More than eight weeks after initially signing H. 4885 into law, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey is preparing to attach an emergency preamble to the gun control bill in response to a grassroots effort to repeal the new restrictions via a voter referendum. While Healey’s move won’t scuttle the referendum effort completely, the belated “emergency” means that the law won’t be suspended until voters have a chance to weigh in. Instead, it most of the provisions contained within the sweeping gun bill will take effect on Wednesday.
The Massachusetts legislature quietly delayed the implementation of a new training mandate for gun owners in late September, so that portion of H. 4885/Chapter 135 will remain on hold for another 18 months. But the other components of the new law are supposed to be enforced once Healey signs the emergency preamble, which could, among other things, have an immediate impact on the firearms available for sale throughout the state.
One of the provisions of the state’s newest gun law is a change to the definition of “firearm”, which previously only included handguns. Under Chapter 135, rifles and shotguns are also considered “firearms” by the state, which means that before they can be sold they must be independently tested and certified for sale by the Massachusetts State Police or placed on the roster by the Secretary of the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security. The vast majority of the guns on the state’s firearm roster are handguns, which means that as of Wednesday it will be illegal for retailers to continue to offer uncertified rifles and shotguns for sale, even those that are currently in their inventory.
When the legislature snuck in an amendment to a budget bill that suspends the new training mandates for those seeking a License to Carry or a Firearms ID card, they also delayed the training for firearm retailers and law enforcement on all of their new obligations under Chapter 135. But once Healey signs the emergency preamble, those new requirements kick in immediately. Toby Leary, who owns Cape Gun Works in Hyannis, says the governor’s tantrum is going to come with real-world consequences for hundreds of FFLs and almost every gun owner in the state. […]
— Read More: bearingarms.com
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Note to the folks in Massachusettes:
Your Governor is a progressive idiot and definitely doesn’t care about your safety.
Long past time to move. Is looking at the leaves change color in the fall and shoveling 5-10 feet of snow every winter really worth your time?