April 30th is Election Day

Tuesday, April 30^th is Election Day and the polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.  In Westford, the local elections will be held concurrently with the primary for MA representative to the U.S. Senate. Three candidates are vying for the Republican nomination to the U. S. Senate. They are Gabriel Gomez, Michael Sullivan and Dan Winslow.

The Westford Republican Town Committee will not endorse an individual candidate prior to the primary. That decision is left to the voter. The WRTC encourages everyone to get out and vote on Tuesday, April 30^th.

Since protection of Second Amendment Rights is an important issue to many Westford residents, we take a look at where the candidates stand. A link to each candidate’s website is included for voters to explore other important positions.

Gabriel Gomez         www.GomezforMA.com

As a former U.S. Navy SEAL, I am a strong Second Amendment supporter.

Our freedoms make America the most unique and prosperous country in the world. The President and the Congress must act now to forge consensus and compromise to close the gun show loophole, and to keep weapons out of the hands of those with mental health issues.

We must not, however, take away freedom for law-abiding citizens in the process.

Michael Sullivan         www.mikesullivanforsenate.com

As former Acting Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”), a state legislator, and both a state and federal prosecutor, I’ve spent years protecting our rights under the Second Amendment while at the same time aggressively enforcing our federal and state laws to reduce gun violence. I always have been a strong advocate of the rights of individuals to lawfully own firearms under the Second Amendment. In fact, while some argued that the Second Amendment applied only to members of a militia, I have always believed that it applied to individuals, and I proudly advocated that position on behalf of ATF during the drafting of the U.S. Department of Justice brief in the recently decided Heller case.

Reducing gun violence must continue to be a priority of our government. We can and must reduce gun violence without infringing on our Second Amendment rights. We need to make sure that those who cannot legally possess a firearm do not get one, and if they do, then we must make sure that the consequences are swift and severe. I also believe that new gun bans are not the answer to stopping gun crime and violence – they are ineffective, as the U.S. Department of Justice itself has concluded, and would only prevent law abiding persons from getting and using the firearm. Those persons prohibited from possessing or using firearms will simply be undeterred by a ban. 

We know from experience that keeping firearms out of the hands of prohibited persons (felons), who are frequently repeat and/or violent offenders, has a dramatic impact on gun violence. We also know that most mass murders are committed by people with serious mental illness who often are prohibited from possessing a firearm under federal and state statutes. We need to find new ways to keep persons who are adjudicated mentally ill from acquiring firearms – all the while protecting individuals from unacceptable government intrusion.

As the District Attorney in Plymouth County, I worked with local schools, churches, and law enforcement to identify root causes of violence by juveniles and young adults. Our Safe Neighborhood Initiative efforts proved effective. At the U.S. Attorney’s Office, I led our Project Safe Neighborhoods effort where we worked with local partners to find, prosecute, and jail the violent felons who were committing gun crimes. Prosecuting offenders, increasing penalties for “straw purchasing,” and education along with early intervention with troubled youth by faith communities, local partners, friends, and family, remain the best tools available in our ongoing fight against senseless violence.

Dan Winslow                  www.danwinslow.com

I’m the only candidate in this race who actually owns a gun. For me, Second Amendment rights are personal. In 1990, while serving as a local elected official on the town planning board, my home was bombed and severely damaged while my wife was pregnant with our first child. As a Trial Court Judge, I endured multiple death threats. I will not allow any curtailing of my Second Amendment rights that would deprive me of the means to protect my family. As a U.S. Senator, I will stand as a guardian of this fundamental freedom and will not support an assault weapons ban or magazine limit; however, as a level of basic fairness I would support the requirement that all commercial retail gun sales have a background check.

I also believe that the best way to reduce gun violence in America is not through more gun laws but through improvements to our mental health system. Dr. Keith Ablow and I have proposed a new policy solution to this issue called Tiered Outpatient Protocol (T.O.P.) which will help keep firearms out of the hands of the mentally ill.