Mass. Gun Rules Affects Businesses
By TRUDY TYNAN, Associated Press Writer
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) -- Vincent DelValle has guns -- lots of guns. But like other gun dealers in Massachusetts, he just can't sell all of them.
DelValle, manager of Strictly Defense in West Springfield, has been forced to alter his business in the two weeks since the nation's toughest handgun safety regulations took effect.
''It's killing the small dealers,'' said DelValle. ''We are stuck with thousands of dollars in guns we can't sell.''
The only new handguns that can be sold here under the consumer protection regulations announced April 3 are some models made by Springfield-based Smith & Wesson.
That means even the high-end models of Glocks and SIG-Sauers used by Massachusetts' police would not pass muster if they were being sold to the general public.
The new rules ban cheap handguns and require childproof locks on any handgun sold in the state. They also require safety warnings with each handgun, tamper-resistant serial numbers and indicators on semiautomatic handguns that tell if a bullet is in the chamber.
Used handguns, police weapons and models made before September 1998 are exempt from the regulations that went into effect after manufacturers, including Smith & Wesson, lost a two-year court fight to stop them.
Attorney General Thomas Reilly realizes many gun manufacturers don't meet the regulations -- yet.
''It is our hope that all companies will comply,'' said Ann Donlan, a spokeswoman for Reilly. ''But there is no going back as far as we are concerned.''
Some major gunmakers say they've been sidelined by such things as how many serial numbers are now required on the weapon and
the minimum force needed to pull the trigger.
''It's in the details,'' said Gary Mehalik, marketing manager for Miami-based Taurus, which has been selling pistols equipped with an internal trigger lock since 1997. ''We are able to comply in most regards.''
But Taurus, and Glock -- which makes the guns that Boston police carry -- and SIG-Sauer -- which arms the state police -- have all run afoul of a requirement that it take at least 10 pounds of force to pull the trigger.
Some of Smith & Wesson's lighter guns, including its popular Sigma line, also fail to meet the 10-pound pull test that is aimed at helping to prevent a child from firing the weapon.
In part because more women are buying guns, most guns are now sold with a trigger pull of 4 to 6 pounds, with target pistols having pulls as light as 2 pounds.
Jeff Reh, a spokesman for Beretta USA, based in Accokeek, Md., said Beretta had been trying to comply with the requirements.
''Unfortunately, everyone is styling themselves as experts in gun design and we are on the brink of ending up with a confused mix of state, local and federal laws,'' he said.
Richard Callaghan, of Callaghan's Firearms in Marlboro, is one of several gun dealers who have pulled all their new handguns off the shelves in response to the new regulations.
There may be some room for interpretation of the new regulations, but Callaghan is taking no chances. ''I am not going to jeopardize
my business and life savings for a fast buck,'' he said.
[End of story]
They're winning by making it impossible to run a gun business in the state. "There's no going back."
By TRUDY TYNAN, Associated Press Writer
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) -- Vincent DelValle has guns -- lots of guns. But like other gun dealers in Massachusetts, he just can't sell all of them.
DelValle, manager of Strictly Defense in West Springfield, has been forced to alter his business in the two weeks since the nation's toughest handgun safety regulations took effect.
''It's killing the small dealers,'' said DelValle. ''We are stuck with thousands of dollars in guns we can't sell.''
The only new handguns that can be sold here under the consumer protection regulations announced April 3 are some models made by Springfield-based Smith & Wesson.
That means even the high-end models of Glocks and SIG-Sauers used by Massachusetts' police would not pass muster if they were being sold to the general public.
The new rules ban cheap handguns and require childproof locks on any handgun sold in the state. They also require safety warnings with each handgun, tamper-resistant serial numbers and indicators on semiautomatic handguns that tell if a bullet is in the chamber.
Used handguns, police weapons and models made before September 1998 are exempt from the regulations that went into effect after manufacturers, including Smith & Wesson, lost a two-year court fight to stop them.
Attorney General Thomas Reilly realizes many gun manufacturers don't meet the regulations -- yet.
''It is our hope that all companies will comply,'' said Ann Donlan, a spokeswoman for Reilly. ''But there is no going back as far as we are concerned.''
Some major gunmakers say they've been sidelined by such things as how many serial numbers are now required on the weapon and
the minimum force needed to pull the trigger.
''It's in the details,'' said Gary Mehalik, marketing manager for Miami-based Taurus, which has been selling pistols equipped with an internal trigger lock since 1997. ''We are able to comply in most regards.''
But Taurus, and Glock -- which makes the guns that Boston police carry -- and SIG-Sauer -- which arms the state police -- have all run afoul of a requirement that it take at least 10 pounds of force to pull the trigger.
Some of Smith & Wesson's lighter guns, including its popular Sigma line, also fail to meet the 10-pound pull test that is aimed at helping to prevent a child from firing the weapon.
In part because more women are buying guns, most guns are now sold with a trigger pull of 4 to 6 pounds, with target pistols having pulls as light as 2 pounds.
Jeff Reh, a spokesman for Beretta USA, based in Accokeek, Md., said Beretta had been trying to comply with the requirements.
''Unfortunately, everyone is styling themselves as experts in gun design and we are on the brink of ending up with a confused mix of state, local and federal laws,'' he said.
Richard Callaghan, of Callaghan's Firearms in Marlboro, is one of several gun dealers who have pulled all their new handguns off the shelves in response to the new regulations.
There may be some room for interpretation of the new regulations, but Callaghan is taking no chances. ''I am not going to jeopardize
my business and life savings for a fast buck,'' he said.
[End of story]
They're winning by making it impossible to run a gun business in the state. "There's no going back."