First, let me express my deepest thanks to everyone who has been in the fight to stop Chapter 135 (H.4885) from happening. You all did the best anyone could have done, especially given that only a small number of gun owners were willing to join your efforts.

Now we find ourselves with no other option than to file for relief, and the restoration of our civil rights, in federal court. There is no hope for any help within the Massachusetts court system, Governor Baker saw to that with his judicial appointments. Regardless of what many thought, we had to wait for it to become law before we could file any action.

Now as we enter the litigation phase, we must all work together.

Because this law is so massive, no court will take it on all at once. The law will have to be broken down in chunks by specific subject matter. This will result in several different cases being filed. The court action GOAL filed in federal court is about licensing and training and is only the first salvo in what is to come.

GOAL has been working for months, behind the scenes, with several organizations around the country to share the workload. Some have already agreed to take a different piece and will be filing their actions soon. We are still working with others in hopes they will agree to take a piece as well.

I am asking anyone who may take other court actions, or even other things like rallies, to coordinate through the GOAL office. It is not because I want to take credit or raise more money I just want to win our freedom back and I don’t care who gets the accolades.

The simple fact is that this effort against Chapter 135 will call for serious management of all types of resources. Because this bill is so huge, there are simply not enough resources that would justify the duplication of tasks.

While I would never pretend to be in position to tell others what they have to do, I am “asking” everyone to filter any efforts through GOAL. That will prevent the waste of resources. If someone, or a group, wants to take something on please let us know. If that piece has already been approached, we can ask you to take another avenue. There is plenty to go around!

Again, thank you to everyone who is in this historic fight. I have no doubt that we will be victorious, but like other historic battles in our great history, it will not happen tomorrow.

TAKE IT BACK