Gabby Giffords applauds Massachusetts for passing crucial gun safety legislation
Washington — Today, GIFFORDS, the national gun violence prevention organization led by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, released statements applauding the Massachusetts Legislature for passing An Act Modernizing Firearms Laws (H.4885).
“When I joined Speaker Mariano and Senate President Spilka last month, alongside fellow survivors and advocates, they reaffirmed their long-standing commitment to addressing the evolving challenge of gun violence in Massachusetts. Today they followed through on that commitment and because of this bill, lives will be saved,” said former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords. “I am grateful for the Speaker and Senate President’s leadership and I want to thank Majority Leader Creem, Chairman Day and their staff for their tireless efforts throughout this process to get this important bill across the finish line. I look forward to Governor Healey signing this bill into law.”
“Because of its strong laws, Massachusetts has long had one of the lowest gun death rates in the country. But as recent tragedies in cities and towns across the Commonwealth have shown, gun violence is an evolving challenge that does not have one single solution. Today, whether it’s stopping the flow of untraceable ghost guns into communities or banning glock switches and other similar devices, the Massachusetts Legislature has taken these challenges head on. Because of the work of Speaker Mariano, Senate President Spilka, Majority Leader Creem, and Chairman Day, lives will be saved,” said GIFFORDS State Legislative Manager Joe Platte.
An Act Modernizing Firearms Laws will:
- Ban untraceable ghost guns.
- Strengthen the Commonwealth’s firearms licensing laws.
- Ban devices and modifications that turn semi-automatic weapons into fully-automatic machine guns.
- Ensure gun dealers are inspected regularly and accurately.
- Prohibit the carrying of firearms in polling places and government buildings.
- Update the Commonwealth’s assault weapons ban and codify existing prohibitions on certain assault weapons into state law.
- Update and expand the Commonwealth’s extreme-risk protection order law.
- Other important policies addressing issues such as studying funding opportunities for community violence intervention, gun violence data collection, and more.
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