11/3/1982 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Fr - N O V 3' 1982 51 Tr,ryIJE'_ J_ presents the potential that the county could be placed in a situation of liability. Dr. C. F. Damerow, commented that in Switzerland, all able bodied males are required to spend some time in the armed forces; they are also required to keep their weapons at their homes, and they have a very low crime rate. Dr. Damerow felt that our Constitution is very clear as to the right.totbear arms, and he did not know what gives someone the right to modify the Constitution. Alec Smith, life member and referee for the National Rifle Association, and ex Police Commissioner of Westland, Massachusetts, spoke of the fact that Massachusetts has a state law where you can get several kinds of weapons licenses - either for hunting, target shooting, or general self defense, etc. He also supported having self defense spelled out in the proposed ordinance and favored the requirement of shooting 30 rounds, noting that as an NRA representative, he felt anyone who has a weapon should be thoroughly trained in its use. Phil Galler concurred with Mr. Smith re spelling out self defense, citing an incident when he was driving home from Orlando in the early morning hours which demonstrated the need to be able to protect yourself. He also believed that a person should not carry a weapon unless he is well qualified to shoot it. Robert MacFarland felt that commendable attention has been given to the range qualification problem, and it now looks satisfactory to him. He then brought up the amount of time it takes to make the investigation, noting that he has no reason to suspect any county or city officials, but he did know that bureaucracy if they feel so inclined, can sit on an application and see that it takes months or even years. He did not see any time limits shown for the County Administrator or staff in conducting their investigation,