August 23, 2023
Representative John Barrett Ill
24 Beach Street, Room 185
Boston, MA 02133
[email protected]
Dear Representative Barrett,
We urge you to oppose HD.4420. As representatives of our community, we feel it is an unjust
persecution of our mutual constituents.
The Town of Cheshire is proud of its abundance of outdoor recreational opportunities. People come
from all around to enjoy our scenic hiking trails, fish in our beautiful lake, and hunt in our woodlands.
Many of our residents are sportsmen and women who are involved in the shooting sports. Through a
culture that has developed here, generations have been taught to safely handle and respect firearms.
Many parts of HD.4420 would create hurdles that would impede our ability to educate our youth on
both firearms safety and outdoor conservation. The bill would do this by prohibiting their possession of most of the target and hunting firearms in common use, even when used under adult supervision.
Teaching proper safety techniques is essential in developing responsible gun handlers.
Many of the new proposals target lawful gun owners and will do nothing to deter criminals. We believe that many of the proposed "Red Flag" sections of the bill will lead to unlawful search and seizure scenarios. "Red flag" laws place our police officers in harm's way unnecessarily on potentially
unfounded accusations, which assume that a person is guilty until proven innocent. Our police officers do not have the necessary resources to enforce any of the new serialization proposals, nor is it realistic or feasible for every component of an existing firearm to receive a serial number.
As Town Officials, we feel that this bill, if passed, will most certainly end up being appealed to higher
courts as it appears to violate the Constitution of the United States of America and infringes on our
Second Amendment rights. Legal battles of this magnitude will require the state to expend valuable
resources which we feel could be better used at the municipal level to improve infrastructure and other critical needs.
The proposals outlined in HD.4420 are geared toward prohibition and not public safety. We ask that
you push for the complete disposal of this bill as it cannot be corrected. We also urge the
Commonwealth to explore ways to improve mental health treatment and increase punishments for
crimes which will help keep criminals off the streets and protect the safety of law-abiding citizens. The Town of Cheshire is full of peaceful, law-abiding residents and on their behalf, we ask that you reject HD.4420.
Sincerely,
Cheshire Board of Selectmen
Cheshire Police Department
Shawn McGrath - Board of Selectmen Chair; Jason Levesque, Board of Selectmen Vice Chair; Ray Killeen, Board of Selectmen Member; Ron DeAngelis, Board of Selectmen Member; Michelle Francesconi, Board of Selectmen Member
Michael J. Alibozek- Chief of Police
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