Massachusetts: Gun Bills Nearing Committee Deadline

This Wednesday, February 5^th, will be the last day of action on bill reports by the Joint Committees in the Legislature. Currently, the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security and the Joint Committee on Public Health are considering both pro-gun and anti-gun legislation that are of great interest in the Commonwealth.

Please click the “Take Action” buttons below to contact committee members and ask them to stand with you by OPPOSING any and all gun control measures, and SUPPORTING House Bill 2122 and House Bill 2144.

Joint Committee on Public Safety & Homeland Security

Unfortunately, some of the proposals still before the Public Safety & Homeland Security Committee include anti-gun measures and place further burdens on law-abiding gun owners and sportsmen. Some of the latest ill-founded proposals are:

• Firearm rationing schemes
• Criminalizing private firearm transfers
• Increased taxes on firearms and ammunition
• Mandatory liability insurance for gun owners

Fortunately, there are a number of pro-gun proposals still before the committee that make positive changes for firearm owners in the Commonwealth.

House Bill 2122 creates a new standard to provide a clear presumption that the right to keep and bear arms is an individual civil right in Massachusetts, saving law-abiding citizens from unnecessary harassment. This legislation also provides protections to prevent local government entities in the state from passing laws that further restrict Second Amendment rights. 

House Bill 2144 allows law-abiding gun owners to transport firearms across state lines as long as firearms are unloaded and stored in the trunk or in a locked container. Current federal law, the Firearm Owners Protection Act (FOPA), provides legal protection for law-abiding gun owners traveling across the country. This legislation enacts into state law a similar provision to expand protections for out-of-state/non-residents while traveling through the Commonwealth with a firearm to avoid harassment and any unnecessary delays.

Joint Committee on Public Health

House Bill 2005 directs state authorities to create a program for doctors to “screen all patients for the presence of firearms in the home” and vaguely calls for “guidelines for safety counseling for individuals that screen positive for the presence of firearms.” Injecting politics and ideology into the doctor-patient relationship will sow distrust and resentment that could lead to adverse healthcare outcomes for the patient.

Again, please contact committee members on both the Joint Committee on Public Safety & Homeland Security and the Joint Committee on Public Health and urge them to OPPOSE any and all gun control, and support House Bill 2122 and House Bill 2144.