Governor Healey’s Action Protects the Safety of Massachusetts Communities in the Wake of Gun Lobby’s Campaign to Temporarily Suspend the Law
BOSTON – Today, the Massachusetts chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, issued the following statement applauding Governor Maura Healey for signing an emergency preamble for the omnibus gun safety law that was enacted earlier this year. Today’s action comes as the gun lobby wages a campaign for a 2026 ballot question to repeal the law.
“After years of advocating for these gun safety measures to become law, we weren’t going to stand by and let the gun lobby get in the way of our progress. We’re grateful to Governor Healey for standing with us and taking decisive action to ensure that this lifesaving law is implemented,” said Anne Thalheimer, a Survivor Fellow with the Everytown Survivor Network. “We know that the gun lobby will continue to push their ‘guns everywhere’ agenda in Massachusetts – even though we know that more guns won’t make us safer. We’re committed to fighting so that this law stays enacted and our communities can live free of the fear of gun violence.”
“Governor Healey is once again putting our safety first by taking meaningful steps to protect our communities from gun violence,” said Olivia Benevento, a volunteer leader with the Northeastern University Students Demand Action Chapter. “For decades, the gun lobby has gotten richer while my generation continues to pay the price. We’re thankful to the lawmakers and the Governor for supporting this bill and helping us take a stand against the gun lobby’s dangerous agenda.”
Under the Massachusetts Constitution, if a ballot campaign collects a certain number of signatures, it can prevent the implementation of a law without an emergency preamble from taking effect until voters weigh in on whether to repeal it. Now that Governor Healey has signed an emergency preamble, the law will take effect immediately, rather than later this month, 90 days after the original bill signing.
The gun lobby will have until October 9 to submit their signatures for their ballot campaign, after which the Secretary of the Commonwealth will have two weeks to certify the signatures and then will announce whether there are enough to get it on the ballot.
Massachusetts is a national leader in gun violence prevention with the 5th strongest gun safety laws in the country, strengthening their gun safety laws even further this year by enacting this omnibus gun safety law. Due in part to their holistic approach to addressing gun violence through both gun safety laws and investment in community violence intervention programs, the Commonwealth has the lowest rate of gun deaths in the U.S. and one of the lowest rates of gun ownership in the country.
In an average year in Massachusetts, 257 people die by guns and 648 people are wounded. Gun violence costs Massachusetts $3.5 billion each year, of which $85.4 million is paid by taxpayers. More information on gun violence in Massachusetts is available here.