Massachusetts House and Senate negotiators who have been hashing out major firearms law reforms announced Wednesday they have reached a deal.
Rep. Michael Day and Sen. Cynthia Creem, who have been leading the talks, said just before 1:30 p.m. they will soon file a compromise bill that "delivers meaningfully on our promise to align our statutes with the challenges gun violence poses to our communities today and incorporates the perspectives of firearm owners, law enforcement, community leaders and those impacted directly by gun violence."
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The competing House and Senate bills have been hung up for months. A final accord could now reach Gov. Maura Healey's desk this week, checking off one of the biggest to-do list items for legislative Democrats as they approach the July 31 end of formal business.
According to a summary distributed to press by Day aide Patrick Prendergast, the compromise bill covers untraceable "ghost guns," gun licensing, dealer inspections, areas where firearms are prohibited, the state's so-called red flag law and more.
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It would require all firearms, including frames and receivers, to be serialized and would craft new penalties for possession, creation and transfer of untraceable firearms, the summary said, a response to the growing presence of ghost guns that has worried public safety officials.
The summary said the final accord also prohibits carrying firearms in government buildings, polling places and schools, with exemptions for current and retired certified law enforcement professionals. Cities and towns could opt to allow firearms in their municipal buildings, and the bill would not change the ability of residents and businesses to prohibit guns on their private property.
House Speaker Ronald Marino issued a statement Wednesday in the wake of the agreement, looking ahead to a full House vote on Thursday:
"Tomorrow, the House will vote on the most significant gun safety legislation that Massachusetts has seen in a decade. This bill is the culmination of a multi-year process that began after the Supreme Court’s conservative supermajority issued their disastrous Bruen decision, which weakened the Commonwealth’s gun safety laws and endangered our residents. In the wake of that decision, the House began a comprehensive review of how the ruling would impact Massachusetts, and of the Commonwealth’s gun laws generally. That process resulted in the bill that the House passed last October, which updates our assault weapons ban, cracks down on the sale of ghost guns, enhances the process for obtaining a license to carry, bolsters our red flag laws, and prohibits individuals from bringing a gun into schools, polling locations, and government buildings. While the Commonwealth’s existing gun laws have proven to be effective in preventing gun violence compared to other states, relative success is never a cause for complacency. That’s why I’m incredibly proud of the agreement that we have now reached with the Senate, as it builds on the critical reforms that we made in 2014. I’m grateful to Chairman Day and the conference committee for their tireless work on this issue, and I look forward to sending the legislation to the Governor’s desk for her signature."
Ruth Zakarin, executive director of the Massachusetts Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence, told State House News Service Wednesday morning that a "bunch" of advocates planned to wear orange throughout the State House in the next two weeks to signal support for an accord.
"I would love to think that we will get this very soon, and we will just have to wait and see what happens," Zakarin said. "We're just trying to connect with people and express the urgency of taking action because it's been a rough month in the commonwealth for gun violence. We've seen multiple incidents of gun violence – not just in Boston, but Brockton, and Springfield, and Lynn and other communities. We've had a high rate of domestic violence murders in the commonwealth this year."
