Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey Enacts New Gun Control Law Early
BOSTON (State House News Service) — Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey is moving up the start date for a new gun reform law approved in part as retrenchment against federal leeway in gun sales. The law, SB501, aimed at enforcing stronger gun control measures would do so by getting rid of “ghost guns” and accessories such as bump stocks; it also heightens the standards for licensing a gun. The bill also has aroused criticism from gun rights advocates, who have decried the legislation as an infringement upon their civil rights.
What the New Gun Law Does
It makes a mark on what was already one of the strictest sets of gun enforcement laws in Massachusetts. Here are some key ones.
Prohibition of Ghost Guns: This measure restricts unserialized firearms––referred to as ghost guns––that are untraceable.
New Duty to Train Application Recipients Must now Show Basic Safety Principles, Take Live-Fire Course
Red Flag Law: The law expands the state’s existing Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) statute to allow for police officers, health care workers and school employees to petition courts if they believe an individual is a threat and should have their guns taken away on a temporary basis.
Prompt Execution to Prevent Drills
Though the law was set to become effective at the end of October, Gov. Healey signed an emergency preamble and made it immediately part of state law. It effectively shut down a signature-gathering campaign by gun rights advocates seeking to have the law delayed and put on the ballot in 2026.
Healey said, “Time is of the essence with these reforms. This law—which bans ghost guns, makes safety protection orders more effective, and funds community-led violence prevention programs—makes sure that we are looking for additional ways to prevent this type of violence from happening again.
Push-back from the Gun Rights Community
The new law has been bitterly contested by gun rights groups, who have collectively labeled the legislation a “historic attack on civil rights.” Opponents say it erects hurdles to gun ownership by law-abiding citizens. This comes as those groups have sought to put a referendum on the 2026 ballot, allowing voters to overturn the law.
That required gathering 49,716 valid signatures from registered voters. But Healey’s plan to speed up the law has put this on hold for at least part of that time.
Reaction To The 2022 Bruen Supreme Court Decision
In part, the gun reform law was enacted in light of the Supreme Court’s 2022 Bruen decision which upheld that citizens’ rights to carry firearms in public for self-defense did apply. Massachusetts lawmakers think the new legislation achieves the right balance between ensuring public safety and preserving individual rights.
However, firearms rights activists have actually challenged the legislation in a federal case where they declare it is unconstitutional. Weakening a Firearm Preemption Law: They contend the bill “criminalizes lawful purchases that have long been accepted as written in Wisconsin statutes and imposes sweeping arms bans, magazine restrictions, and burdensome licensing requirements.” The lawsuit remains pending in federal court.
Conclusion
The new gun law in Massachusetts is poised to be one of the state’s biggest rounds of gun control yet. Supporters, like Governor Healey, hope it will reduce gun violence and keep communities safe, but some gun rights advocates are fighting what they say infringes on their liberties.
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