Massachusetts

Yes, it's time to evacuate.  Read Chris Bryne for the details, but the short version is, there's legislation that's been introduced that would require complete firearms registration, compulsory liability insurance for firearms, a 9-member board to individually review all applications for a handgun license, and all handguns that are not "smart guns" or that come with an integral lock are banned.

Pointing to the rising number of shootings in Boston, Mayor Thomas M. Menino is calling for a "handgun summit" in New England and raised the possibility of random police searches of cars crossing into the state to intercept illegal weapons.

This is absolutely bizarre.  Do these politicians just not realize the restrictions that the Constitution places on their actions?

... by banning .50 rifles and ammunition, confiscating them from their citizens immediately (which prevents the citizens from selling them to someone who could legally own them).  For some reason they are also banning "cop killer" handguns, whatever those are.  

Thanks to Techno Gypsy for spotting it.  If you're in Massachussetts, you might want to contact your legislature.  It probably won't stop them, but it's worth a try.

Gun Control and the Second Amendment a debate featuring

• Alan Dershowitz, HLS
• Eugene Volokh, UCLA School of Law
• Dennis Henigan, Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence
• Elena Kagan, HLS (moderator)

A specially trained state police unit will begin patrolling Logan International Airport with submachine guns next month, making the airport the first in the country to use such heavy weaponry. The Massachusetts Port Authority, which oversees Logan, has purchased 30 of the guns for $2,500 each. The MP-5's have 30-round clips and a two-round burst capacity, which allows two shots to be fired automatically with one push of the trigger. Massport Chief Executive Officer Craig Coy said the new weaponry, which will be deployed in June, will act as a deterrent to terrorism.

And, of course, normal citizens can't even buy weapons that LOOK LIKE these expensive toys. Remember: law enforcement officers are a special class with special rights.

State police at Logan Airport added some heavy firepower to their arsenal today. A specially-trained unit will begin carrying submachine guns, making Logan the first airport in the country to deploy automatic weapons. Such heavy weaponry is not at all unusual in other airports around the world. Massport purchased 30 of the guns for 25-hundred dollars each. It's part of an overall strategy to prevent terrorism at Logan, where two planes were hijacked on September 11th and flown into the twin towers of the World Trade Center.

This is in Massachusetts -- you know, the state with lots and lots of gun control?

The cost of being a law-abiding gun owner has just gone up. Tacked onto the state's final fiscal 2004 budget was a 300 percent hike in the cost of obtaining a firearms identification card: It will now cost $100, no longer $25. The same fee hike applies to licenses to carry firearms.

Without debate, the House voted Wednesday to extend the state's ban on the sale or import of military style semi-automatic weapons.

Supporters have said the bill is needed to guarantee the state prohibition will remain in effect even if Congress fails to renew a similar federal ban set to expire in September. Under current law, the state ban is tied to the federal ban and would automatically expire if Congress did not renew it.

What part of "shall not be infringed" don't they understand?