ICYMI: Lexington Selectmen Vote Against Supporting Proposed Gun Control Bylaw

This story was updated at 5:58 p.m. Wednesday with comments from Robert Rotberg.

LEXINGTON, MA—Lexington's Board of Selectmen unanimously voted not to support a proposed bylaw that aims to prohibit the sale, manufacturing, ownership or possession of certain weapons in town Tuesday.

After listening to a proposed resolution from town meeting member Robert Rotberg, Lexington selectmen voted, 5-0, against the proposed bylaw, according to Board of Selectmen's Executive Clerk Lynne Pease. The proposal will still go before a town meeting, unless Rotberg decides to postpone or withdraw the proposal.

In an email with Patch, Rotberg said that all options are still on the table, including the original article.

"We are considering what to do," Rotberg wrote."All options open, including the original article."

Selectmen Joseph Pato told Patch that the board took a straw poll regarding a proposed non-binding resolution from Rotberg, but that all selectmen were not in support of the resolution.

According to a January report by Wicked Local Lexington, Rotberg's proposal aims to ban the ownership of semi-automatic or fully automatic weapons able to hold a magazine containing more than 10 rounds.

Pato said that Town Counsel guidance indicated that the bylaw would likely not stand muster with the attorney general, and it would be superseded by state law. While each individual member had different concerns, Pato said that he feels that the place for accomplishing this goal would be on the state level.

"My sense is that if you are looking to accomplish strengthening gun control laws, the proper venue for it is state law."

The Boston Globe later reported that the Board of Selectmen asked Rotberg, the founding director of Harvard Kennedy School's Program on Intrastate Conflict, to submit a non-binding resolution.

Pato said that residents have been passionate about this issue, and he was pleased with the general tone of Tuesday night's discussion.

"We had a lot of residents come forward and speak passionately, but respectfully," Pato said."One of the characteristics of Lexington is that we engage in vigorous debate, but we have a long history of remembering that we are neighbors today and neighbors tomorrow."

The bylaw is currently set to go before a town meeting on April 6.

Check back with Patch for updates.