Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey enacted new gun laws effective Wednesday. The law not only cracks down on unmanufactured “ghost guns” and accessories such as bump stocks and trigger cranks, but also requires applicants to demonstrate basic safety principles and complete live-fire training before firing. It is mandatory to do so. Obtained a gun license.
The state Legislature approved gun reform legislation in July and is scheduled to go into effect later this month, coming as the deep blue state already has some of the strictest gun laws in the nation.
The Associated Press reported that gun rights advocates are working to gather enough signatures to suspend the law before it goes into effect.
But instead of waiting for the law to go into effect Oct. 23, 90 days after the governor signs it, Mr. Healey blocked a moratorium on the law sought by gun control advocates and made it take effect immediately. I have decided that. .
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A ghost gun is on display. (Luis C. Ribeiro Archive/New York Daily News Archive via Getty Images)
“This gun safety law bans ghost guns, strengthens extreme risk protection order laws that keep guns out of the hands of people who pose a danger to themselves or others, and strengthens violence prevention programs,” Healey said in a statement. It's an investment.” “It is important that these measures come into force without delay.”
The new law expands the state's “red flag” law, which alerts a court if police, health care, or school officials determine that someone with access to a gun poses a threat and should temporarily confiscate the firearm. admitted that.
Gun rights advocates called the law a “historic assault on civil rights,” adding that it imposes unnecessary barriers on law-abiding citizens who want to own guns.
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Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey speaks at the state Capitol. (Stuart Cahill/Media News Group/Boston Herald)
Gun rights advocates are also calling for the law to be suspended and a referendum held in 2026 to give voters a chance to repeal it.
To stop the law from taking effect, gun rights advocates needed to collect at least 49,716 signatures from registered voters.
The law was enacted in part as a response to a 2022 Bruen Supreme Court ruling that declared citizens have the right to carry firearms in public for self-defense.
Gun rights advocates have also filed a federal lawsuit alleging that the Massachusetts law is unconstitutional, calling it a “total ban on weapons, restrictions on ammunition, registration requirements, and licenses that are as burdensome as they are ahistorical.” “Onerous firearms laws that impose prerequisites.”
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A ghost gun is on display at the police station. (AP Photo/Haven Daily, File)
The lawsuit asks the court to issue a preliminary injunction to prevent the state from implementing a “burdensome permit system for the possession and carrying of firearms for self-defense.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the Gun Owners Action League of Massachusetts regarding implementation of Healey's gun reform law.
Healey's action Wednesday would make it illegal for anyone not in law enforcement to possess a gun in schools, polling places or government buildings.
The law also requires those applying for a firearms license to demonstrate a basic understanding of safety principles and to provide relevant mental health information to local licensing authorities. .
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District attorneys can also prosecute people who shoot at or near homes and prevent people who are subject to restraining orders from ever obtaining guns.
Additionally, the new law expands the definition of “assault weapon” to include known assault weapons and other weapons that function similarly. It also prohibits the possession, transfer, or sale of assault-style firearms or large-capacity feeding devices.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
