This weekend, firearms advocates waved Revolutionary-era flags, harkened back to historic battlefields, and quoted founding fathers as they decried legislation filed last week by Governor Deval Patrick that would place limits on certain firearms transactions and high-capacity cartridges.
“The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed!” expressed Yang Li, 42, an engineer from Canton who was the first speaker at the rally, which drew up to almost a thousand people. The rally was conceived through social media that spawned similar noontime rallies in other cities across the country, according to organizers.
The Guns across America rally was a social media movement in response to the rash laws going in to place around the nation in response to the recent Sandy Hook massacre. The two hour demonstration was peaceful, and the crowd was composed of newly licensed to longtime gun owners, as well as hunters, hobbyists, instructors, and gun club officials.
The rally occurred in tandem with the NRA's Gun Appreciation Day which was also Saturday. Though both movements were not interrelated, the message was clear. The Second Amendments purpose and meaning are important, and people are willing to stand up to protect their rights.
Patrick filed his “Act to Strengthen and Enhance Firearms Laws in the Commonwealth” on Wednesday. While it doesn’t ban any weapon, gun rights advocates say a key provision on loading capacity would “effectively” ban semiautomatic firearms.
The law will referred to a legislative committee and a public hearing will be scheduled.
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