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Massachusetts’ Government Officials Vow to Enforce Anti-Civil Rights Laws After SCOTUS Ruling


Gun Owners’ Action League (GOAL) has received numerous inquiries concerning the state of Massachusetts gun laws following the historic civil rights ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS). The case, New York Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, ruled against state and local governments requiring a reason or special purpose for lawful citizens to exercise their Second Amendment Civil Rights. The court cited the Fourteenth Amendment in making it clear that so-called, may issue, suitability, and special requirements are unacceptable.

Many of the questions GOAL has been getting circle around whether the specific laws in the Commonwealth that are in obvious violation of this ruling are still going to be enforced. Well, it appears we have our answer to that question.

In spite of this landmark civil rights ruling, both Governor Baker and Attorney General Healey have declared that the State laws in place prior to the SCOTUS ruling will continue to be enforced.

In order to determine the safest course of action for our members, and for GOAL, we have been working with other advocacy groups and attorneys in the Commonwealth to figure out what this ruling means for Massachusetts. Even though the ruling seems clear in its intent, the effects on the Commonwealth’s licensing scheme and on current license holders are not-especially given the statements by our Governor and Attorney General on the matter.  Therefore, before we can offer any information to our members on what the ruling does, we need to make sure to do our due diligence and ensure that anything we release to our members is accurate and legal. In the meantime, thank you to all of our members for your continued support and patience allowing GOAL to do what we do best.

Baker - “The Baker-Polito Administration is proud of the Commonwealth’s nation-leading gun laws and history of enacting bipartisan gun reform legislation.  The Court’s ruling on New York’s licensing law has no immediate effect on the Commonwealth’s gun laws, which all remain in place," the statement reads.

Healey - “In a country flooded with firearms, today’s reckless and anti-democratic decision poses a grave danger to Americans as they go about their daily lives in public spaces like supermarkets, hospitals, and playgrounds. Gun violence is a public health epidemic, and I remain committed to doing everything I can to keep our residents and our communities safe. Massachusetts has one of the lowest gun death rates in the country because we know that strong gun laws save lives. I stand by our commonsense gun laws and will continue to vigorously defend and enforce them.”

https://www.mass.gov/news/ag-healey-statement-on-scotus-decision-to-strike-down-new-yorks-concealed-carry-gun-licensing-law



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