MA Firearm Safety

A review from an award winning journalist about my book Gun Sense, today.

U.S.A. – -(Ammoland.com)- “A little over a year ago, I was tasked with editing and formatting a book for a firearms instructor I had met through his class,” Second Amendment advocate, writer, and editor John Petrolino told me in an email. He was inquiring about my policy on book reviews.
“The book is on firearm safety, in general with … emphasis on dealing with being a gun owner in Massachusetts,” Petrolino explained. “He has some entertaining op-eds in it as well. The book is extracted from the author’s blog and I’ve spent the past year, really six months with solid focus, working on it.”

You don’t have to be from Massachusetts to get a lot of value from Shean’s book.
He was talking about “Gun Sense – Massachusetts Gun Law Information and Common Sense Firearm Safety,” by firearms instructor Mark Shean Sr.

“I’m always willing to look,” I replied. “My ‘rule’ is simple– I only give good reviews. That because it’s not fair for me to discourage someone else’s labor of love. I won’t endorse something and encourage readers to spend money on it unless it’s something I believe in. So basically, unless I can say something nice, I won’t say anything at all.”

The fact that I’m saying something now means I have no reservations about recommending gun owners buy this book, although after making time to read it I decided I’d need to postpone my review for a bit because AmmoLand had already reviewed it. Go read that one, because it gives a good overview of the types of topics you’ll find, as does perusal of the Amazon page, especially with the “Look Inside” preview and the reader reviews.

Starting out, I had my doubts. I’m not a lawyer and Shean’s not a lawyer. Besides, gun laws, especially those of states I don’t live in, don’t exactly make for light or fun reading if approached by themselves. Also, candidly, the title put me off at first, because “gun sense” is a term that’s been co-opted by the antis, more specifically by Michael Bloomberg’s Everytown, with its vacuous “pledge to be a gun sense voter.”

They also call citizen disarmament edicts “common-sense gun safety laws,” and it suddenly hit me what Shean was doing – he was taking back a term from frauds with an agenda. Those who understand the Founders’ intent for the Second Amendment and who have applied training and discipline to responsibly own and use firearms are the ones who can truly use — and rightfully claim — the term “gun sense”

Genuine common sense comes through loud and clear in Shean’s book, no doubt cultivated from his background, which includes all kinds of practical and useful experiences and skills. It comes across in his writing and I soon realized it felt more like he was talking to me than I was reading his words. It’s a gift to be able to do that.

So how about some more specifics about the actual content?
Again, I’ll point you to the prior AmmoLand review, and browsing through the Amazon preview should give you a “flavor” for what to expect. Several quick-to-read chapters are included there covering subjects like the lethal dangers of “unloaded guns,” educating children, misfires and hang fires, squib loads, “uncontrolled bullets,” ceasing fire, dry-firing, safeties, home safety slugs and defensive loads, and “the aftermath of defending your family/home.”

There’s also a chapter included in the preview “specific to MA” on litigation challenging arbitrary police decisions on gun licensing.” That and discussions of Massachusetts laws and regulations should not put off gun owners who live in other states.

It’s instructive to see what kind of harassment citizen disarmament bullies impose when they can get away with it through Democrat majorities, and you’d better believe similar efforts to gain traction for such infringements are already underway in your state. The plan is for an incrementally disarmed United States, and if you don’t believe that, you haven’t been paying attention, which the gun-grabbers are counting on.

Part of being an effective advocate is being an informed one. “Gun Sense” is a book for every gun owner who understands the critical necessity of that.

About David Codrea:
David Codrea is the winner of multiple journalist awards for investigating/defending the RKBA and a long-time gun owner rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament. He blogs at “The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance,” is a regularly featured contributor to Firearms News, and posts on Twitter: @dcodrea and Facebook.