Why Barnstable County Sheriff Donna Buckley Supports New Call For Assault Weapons Ban

MASSACHUSETTS — Law enforcement officials from Massachusetts were joined by others across the country in adding their names to a new call for an assault weapons ban.

Barnstable County Sheriff Donna Buckley was one of 11 current or former Massachusetts law enforcement officials to add their signature to a Boston Globe op-ed written by Stop Handgun Violence Founder and President John Rosenthal.

"I refuse to stand idly by while innocent citizens and children are being slaughtered by military assault weapons," Buckley said in a statement to Patch on Thursday.

The column calls for Congress to push for a ban on access to military-grade assault weapons and large-capacity magazines.

"Therefore, we implore Congress to enact a new national ban on all military-style assault weapons and ammunition magazines greater than five rounds. Our nation’s citizens should be provided the same respect and consideration our hunting laws currently provide to protect populations of game animals," the op-ed read.

On Thursday, Buckley told Patch why she signed on to the op-ed, calling these weapons "far beyond what the authors of the U.S. Constitution imagined when they wrote the second amendment."

Her statement is included in full below:

"Like anyone who turns on the news these days, I am horrified by the mass shootings that have become so obscenely common in our country. I am committed to doing whatever it takes to prevent these shootings from continuing to escalate. I refuse to stand idly by while defenseless innocent citizens and children are being slaughtered by military assault weapons. Automatic weapons are far beyond what the authors of the U.S. Constitution imagined when they wrote the second amendment. These weapons and large magazines threaten the lives of law enforcement officers, whose job it is to protect our communities every day. Assault rifles outgun police officers’ own service weapons, leaving all of us at a greater risk. Banning automatic rifles that are designed to be used in times of war, certainly does not violate a person’s right to bear arms. Like many of you, when I walk into a crowded place, I wonder if this will be the next site of a senseless massacre. When I look at my granddaughters, I wonder whether they will be the next victims of a school shooting. These are not normal thoughts. These thoughts should not be part of our lives as Americans. We cannot normalize the unregulated presence of assault weapons in our communities."

There were roughly 350 signatures in total, with non-law enforcement support coming from gun violence survivors, faith leaders, policymakers, labor unions, business leaders, medical professionals and educators.

This includes Massachusetts Congresswoman and Democratic Whip Katherine Clark.

"I signed because weapons of war have no place on the streets of our communities," Clark said. "It is time we choose kids over guns."

Others from the state to sign on include Gov. Maura Healey, Massachusetts Senate President Karen Spilka and Reps. Bill Keating, Seth Moulton and Ayanna Pressley.