NEWSLETTERS

Stop Conceal Carry Reciprocity!

Congressional House Bill H.R.38, Constitutional Conceal Carry Reciprocity (CCR) is on the move out of committee. Please contact your U.S. House Rep and ask them to VOTE NO on CCR.

• CCR would allow conceal carry in every state without training or background checks.
• CCR would result in higher rates of gun violence.
• CCR would undo Massachusetts conceal carry permitting law.

Contact your House Rep here.

Ghost Gun Regulations Upheld by SCOTUS

In a 7-2 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court justices REVERSED a lower court’s finding that the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had overstepped its authority with the 2022 rule regulating parts and kits used to create ghost guns.

Ghost guns are firearms that lack serial numbers and cannot be traced, allowing them to be easily assembled from components purchased without a background check. The number of ghost guns seized by federal law enforcement has significantly increased in recent years. Locally, the Boston Police Department reported a staggering 280% increase in untraceable ghost guns recovered from crime scenes between 2019 and 2021.

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State Rep. Gaskey (R-Carver) bill to allow persons 18 and older to apply for a Firearm Identification Card and a License to Carry Firearms would essentially repeal an existing Massachusetts law restricting firearm access for under 21.

What does the data say?

Numerous studies and research indicate that the prefrontal cortex, which plays a crucial role in mature decision-making, undergoes significant development until the age of 21. Furthermore, although individuals in the U.S. are legally recognized as adults at 18, their cognitive maturity typically aligns more closely with the age of 21. We anticipate an increase in gun injuries and fatalities if this law is reversed.

SHV strongly opposes HD.4389, an act to repeal the ban on handgun ownership for adults age 18 through 20.

SOUND BITE – If you wanted to make us safe, pass gun reforms, stop cutting medicaid, stop cutting cancer research, stop cutting funds for veterans. That is what will make our city safe.

~Boston Mayor Wu at March 5, 2025 Congressional Testimony

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President Trump issued an Executive Order idirecting the U.S. Attorney General to review all “orders, regulations, guidance, plans, international agreements, and other actions of executive departments and agencies” to pinpoint any “ongoing infringements” of the Second Amendment. He requested a plan to safeguard gun rights.

His Executive Action delivered on a campaign promise to the NRA, the largest gun lobbying organization in the nation. But we have faced this landscape before, and our priority continues to be on gun violence prevention and saving lives.

July 2007 our Mass Pike billboard displayed a fictitious ransom note pointing blame directly at national lawmakers for accepting NRA “blood money” instead of promoting public safety.

Read more about how state and local governments can move forward:

• Biden’s Gun Violence Prevention Office Is Empty. Here’s How Its Work Can Continue Under Trump.
• The Legacy of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention

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The Massachusetts Legislature opened their 194th session last month. As we review gun safety bills to prioritize this current session, we consider Industry Accountability.

Why Firearm Industry Accountability? 

In Massachusetts, the Attorney General’s regulations on handgun sales are part of the state’s consumer protection law, directed at keeping consumers safe from dangerous handguns. These rules mandate that all handguns sold must have specific safety features and child-proofing measures, along with safety warnings.

However, this is different from an Industry Accountability law. Such a law allows individuals, and local governments to take legal action against gun manufacturers and sellers for harm caused by their products beyond safety and child-proofing requirements. Guns are also the only consumer product manufactured in the United States that are not subject to federal health and safety regulation; often referred to as immunity.

Since 2021, several states have successfully passed laws to give victims and the public more power to file civil lawsuits against the firearm industry for unlawful actions. These states include California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Washington. Read more about Industry Accountability here.

Massachusetts bills filed: An Act Relative to Firearm Industry Accountability HD.948 filed by Rep. Moran and SD.1023 filed by Sen. Creem.

NEWSWORTHY January 30, 2025 Reuters:

New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a decades-old government ban on federally licensed firearms dealers selling handguns to adults under the age of 21. The appeals court had previously upheld that same ban in 2012.

Firearms are the number one cause of death for children and teens.

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Massachusetts 2024 new gun safety laws have been in effect since October 2024

Here’s a short summary of key aspects that will help our communities be safe!

Requires the registration and serialization of frames and receivers, plus updates the definition of firearm to include unfinished frames and receivers, aka untraceable ghost guns.

• Ghost guns recovered by federal law enforcement are soaring across the country. Boston Police Department alone saw a 280% rise in untraceable ghost guns it recovered between 2019-2021.

Raises the age at which an individual can own a semi automatic rifle from 18 to 21 years.

• Gun violence disproportionately involve individuals under age 21, both as perpetrators and victims. Laws targeting this age group could reduce crime and firearm violence, including suicide.

Adds medical professionals and school administrators to the list of petitioners who may file an extreme risk protection order (ERPO) against a person who poses a risk to themselves or others.

• Studies that have examined outcomes of those who have been subject to an ERPO petition suggest low rates of firearm suicide after the ERPO subject’s firearms have been removed.

Prohibits the carrying of firearms at polling places and early-voting sites with an exemption for law enforcement.

• Our national climate is increasingly polarized and safeguarding the operation of our basic democratic right, voting, is crucial.