Top House and Senate Democrats have reached an agreement to send a “tailored proposal” to Gov. Charlie Baker this month designed to bring Massachusetts into compliance with a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling on gun laws.
House Speaker Ronald Mariano announced the plan through a statement Thursday morning, saying he hoped to get the bill, the substance of which was not available, to Baker’s desk by July 31.
“House leadership has reached an agreement with Senate leadership, in consultation with the Office of the Attorney General, to expedite legislation needed to come into compliance with the Bruen decision while proactively safeguarding existing components of our gun laws from future challenges,” Mariano said. “We look forward to delivering a tailored proposal to the Governor prior to July 31st.”
The New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen case revolved around New York’s requirement that applicants demonstrate “proper cause” to obtain a permit to carry a concealed weapon, which the high court said was unconstitutional. Massachusetts was not part of the case, but the Supreme Court singled out a “good reason” provision of a Massachusetts gun law as an analogue to the unconstitutional New York requirement.
On July 1, Attorney General Maura Healey and Public Safety and Security Secretary Terrence Reidy issued guidance stipulating that “it remains unlawful to carry a firearm in Massachusetts without a license” and that two criteria for a license to carry a firearm other than the “good reason” provision remain in full effect.
“Authorities should no longer deny, or impose restrictions on, a license to carry because the applicant lacks a sufficiently good reason to carry a firearm. An applicant who is neither a ‘prohibited person’ or ‘unsuitable’ must be issued an unrestricted license to carry,” the offices wrote in a summary of the guidance. “Licensing authorities may continue to inquire about the reasons why the applicant wants a license, but may only use that information to assess the prohibited person and suitability requirements of the statute. They may not use that information to deny or restrict a license for lack of a sufficiently good reason to carry a firearm.”
Mariano said Thursday that the high court’s ruling “threatened the security of Massachusetts residents” and detailed plans for the House to “continue its legacy of enacting strong gun laws by taking both immediate action and forward-looking steps to ensure Massachusetts remains one of the safest places in the nation.” Rep. Michael Day, the Judiciary Committee co-chair, has been asked “to continue working with his House colleagues, experts in the field, and stakeholders to bolster our existing laws through an omnibus gun safety bill.”
“We will spend the coming months working on a comprehensive package to continue to move the Commonwealth forward and make necessary improvements due to a lack of decisive federal action,” Mariano said. “Our proposal will consider everything from updating our firearm licensing and training framework, to clamping down on evolving technology designed to circumvent our safety laws, to refining tools that help identify individuals who pose a danger to themselves or others. We look forward to passing this legislation in the next legislative session.”