MAGPRO INC Firearm Safety Training

Beyond Massachusetts - States That Recognize Your License-To-Carry

First, let’s clearly describe the difference between recognition and reciprocity as it pertains to firearm license acceptance between states.

Recognition – example: Utah honors Massachusetts’ LTC holder’s carry privileges because the Massachusetts license requirements are similar or even more stringent than Utah’s requirements. Unfortunately, Massachusetts chooses NOT to honor Utah’s license holders. This is a one-way street that Utah was so gracious to pave for Massachusetts license holders. As you can extrapolate, we are in a precarious position that can change if ever Utah decides that this one-way relationship is no longer desirable.  A changing total of 18 states presently recognize your Massachusetts LTC.

Reciprocity – when two states enter into a written agreement to honor the other’s firearm carry license in the same manner as states honor the driver license of an out of state visitor.

MASSACHUSETTS License To Carry

• States that recognize the Massachusetts LTC - Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont
• States that have reciprocity with Massachusetts – NONE
• States that Massachusetts recognizes – NONE

UTAH Non-Resident Concealed Firearm Permit

• State that recognizes the Utah CFP – Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Vermont, Wisconsin, Wyoming
• States that have reciprocity with Utah - Alabama, Alaska, Colorado*, Florida*, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Hampshire *, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, Washington State, West Virginia

* Utah resident CFP only. 

This is my favorite interactive state-to-state reciprocity/recognition map - http://www.handgunlaw.us/LicMaps/ccwmap.php

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Project ChildSafe - A Leader In Promoting Firearm Safety

Project ChildSafe has distributed millions of firearm safety kits across the U.S. as a tool to promote safe firearm storage and child-proofing firearms in the home. 

Learn more about Project Childsafe at www.projectchildsafe.org

MAGPRO Inc is a proud sponsor of this important effort to educate the public about firearm safety, responsible gun ownership and teaching others. 

www.magproinc.com

 

Illegal Gun Possession - MA Law Says Minimum 18 Months Jail

We need enforcement to evaluate the effectiveness of existing gun laws before adding new laws.

MGL Chapter 269 Section 10(6) ....shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for not less than two and one-half years nor more than five years, or for not less than 18 months nor more than two and one-half years in a jail or house of correction. The sentence imposed on such person shall not be reduced to less than 18 months, nor suspended, nor shall any person convicted under this subsection be eligible for probation, parole, work release, or furlough or receive any deduction from his sentence for good conduct until he shall have served 18 months of such sentence; provided, however, that the commissioner of correction may on the recommendation of the warden, superintendent, or other person in charge of a correctional institution, grant to an offender committed under this subsection a temporary release in the custody of an officer of such institution for the following purposes only: to attend the funeral of a relative; to visit a critically ill relative; or to obtain emergency medical or psychiatric service unavailable at said institution. Prosecutions commenced under this subsection shall neither be continued without a finding nor placed on file.

New gun laws is not the answer to illegal gun possession and illegal guns used in crimes. Law makers at all levels know this. Notwithstanding, whenever illegal gun incidents are highlighted in the public arena, the proposal for stiffer gun laws is presented as the answer. 

WHY? Rhetorical question, of course. Enforce Existing Gun Laws.

www.magproinc.com 

Employee Fatally Shoots Co-Worker While Unsafely Handling Firearm Discovered In Donated Clothing

AL, MAGPRO INC's exclusive columnist, addresses a recent Fox News Report.  AL, short for Auto-Loader, is a semi-automatic pistol, a very well established expert who has agreed to represent his constituents, which includes revolvers, rifles and shotguns.

Fox News headline(s) 03/07/2014:

• Chicago Thrift Store Worker Killed By Gun In Donated Clothing (original headline)
• Woman Killed After Gun Hidden In Donated Clothes Goes Off (undated headline)

AL corrects the headline:

• Employee Fatally Shoots Co-Worker While Unsafely Handling Firearm Discovered In Donated Clothing

“In order to have any chance of winning a debate or accomplishing anything productive, you need to be arguing with someone who is basically reasonable.”

Entertainment Journalism is by its very foundation NOT intended to be reasonable, responsible, investigatory or even accurate in its content. By mission, Entertainment Journalism, i.e. Fox News in this case, is committed to one central outcome and that is growing and maintaining the audience they have profiled. What is the general profile you ask? Those headline readers who are drawn into a story that sounds ridiculous, unbelievable, inconceivable and sensational.  You know… that insatiable intoxicating effect of shock & awe.

So, here is a bit of what seems to be factually known about the Chicago Thrift Store incident:
54-year-old Carmen Dominguez was shot in the chest by her co-worker who emptied a 22 caliber handgun into his hand that he found in a sock.  

For more entertainment read the Fox stories for yourself.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/03/07/chicago-thrift-store-worker-killed-by-gun-hidden-in-donated-clothing/
http://www.myfoxchicago.com/story/24916633/woman-killed-after-gun-hidden-in-donated-clothing-goes-off

Fox News preferred this wording:
 “…co-worker shook a sock containing the .22 caliber handgun, causing the weapon to fall out and fire, hitting Dominguez in the chest.”
“…the .22 caliber handgun went off, police said. The witness told police he found a sock with something inside, and emptied it into his hand.”

Imagine what you’re being asked to believe?
1) A handgun with a standard trigger guard protecting the trigger, that requires the trigger to be pressed completely to the rear in order to fire a round, fell out of a sock; hit a surface causing another item to fully engage the trigger resulting in the gun firing at the precise moment that the muzzle was pointed at the woman’s chest. The handgun fell out and fired…?
2) A loaded handgun was stored in a sock, for God knows how long, and then the handgun went off after being emptied into a person’s hand. Really? No careless and unsafe assumption that the gun discovered was unloaded? No finger in the trigger guard? No trigger press? No muzzle pointed in an unsafe direction (woman’s chest)? The handgun went off…?

So, other than Entertainment Journalism at its best or worse depending how you want to frame the debate, I believe there’s another audience that is simply seeking old-fashioned facts. You can draw your own educated conclusions when provided with responsible journalistic reports.

When the facts change, I change my mind. How about you? Ask AL…

#myfoxnews #magproinc #firearmsafety

www.magproinc.com

Self-Inflicted Gunshots: Solution-less Entertainment Journalism

The Huffington Post headline 02/25/14:
Man Accidentally Kills Self With Gun During Demonstration On Gun Safety

MAGPRO Inc. corrects the headline:
Intoxicated Man Suspected of Committing Suicide With a Firearm

This entire Huffington Post article was framed to appear like a gun safety demonstrations gone deadly wrong. The Huffington Post cited two other similar incidents with the intent of corroborating their premise that it’s not unusual for a “Gun Safety Demonstration (Training, my word)” to result in a deadly outcome. What is the underpinning premise? Guns Are Killers, Guns Are The Problem. To further sensationalize this very popular and deceptive premise, and despite available information, the Huffington Post writer words the article title in the typical shock and awe fashion of entertainment journalism “Man Accidentally Kills Self With Gun During Demonstration On Gun Safety.”

The real problems are clear to anyone who would take the time to research beyond the headline and strip away the entertainment factor that many journalists strive to feed their audience. To their credit, the Huffington Post did include some links to their resource material. Also, the Huffington Post does not stand alone in this type of misleading and entertainment driven journalism. But, how many people would actually click through links and take the time to get the whole story? Better yet, what percentage of the general public does their own independent research and sort through a comprehensive assortment of related data to reach a hypothesis on gun safety or any other topic? You know the answer, I know the answer and the Huffington Post knows the answer.

Here are a few quotes from the actual data that the Huffington Post chose not to include in their cheat-sheet article to you:

“The Oakland County Medical Examiner has ruled his death a suicide.”

Undersheriff Michael McCabe said: “(The situation) is pretty unique, as I have never heard of anyone testing out the safety of a gun by pointing at their head and pulling the trigger.”

“Alcohol appears to have been a factor in the shooting, according to the sheriff’s office.”

“The medical examiner said they do not know the victim’s blood-alcohol level at this time.”

A few more excluded quotes from the other two incidents that the Huffington Post referenced:

“Authorities said major concerns were raised shortly after the victim was removed from the scene because granular substances resembling heroin or methamphetamine, or even bath salts, were located about the room. Police said other items, which resembled those for the production of methamphetamine, were also present.”

“Hanson went on to say that several other guns, drug paraphernalia, pills and a small amount of marijuana, which all were confined to the bedroom where the incident occurred, were seized.”

Balanced and responsible journalism should include the role that alcohol, drugs and crime play in gun deaths and injuries. Also helpful would be a referral to resources that address substance abuse use to cope with life stress and depression. Three men, ages 18, 22 and 36 all shot themselves in the head. No gun safety trainer would ever conduct themselves in such manner. There are very clear rules of firearm safety that all instructors and their students adhere to. The devastation that these incidents had on children, family and friends is incalculably immense. I could not find the Huffington Post recommended solutions. Drugs, alcohol and guns don’t mix. Persons without the proper safety training and knowledge should not handle firearms. Let’s work together to ensure that others receive the training they need to handle firearms in a safe, responsible and respectful manner. When the fundamental gun safety rules are followed there are NO accidents. Finally, gun safety training is an academic and experiential discipline. Stop labeling anyone who shows someone a gun as a gun safety demonstrator or trainer. I take Advil from time to time, but I’m not a doctor or nurse practitioner. If we work together to address the real problems more lives can be saved.

If Only Guns Could Talk - What Would They say?

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CAN I LAWFULLY USE FORCE TO DEFEND PERSONAL PROPERTY?

Can I lawfully use force to defend personal property?

 (Answer to your question)

 Excerpt - Commonwealth of Massachusetts 2009 Edition: Self-Defense, Instruction 9,260

 Defense of Property

A person may use reasonable force, but not deadly force, to defend his lawful property against someone who has no right to it.

A person may also use reasonable force, but not deadly force, to regain lawful possession of his property where his (her) possession has been momentarily interrupted by someone with no right to the property.

Finally, a person may also use reasonable force, but not deadly force, to remove a trespasser from his property after the trespasser has been requested to leave and has refused to do so.

DEADLY FORCE
Deadly force is force that is (intended or likely to cause death or great bodily harm) (or) (applied using a dangerous weapon likely to cause death or serious injury). It is the level of force used, not to the degree of injury caused, if any, that determines whether it is deadly force.

**********************************************************

You can imagine how unpredictably explosive an encounter can escalate to when you’re being violated by a criminal who is in the act of forcibly taking your personal property.

The law clearly implies that you remain level headed and only employ reasonable force to regain possession of your property during an active crime. It’s only property. If you believe defending your property could likely result in injury to yourself or a third party, let it go. Get a good look at the criminal (e.g. clothing, facial features, race, gender, etc.) and report the crime to the police. Presenting a firearm is an act of deadly force, even if it’s not loaded or never discharged. Under certain conditions it could be classified as Aggravated Assault. Therefore, presenting a firearm under the circumstances aforementioned is unlawful.

You may only use deadly force if you reasonably believe that you or a third party is in jeopardy of serious bodily injury or death. Because we’re discussing incidents that occur outside of your dwelling, you must exhaust options to safely retreat from that threat prior to the use of deadly force.

Stay Safe

 www.magproinc.com #firearmsafety

IF ONLY GUNS COULD TALK – WHAT WOULD THEY SAY?

Here’s an exclusive interview that MAGPRO INC had with an Auto-Loader, AL for short. AL is a semi-automatic pistol, a very well established expert who has agreed to represent his constituents, which includes revolvers, rifles and shotguns.  

MAGPRO: Why is your kind always accused of killing innocent people?

AL: The media has a relentless obsession with portraying the gun (weapon) used in crimes as the problem, rather than the criminal element. This perspective is myopic, sometimes ignorant, and often intentionally misleading to the general public to garner shock and awe. Unfortunately, it’s a legitimate business to opportunistically capitalize on a victim’s tragedy.  

MAGPRO: You have to admit, gun laws has its usefulness, right?

AL: Yes. I do believe that federal, state and local regulatory officials should maintain systems that prohibits and enforces penalties for the unlawful purchase of guns. However, all too often we hear about a criminal who shoots someone, and then lawmakers repeatedly propose the solution of adding gun regulations that do absolutely nothing to prevent or mitigate a reoccurrence of the crime. The BATFE found that the Clinton 10-year federal assault weapon ban (1994-2004) failed to reduce gun crimes in the U.S. Why? Criminals don’t comply with laws. Law abiding citizens are not the group committing the crimes. The FBI knows that so-called assault weapons are used in only 1% of violent crimes. Notwithstanding, creating new gun laws remain a popular and pervasively accepted, though utterly ineffective, approach to deterring gun related crime.

MAGPRO: Speaking of law abiding citizens who choose to be gun owners – why don’t we hear more about this group and their gun use?

AL: 46 states in the U.S, have adopted what is commonly known as the Castle Doctrine. 22 states have Stand Your Ground laws. FBI research found that there are 1-2.1 million protective uses of firearms by lawful gun owners each year who are threatened with serious bodily injury or death during a felony attack (National Self-Defense Survey, National Crime Victimization Survey). 1 in 4 households have a firearm for home defense. Only 1% of criminals are killed during the lawful protective use of a firearm. Only 1% of criminals are injured during the lawful protective use of a firearm. A department of justice-sponsored survey found that 40% of felons chose not to commit a crime when they believed the potential victim might be armed. Armed women prevented 40% of all sexual assaults (Harvard School of Public Health 1990, Hemenway).

MAGPRO: You are a wealth of information AL. What you have to share could influence lawmakers and the general public to zero in on the real threats to public safety. Namely, criminals who use guns, knives or blunt objects in the course of a criminal act. Also, the alarmingly high recidivism rate of violent criminals. And the shocking number of convicted felons that never go to prison or are granted significantly reduced time. AL, I encourage you to get your message out to as many people as you can and we will help.

AL: Unfortunately, guns can’t talk.

 

MAGPRO: Right! If only guns can talk…

Visit www.magproinc.com

1000s of SHOTS FIRED For Safety & Education

Charles Hollins, MAGPRO INC, was invited to answer questions about Massachusetts and Federal gun laws for a group of over 50 members gathered at the Ames Rifle & Pistol Club last night. What began as a 10-minute Q&A quickly extended into an hour of discussion. The dialog included addressing firearm transportation; licensing authority restrictions; self-defense inside and outside of the home; law enforcement traffic stops; concealed and open carry regulations; an unlicensed partner or spouse who uses the home protection gun to defend against a home invasion; and much, much, more... All of the adults, youth, families and seniors present all possessed shared values for promoting safe, knowledgeable, responsible and lawful gun ownership. There are tens of 1000s of SHOTS FIRED every week at rifle and pistol clubs across the Commonwealth. This is actually an intentional and grossly understated guestimate. We have thousands of shots fired weekly at our club. These shots fired will not get reported because they lack the sensationalism, horror and negative allure that the general public has become accustomed to being saturated with through our conventional media outlets. That being said, the shots fired in this post are fired by 1) well supervised youth learning marksmanship and target shooting skills from a parent or an older sibling 2) women, the fastest growing demographic of shooters, who have added gun ownership to their self-defense and sporting tool kit 3) families who enjoy a full day at the range before dinner 4) juniors who are on rifle teams and compete all over Massachusetts 5) seniors who never gave up their passion for skeet shooting and clays or long distance target shooting 6) the 1 out of 4 households that have taken on the responsibility of keeping a firearm for home protection - many practice often for safety and proficiency 7) retired military and law enforcement who value the techniques and skills they learned as sworn personnel 8) aspiring individuals who plan to pursue a career as sworn personnel and desire to get in early on the firearm related portion of their course of training 9) young and older shooters who enjoy the heritage of hunting and the list can go on.  MAGPRO's training and education services and clubs like Ames Rifle & Pistol Club are just a few examples of how the under-reported community of lawful gun owners work together to promote safety, education, respect for the law, victim prevention and enjoyable leisure time sporting activities in the firearm industry. Visit www.magproinc.com

February 8th Basic Firearm Safety Class LTC016 Live-Fire Course. Proud graduates display their certification.

Worcester Chief Threatens Future of Firearms Training

Source: http://massgunlawreform.com/worcester.html

A recent series of articles about the legal troubles of a shooting range in Worcester has raised questions for gun clubs. In newspaper articles, the Worcester Chief of Police was quoted as stating that it was illegal for the range to allow people to shoot that did not have either a License to Carry or Firearms Identification Card.

Some clubs have called us, worried that the junior training programs or basic firearms safety courses are operating outside the law.  The Gun Owners Action League [GOAL] wants to reassure our affiliated organizations that there are at least four places in the law that reference individuals without Licenses or Cards lawfully participating in the shooting sports.

First, there are important exemptions for training. Chapter 140, section 129C first states that a License or Card is required for gun possession in Massachusetts, but goes on to create a list of 20 exemptions. Paragraph (k) exempts the training of youth for hunting or target shooting and paragraph (m) is the exemption that allows instructors to run BFS courses, clubs to run Women on Target events, and friends to show friends the fun of the shooting sports. Remember that in this chapter, the word “firearm” means handgun. This exemption is clear.

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