Massachusetts governor implements new gun law weeks ahead of schedule

Maura Healey immediately implemented new gun legislation on Wednesday that not only cracks down on unserialized “ghost guns,” and attachments like bump stocks and trigger cranks, but also requires applicants to demonstrate basic safety principles and complete live-fire training before being granted a gun license. State lawmakers approved the gun reform law in July, which was expected to go into effect later this month, and comes as the deep-blue state already has some of the toughest gun laws in the nation. But rather than wait for the law to go into effect on Oct. 23, or 90 days after the governor signed it into law, Healey decided to put the law into effect immediately, blocking any temporary suspension of the law being sought by gun rights advocates. SCOTUS TO TAKE UP CHALLENGE TO BIDEN ADMIN’S GHOST GUN RULE THAT GROUP DEEMS ‘ABUSIVE’ “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 statement. The new law expands the state’s “red flag” law that allows police, health care and school officials to alert the courts if they believe someone with access to guns poses a threat and should have their firearms confiscated temporarily. Gun rights advocates have called the law a “historic attack on our civil rights,” adding it imposes unnecessary barriers on those who are law-abiding citizens and want to own a gun. SUPREME COURT ALLOWS CONTINUED REGULATION OF SO-CALLED ‘GHOST GUNS’ Gun rights advocates have also sought to suspend the law and place a referendum on a ballot in 2026, to give voters the chance to repeal the measure. In order to suspend the law from going into 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 the Supreme Court’s 2022 Bruen decision, which declared citizens have a right to carry firearms in public for self-defense. Gun rights advocates also filed a federal lawsuit arguing the Massachusetts law is unconstitutional, characterizing it as “onerous firearms legislation that imposes sweeping arms bans, magazine restrictions, registration requirements, and licensing preconditions that are as burdensome as they are ahistorical.” GUN GROUPS SLAM BIDEN ADMIN OVER NEW ATF RULE: ‘WEAPONIZING EVERY TOOL’ The lawsuit asks the courts to issue a preliminary injunction to prevent the state from enforcing the “burdensome licensing regimes on the possession and carry of firearms for self-defense.” Healey’s action on Wednesday makes it unlawful for those who are not part of law enforcement to carry guns at schools, polling locations and government buildings. – This Summarize was created by Neural News AI (V1). Source: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/massachusetts-governor-implements-new-gun-law-weeks-ahead-schedule