PAX Centurion - March / April 2013

www.bppa.org PAX CENTURION • March/April 2013 • Page 33 Happy Mother’s Day By Mark A. Bruno W ith Mother’s Day approaching I thought it would be nice to acknowledge all of the Mothers out there who touch our lives. For many of us our Mothers are the glue that holds our families together. On holidays and weekends we would visit our parents just so they could see their grandchildren and share some precious moments. Often we take these moments for granted not knowing that someday our mothers will not be with us. Enjoy all the time you can with your parents and let your children be exposed to the wonderful cultures that they bring. Like many kids I grew up in a big family. My Dad had to work many hours so my Mother was the one who would make most of the last minute decisions. My Dad only had to look and shake his head from side to side when I would make an unpopular request. It was my Mother who would speak up on my behalf and curry favor with my Dad. This is what mothers do for their kids by striking a balance between marital bliss and being good parents. Of course that didn’t mean I was exempt from catching the back of her hand either. I also found out that back-talking my Mother was not wise while she was holding a broomstick in her hand. She instantly turned into something out of a Bruce Lee film, like a ninja on a mission. How do you take your lumps Grasshopper, one or two? Mothers also tend to keep the peace among family members. Try- ing never to favor one child more than the other, and standing up for each and every child if the situation called for it, and always encour- aging each child to do their best. The most important thing we are taught by our mothers is to always protect your family and to respect others as you would want to be respected. These are good moral values which need to be instilled in children at a young age. A mother is the first teacher a child has, and it is a bond that is second to none. Often guys joke about the triviality of pregnancy, but none of us men would want to bear the pain. We joke about how easy a stay at home mom has it when in fact their days are longer than ours. House work is no easy job and my hat is off to all the mothers that execute this task. The worst thing I believe a guy can tell his wife, the mother of his children, is; “What did you do all day?” This is the equivalent of inserting one’s foot into one’s mouth and will quickly earn you a night or two on the couch. That delicate precious angel you married can go from zero to, well you know, in a heartbeat. Remember that saying men; “Hell hath no fury like that of a woman scorned.” Flow- ers, dinner and a good shopping spree will help to alleviate this type of mistake. Love truly does hurt. Many female police officers are mothers who must toe the line at both ends. They work full time and must have the kids dressed and ready for school every day. Life can be very stressful for our working mothers, but most manage to per- severe. Motherhood is a labor of love that should always be acknowledged. From all the dads and children to all our special moms, Happy Mother’s Day and may God bless and keep you safe always. Firearms locked containers From Firearms Containers on page 26 fact may be present as to whether or not the firearm was “secured in a locked container.” As stated earlier, the court is going to look at the nature of the internal locking mechanism and whether the vehicle was locked and alarmed. In my view, the decision should not be interpreted as encouraging the storage of a firearm within a locked container in a motor vehicle. I would not be terribly confident in the legality of locking a firearm in the locked trunk of a vehicle although such a possibility is mentioned in the opinion. For one thing, too many vehicles today are SUVs, cross-overs, or have folding rear seats or mechanisms to unlock the trunk from inside the motor vehicle. If the motor vehicle itself does not have a locked container and the trunk is easily accessed through the motor vehicle, I would not be very confident that the trunk of that vehicle would be considered a secured container. Perhaps a gun safe secured within the vehicle might qualify. Oh, and by the way, why did the Internal Affairs people seek to follow this officer and search his vehicle after he attempted to secure his firearm within storage lockers provided for that purpose to employees of the facility and finding that the lockers were full? That must be the story behind the story that is not anywhere in the court’s opinion. Better not to leave a firearm in a motor vehicle unless there is a special and secure safe or other type of locked container therein. Stay safe out there! Hanover, MA A Proud Supporter of the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association Scholarship Program