Critical New Gun Violence Prevention Bill Signed into Law!

Photo courtesy of the Office of Governor Healey

Massachusetts' Grassroots for Gun Violence Prevention (Grassroots4GVP) turned out in full force last week as Governor Maura Healey signed into law H.4885, a bill that will protect communities from ghost guns, limit firearms trafficking, and prohibit gun carry in sensitive locations.

The bill will expand education about the Red Flag law so more citizens can proactively avoid injury and harm.

Advocates who have long pushed for such legislation, including Grassroots4GVP, say the bill will make communities safer by cutting out loopholes that have been exploited.

More than a dozen members from Grassroots4GVP, who have worked with a coalition of hundreds across the state to get the legislation passed, attended the signing on July 30. Also attending were survivors and those who have lost loved ones to gun violence. We thank them all for sharing their stories and for working tirelessly to prevent other families from experiencing this devastation.

The National Rifle Association has vowed to challenge the new law, though Governor Healey, House Speaker Ron Mariano, and advocates are unconcerned that the law will get overturned.

“I think we’re being sued by the NRA, which I think is a real badge of honor,” Mariano told WLLP, a Boston NBC affiliate. “They are not happy, which makes me very, very happy.”

Jennifer Robinson, a managing director of Grassroots4GVP, is confident that legislators have done the work needed to protect the Second Amendment.

“I think it’s a very common-sense way to save lives,” Robinson told the network after the signing.

We thank Governor Healey, the administration, survivors, and the hundreds of advocates who helped pass this critical legislation. Massachusetts has been a leader in taking common-sense steps to end gun violence while preserving the Second Amendment. We applaud this administration for doubling down on that effort with the passage of this law.

Want to get involved in helping prevent senseless gun violence? Reach out to us here.

Media inquiries: Please contact Samantha McGarry at mcgarry.samantha@gmail.com or 508.395.3401.