One State is Considering New Gun Control Legislation

By Beth Baumann

In 2015, more than half of all gun-related deaths in Massachusetts were due to suicide. Because of that, legislators in Massachusetts are now considering a new set of gun control laws aimed at preventing suicides. The proposed bill, H.3801, would keep firearms away from those who are at a greater risk of self-harm. Doctors, police officers and family members would be able to determine how mentally fit the person is, which could remove firearms from his or her home.

Critics of the bill believe it would negatively impact law-abiding gun owners.

“Typically when you start removing constitutional rights, they’re done through felony convictions with evidence, not by third-party allegations with very little evidence. I’d ask you to take a really close look at this legislation, it’s flawed and creates many constitutional implications,” Jim Hohenwarter of the National Rifle Association told legislators in Boston. “Massachusetts already has a number of different mechanisms to remove firearms from individuals in appropriate cases, most through what we would say is a due-process-type system. This bill creates an incredibly different third-party allegation — it requires immediate surrender.”

Jenna Youille, however, believes the bill could be beneficial. Youille lost her mother to a …Read the Rest

Source:: Bearing Arms