A SIGN OF THE TIMES: STOP GUNSTORES IN NEWTON!

Photo by MarashGirl©2021

NO GUNSHOPS IN NEWTON, PLEASE!

A LETTER TO MAYOR OF NEWTON RUTHANNE FULLER FROM A LONG TIME CITIZEN OF NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS I, born and brought up in the City of Newton, one who attended Newton Public Schools from kindergarten through 12th grade, one who has worked for the City of Newton at Newton High School, a former member of the Newton Parks and Recreation Commission, am writing to you with great concern. Allowing the opening pf a gun shop, albeit next to a marijuana shop (get high and grab your gun?) in Newtonville, less than a mile from Underwood Elementary School, Bigelow Junior High School, and a little over a mile from Newton North High School … such an action on the part of your office Is unconscionable, unacceptable, unwise, and certainly not in the best interest of Newton’s citizenry. Please do all in your power to prevent the possibility of guns being sold in the City of Newton. (Signature withheld to protect the author of the above letter.)

Elizabeth Warren On Reducing Gun Violence

From: Elizabeth Warren Date: May 10, 2021 at 7:39:33 PM EDT Dear "Marash Girl", Thank you for contacting me about guns. I meet mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, grandmothers and grandfathers who have lost children and grandchildren to gun violence - communities of people whose days will forever be marked by loss. I meet them, and I promise we will not forget. The facts are simple: over 100 Americans die every day from gun violence. Five of those people are children or teens. That's five a day, every day - young bodies piling up by the thousands year after year. If five children were dying of a mysterious illness every day, our country would do everything in its power to stop it. We must do the same for the epidemic of gun violence. Massachusetts has some of the toughest laws in the country. But strong gun laws in Massachusetts won't stop someone from going to a gun show in New Hampshire or Maine, states that don't require a permit or license to buy guns, and bringing those guns across the border. Congress must act. Our communities have demanded action to curb gun violence, but the Senate continues to fall short. When faced with the chance to vote for a bipartisan compromise to ensure that universal background checks prevent dangerous people from purchasing guns - something that 90% of Americans support - a minority of U.S. Senators blocked reform in 2013, again in 2015, and again in 2016. I support measures to improve background checks for gun purchases, increase penalties for gun trafficking, limit the size of ammunition magazines, and reauthorize the expired ban on military-style assault weapons. I will continue to speak out and to support efforts to pass a comprehensive set of reforms to reduce gun violence. There is no single solution for ending gun violence, but we must do better. We must honor the memory of those we have lost to gun violence and protect our children and families from these terrible tragedies. I will keep your thoughts in mind as I continue to look for other steps we can take. I believe that it is my responsibility as a United States Senator - and as a mother and grandmother - to reduce gun violence. Sincerely, Elizabeth Warren, United States Senator

Vandalism on Maple Avenue

Photo by MarashGirl©2021 The police left Marash Girl's house on Saturday morning, April 24, after inspecting (and writing a report on) the deliberate damage that had been done to the antique bird bath (see above) that had been sitting on Marash Girl's front lawn (unbroken) for many a year, a bird bath that Marash Boy had grown up with in his back yard in Springfield, Massachusetts . . . Marash Girl first noticed that the bird bath was broken on Saturday morning, the day after she had posted the sign you see below.

Photo by MarashGirl©2021 The bird bath had been in perfect condition on Friday evening. If you, dear reader, have any information on this incident, please email, or call the Newton Police Department directly - 617 796 2100. Let’s keep each other safe! Let’s keep Newton safe!

PLEASE!!! NO GUNS IN NEWTON!!!!

Dear Mayor Fuller: I am not a resident of Newton. I don't even live in Massachusetts. I am the daughter and granddaughter of a Newtonian family that made its home on Lowell Avenue after the Great Depression. Every summer, my parents would fly our whole family to Logan where we were met by my grandparents, Peter and Jennie. We spent whole summers playing in their yard, mixing it up across the street in an open lot, and walking to Bullough's Pond. As a special treat, we'd take the T to Fenway and root for the Red Sox! The house was down the road from Newton High (now Newton North) - go Tigers! I'm writing about these events because my Newtonville-dwelling aunt informed me of a gun shop - one of many, apparently - that is in process of hanging up its shingle. I can't imagine the Newton/Newtonville of my youth with a gun shop in it. And this is why: We walked as kids, unaccompanied down the streets without fear. We passed Newton North all the time, without fear. We walked to the T and entered Fenway without fear. We ran back and forth from the library to check out books and movies without fear. I understand that there are many people who regard gun ownership as a sacred right. I understand the need of some to possess firearms (the ranchers in my community all have rifles, and often use them against pests to their hens and cattle). But I'm wondering what use a gun shop would be in suburban Newton/Newtonville? As I recall, my lovely childhood summers were spent in a town home to families; schools; civic, cultural, and community centers. We now have three living generations among my Newtonian family. I ask that you and your governmental colleagues do your best to protect against the gun violence that is raging throughout our country. Step one in that battle is disarming the perpetrators. No one can shoot without an easily accessible firearm. Please say no to gun violence; say no to gun shops in Newton! Thank you for heeding my letter, Mayor Fuller. Sincerely, Alison Sykes Graeagle, CA

Lest We Forget The Tragic Death By Gunshot Of Newton's John Frankenberger!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_school_shootings_in_the_United_States_(before_2000) On March 31, 1954, in Newton, Massachusetts, Marash Girl's classmate, 14-year-old John Frankenberger, was accidentally killed during English class at Frank Ashley Day Junior High School when a pistol held by his classmate (a fellow who was sitting behind John in a first period class and had been seated behind Marash Girl an hour before during homeroom) -- that pistol was accidentally discharged. Marash Girl declines to mention the name of her classmate who was holding the pistol that went off, terminating the life of her classmate, John Frankenberger!! That shooting during English class ... granted, unintentional, an accident, -- the young man holding the gun "didn't know the gun was loaded!" -- yet the gun resulted in the tragic and immediate termination of life for 14-year-old John Frankenberger.

Stop the Imminent Opening of a Gun Shop in Newtonville, a Village in Newton, Massachusetts!

Do we really want a shop selling weapons -- guns that can shoot real bullets -- guns that can shoot bullets that kill -- Do we want such a shop opening on Washington Street in Newtonville, just a short bike ride from Underwood Elementary School, Bigelow Junior High School, close to F.A.Day Junior High School, and Newton North High School, and a ten minute walk from the border between Newton and Boston. . . or a gun shop located anywhere in Newton, Massachusetts, for that matter! Please call Massachusetts City of Newton Mayor Fuller’s office at (617) ‭‭‭796-1000 or email Mayor Fuller at rfuller@newtonma.gov, ‭‭‭objecting to the imminent opening of gun shop in Newton Corner (or, as stated above, anywhere in Newton, Massachusetts! Julie M. Cohen, Wicked Local, Newton Tab, April 2021, writes the following -- "Yes. A gun shop could open in Newton near the marijuana dispensary on Washington Street in Newton Corner. And very soon. "With a gun shop aiming to open on Washington Street, city councilors and upset residents are taking parallel steps to prevent this from happening. "There are currently no restrictions on where a gun store can be located in Newton, according to the city ordinances. There were firearm shops in the city in the past, including one in West Newton." Please protect our children, our families, our homes, our city! Again . . . Whether or not you live in Newton, have lived in Newton, hope to live in Newton, have friends and family who live in Newton, please call Mayor Fuller’s office at (617) ‭‭‭796-1000 or email Mayor Fuller at rfuller@newtonma.gov ‭‭‭ Don’t delay! It could mean our . . . . (I’m sure you can fill in the blanks!)