One day after TGM reported the fight brewing in Massachusetts over gun control legislation which Second Amendment activists argue would be unconstitutional if adopted, action on the bill has been delayed at least until autumn, according to an announcement by Democrat State House Speaker Ron Mariano.
“As the House continues its efforts over August, we will work with the Membership, as well as with constituents, advocates and legal experts to ensure that our proposal will make Massachusetts safer, while also standing the test of time,” Mariano said in a statement.
According to the State House News Service and WBUR news, Mariano is blaming “the new legal landscape” created by last year’s Supreme Court ruling in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen.
“That is why the House believes that we must thoroughly evaluate all of the proposals made in [the legislation] over the Summer, and that House Members must have the chance to continue to speak with their constituents and provide feedback,” Mariano said.
Jim Wallace, executive director of the Gun Owners Action League (GOAL), said in an online statement, “It is painfully clear that, whoever actually drafted the bill, had no idea the firestorm of opposition it would set off. It was painfully obvious to anyone who paid attention that the, so-called, ‘listening tour’ was a sham from the beginning. Even the opposition to the Second Amendment during the tour continually said that lawful gun owners were not the problem. Chairman Day echoed that sentiment many times, but his legislation reflected just the opposite.”
MASS, GUN OWNERS IN BATTLE OVER TOUGH GUN LAW
The GOAL website says Massachusetts gun owners are “in full battle mode” against HD 4420, an onerous gun control measure covering so-called “assault weapons” and “high capacity magazines,” safe storage and the creation of a “special legislative commission to examine the existing government funding structure for violence prevention services in the commonwealth, including funding sources, initiatives and programs utilized, specific services funded, and communities served, and submit a report of its findings and recommendations.”
In his statement, quoted on the GOAL website, Mariano told his colleagues, “As you have heard me say many times, the Bruen decision fundamentally changed how courts review state gun laws and immediately jeopardized aspects of the laws that have made our Commonwealth a national leader in reducing gun violence. While the House’s commitment to pursuing a comprehensive update remains steadfast, a new legal landscape will be the greatest threat to those efforts.”
Wallace told TGM Tuesday via telephone that GOAL will use the next few weeks to “ramp up” their fight against the legislation, because he believes it to be worse than the previous gun control law, which apparently was undone by the Bruen ruling, which applied to a New York concealed carry statute, but has had a far-reaching impact on gun control laws across the map.
