms," he said.

Wow, this guy doesn't read the local news much. I think I'll send him a link to my blog.

"You hit the button. Before the customer leaves the store, the state knows they purchased that firearm," said Carl Ingrao, owner of Four Seasons Firearms in Woburn.

And now, thanks to four eyewitnesses the police rescued Monday Night from the freezer at the Ironside Bar in Charlestown, the state knows that one individual, with a penchant for armed robbery, recently purchased a sawed-off shotgun. I wonder how long he had to wait for his instant background check to go through.

Note: I understand the intent of this system - to prevent newly-disqualified, yet previously-licensed individuals from purchasing firearms before the legal paper trail can catch up with them. But, with this system in place, is licensing still necessary? Hint - the answer is "NO".

How many Big Dig leaks can you plug for $7 million?