Instead of waiting the customary 90 days for the onerous new Massachusetts gun control package to take effect, Gov. Maura Healey (D) on Wednesday decided to rush implementation to the fore.
Second Amendment supporters were busily gathering the almost 50,000 signatures from registered voters required to suspend the law. They also sought to place a referendum on the 2026 ballot to give Bay State voters a direct voice in determining their rights.
Those who defended the Bill of Rights were making strong headway and apparently about to win a temporary suspension of the law.
The law could only be permanently suspended through the ballot measure, which would go before voters two years from now. But the broad grassroots effort, dubbed The Civil Rights Coalition, worked furiously to at least prevent it from being enforced until then.
The group needed 37,287 signatures from registered voters by next week’s deadline to put repeal on the 2026 ballot. A total of 49,716 signatures were necessary to suspend the law.
The Boston Globe reported The Civil Rights Coalition had already harvested over 65,000 signatures. This would have been more than enough to thwart the scheme to erode yet more Second Amendment rights in Massachusetts.
But on Wednesday, Healey delighted the anti-gun lobby by implementing the new package of restrictions. Her action effectively blocked efforts by her opponents to slow the mad rush for yet more gun control.
The governor claimed that society would benefit from more restrictions on the right to keep and bear arms. “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. It is important that these measures go into effect without delay.”
And, apparently, without dissent.
Opposition to Healey’s unilateral action was swift and loud, with Second Amendment supporters deeming it a blatant attack on democracy.
Toby Leary owns a Cape Cod gun store and is a leader of the opposition. “If this were truly a public health emergency, she would have enacted the preamble when the bill was signed back in July. Now that we are close to gathering the signatures needed to suspend the law for two years, she’s invoking an emergency preamble to sidestep the will of the people. She’s acting more like a dictator than a governor.”
Targeted by the new law are so-called “ghost guns,” bump stocks and trigger cranks. There are also contentious new requirements for those seeking a gun license.
Applicants must now show government officials an understanding of gun safety and complete live-fire training. In addition to these new hurdles for law-abiding citizens, the law establishes a new and expanded definition for so-called “assault weapons” to include more of the most popular sporting rifles in the U.S.
Leary exposed insidious details of the law that target small businesses in the state. With the reclassification of many rifles and shotguns, the sale of many popular models will be prohibited until the government publishes the new roster of banned weapons.
Of course, it is anybody’s guess when that list will be made public.
Leary explained that such legal ambiguity will devastate small businesses. “As a store owner, I’m faced with two choices — break the law to stay open or stop selling guns and close my business. After a decade of hard work, my state government is trying to destroy my business’ future.”
Lawmakers pushed the package through in mid-summer, and it only added to what already are some of the most oppressive gun control laws on the books.
With the skirting of the democratic process through rushing the law into effect, opponents are considering legal action against Healey. The Gun Owners’ Action League (GOAL) already has a lawsuit in federal court against the package, and the organization is studying challenging the “emergency preamble” or seeking a preliminary injunction.
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