Massachusetts Governor Puts Sweeping Gun Control Law Into Immediate Effect

Last updated on October 3rd, 2024 at 09:24 am

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, a Democrat, took action on Oct. 2 that put a sweeping set of gun control measures into immediate effect across her state.

The gun control bill, dubbed H.4885 “An Act Modernizing Firearms Laws,” includes provisions expanding the state’s definition of prohibited “assault weapons,” expanding its extreme risk protective order laws (ERPO) or “Red Flag” laws, and prohibiting using 3D printing and computer numerical control (CNC) milling machines for at home gun-making.

The law also includes provisions banning bump stocks and other devices used to increase the rate of fire of a semi-automatic weapon, and provisions establishing a “real time electronic firearms registration system.”

Healey had signed the omnibus gun control bill into law in July, but portions of the legislation weren’t set to take effect until later this month. Rather than wait, she issued an emergency order, putting the law into effect immediately.

“This gun safety law bans ghost guns, strengthens the Extreme Risk Protection Order statute to keep guns out of the hands of people who are a danger to themselves or others, and invests in violence prevention programs,” Healey said in a Wednesday press statement. “It is important that these measures go into effect without delay.”

The move to put the law into immediate effect short circuits challenges raised by gun rights advocates.

The Gun Owners Action League (GOAL), a Massachusetts-based gun rights group, had argued that much of the details of H.4885 had remained under wraps until shortly before the bill passed in the state legislature.

GOAL had hoped to block the law from going to effect by gathering enough signatures to a referendum vote.

“If enough signatures were gathered, the entire law would have been suspended until a referendum was placed before the voters in November of 2026,” GOAL said in a Wednesday press statement. “Because it was clear that volunteers were well on their way to collect the tens of thousands of signatures necessary, the Governor pulled a very rare maneuver. The radical move was to attach an emergency order to the new law and thus circumventing its suspension, regardless of the will of the people.”

A gun owner in the state, Lisa Robinson, is also challenging a portion of the new gun law in federal court, with help from Commonwealth Second Amendment, another Massachusetts gun rights advocacy group.

Robinson’s lawsuit challenges portions of the bill that overhaul the state’s existing firearms License to Carry (LTC) program. The omnibus gun control bill includes provisions requiring the Colonel of the Massachusetts State Police to create a new training course as a prerequisite for obtaining an LTC. The provision in H.4885 states that “any classes taught after August 1, 2024, that do not adhere to the updated curriculum will not be sufficient for the issuance of an LTC.” The plaintiffs noted the new LTC training guidelines wouldn’t be ready until Oct. 23, 2024 at the earliest, effectively barring residents in the state from being able to purchase and carry handguns in the interim.