Massachusetts House lawmakers passed a bill that is considered to be the “worst anti-gun legislation in the country” by gun rights advocates.
The bill targets “ghost guns,” or unserialized firearms, and requires that gun components be serialized and registered in the state.
It also expands the state’s existing ban on assault weapons.
Under the bill, individuals may not fire guns near homes or carry them in polling places, schools, and government buildings.
According to the NRA-ILA, “H. 4135 re-writes gun laws in the Commonwealth and imposes unprecedented gun control. This is an ominous bill that includes the worst anti-gun legislation in the country.”
The organization summarized the bill as follows:
- Widespread bans on commonly owned firearms
- Eliminating due process through expanded “Red Flag” laws
- Implementing new “safe storage” mandates in and out of your home
- Instituting expanded gun registry programs
- Placing an extreme financial burden on gun-owners to price them out of being able to exercise their Second Amendment rights
State Representative Ronald Mariano (D) said the bill is a response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to expand Second Amendment rights, “[nullifying] existing components of our gun laws” and “threatening the safety of the Commonwealth’s residents.”
While Massachusetts annually ranks as one of the safest states in the entire country from gun violence, the Supreme Court’s Bruen decision nullified existing components of our gun laws, threatening the safety of the Commonwealth’s residents.
— Speaker Ron Mariano (@RonMariano) October 18, 2023
Reporting from The Epoch Times:
Jim Wallace, executive director of the Gun Owners’ Action League, told The Associated Press that H. 4135 is an overreaction to the U.S. Supreme Court’s New York gun ruling. He criticized the proposal for targeting gun owners rather than focusing on reducing crime. “All of it goes against us, the lawful people. There’s nothing in there that goes after the criminals,” he said. “This is a tantrum. This is a flat-out tantrum.”
