Legislators absolutely look at other states to get a feel for what is "trending" public opinion.
A few SC members expressed interest in attending Hartsville, I hope they have the time to do so and hopefully speak to the senate panel. We were way outnumbered in CHS; as reported in Post & Courier, only 7% of speakers were pro 2nd Amendment, or pro gun rights. We need to do better than that. Certainly there are members here that are retired or semi-retired that can get to Hartsville early enough to sign up to speak? I made the effort to switch shifts with a co-worker to do so....so can you!! Need help writing a script? I will help...
@kcult? I think you expressed interest in attending? Can you?
It is an important enough issue for the anti-gunners to show up in force. What do you think the panel will conclude after these four hearings, when we are outnumbered so overwhelmingly?
Massachusetts made "minor" pen-stroke changes to their gun laws three years ago, which I wrote my state senator objecting to the proposed changes. The pen-stroke change gave the AG and director of Public Safety sole authority, with no committee hearing, no vote, to change, ban, or modify the AG's list of banned guns under the 1994 Federal AWB, which Massachusetts adopted as a state ban when the federal ban was lifted. Now, a rogue AG, Maura Healey, has banned essentially all semi-auto rifles in MA. The Massachusetts Gun Owners Action League has a huge uphill battle to try to reverse this ban. The republican governor, Charlie Baker, supported Healey's ban. Do you think a largely Democratic senate will work very hard to reverse this ban with public support for an assault style weapons ban? Not very likely. Can't happen here? Think again folks; the public is swallowing legislators' promise a ban on assault style weapons and limited capacity magazines will make them safer. Why they believe this, I do not know, but they do. The League of Women Voters were in CHS and spoke to the panel about banning hi-cap mags. Surely they will be in Hartsville along with the Brady Bunch, Survivors of Everywhere, and the "end the loophole" gang. Will we be represented?
