GOAL Working to Address Second Amendment Crisis

Nearly a month ago now, we found ourselves immersed in a world that most of us could not have imagined. As soon as this public health crisis was announced, GOAL began to try to work with the Baker Administration to address issues we knew would be coming. The first piece was to request an emergency order to extend all firearm licenses until the crisis was over. That request had the support of the two police chiefs’ associationsbecause it would have freed up their staff during this time. That request was denied even though the state had already done it for a lengthy list of other state issued licenses. Since then, there has been a clear effort on behalf of the Baker Administration to block access to the Second Amendment.

The Administration ignored federal guidelines and demanded that firearm retailers close their shops. Even sending a letter to the local police mandating they see this is done. They also demanded that “shooting ranges” be closed deeming them “non-essential” in conflict with federal guidelines. The most recent roadblock was an order by the State Police to all certified trainers to cease operations. This included virtual training. This prevents potential new gun owners in Massachusetts to even get their process started with mandatory training. One more example of why GOAL vehemently opposes mandatory live fire training for licensing.

As a result of this Covid-2A crisis, GOAL’s phones, email, text, etc. are blowing up with angry 2A community folks looking for answers. We get it, we should all be angry, DAMN ANGRY! Over the last twenty years the state put a complex set of mandates between citizens and their ability to exercise a civil right. Then when things are not going well, they shut off access to those mandates. So, what is GOAL doing about this? The answer is everything we can.

On the legal side, GOAL is currently working with attorneys and the national group to determine the appropriate actions to take. Understandably, many folks are angry and want things to be done yesterday. As frustrating as it is for us too, the legal world simply does not work that way. Effective court action needs to be well thought out and vetted, especially those that involve a civil right. Quick and poorly structured will result in building bad case law against us.

On the local side of things, we constantly are helping anyone we can when they come to us with questions. And we get them all day long. They could be from retailers, clubs, people seeking license renewals, you name it. We will continue to provide all the information we can. As frustrating as it is, there is one thing we cannot do. That is to provide legal advice. GOAL simply cannot put our organization and you at risk by giving people legal advice as to what you should do in a given situation. We can, and always have, provided folks with information about established law, regulations, and even court decisions, but we can’t offer unproven legal opinions.

While we work through the best approaches to the this 2A crisis we greatly appreciate the strong support that you are all demonstrating. GOAL would also like to ask that you keep the information coming on what is happening locally. You are our eyes and ears on the local level. You may not directly hear back from us, but believe us, we are trying to absorb asmuch of it as we can.

Stay strong and Stay safe