Boston government officials and student activists against gun violence celebrated the emergency passage of a state law that will implement sweeping gun reforms on Wednesday. In response, some residents and community leaders criticized the legislation with a push to repeal it in 2026.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey signed an “emergency preamble” on Wednesday that immediately implemented H.4885, “An Act Modernizing Firearm Laws.”
The law cracks down on the selling of privately made, unserialized “ghost guns” and criminalizes the possession of gun parts such as bump stocks and trigger cranks, according to Boston 25 News. It also requires applicants for a gun license to complete live-fire training.
H.4885 was signed on July 25 and set to go into effect Oct. 23. The governor’s action came in response to gun advocates’ attempts to temporarily suspend the law until a 2026 ballot referendum.
In signing the emergency preamble, Healey declared the legislation an “emergency law,” so it could no longer be suspended as part of a referendum campaign.
Maxine Slattery, a recent Boston University graduate and former co-founder of BU’s chapter of Students Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, an organization dedicated to preventing gun violence, said it was a “relief” that Healey’s emergency preamble stopped efforts to suspend the law.
“That bill was such a huge win in and of itself, but there’s always a chance for the gun lobby to retaliate and kind of try to push back against that,” said Slattery, who now volunteers with Moms Demand Action. “But with Gov. Healey signing that emergency preamble, that bill immediately goes into effect.”
BU SDA supports the implementation of the law, and the banning of ghost guns in particular. Ghost guns are “do-it-yourself, homemade” firearms that are privately-made and do not have serial numbers, according to Everytown for Gun Safety.
BU SDA Co-Founder and President Shana Weitzen said because ghost guns are “untraceable,” they become “a lot more accessible” to individuals with mental health issues or who were previously barred from purchasing a gun.
“Banning ghost guns cuts off all those issues,” Weitzen, a senior said. “It’s a very preventative measure, which is why I think it’s so important.”
Isaac Yablo, senior advisor for community safety for the Boston Mayor’s Office, said the banning of ghost guns statewide is especially relevant to the city of Boston.
“[Boston] has an issue where illegal firearms and ghost guns are quite frequently taken off of the street by the members of the Boston Police Department and associated law enforcement agencies,” Yablo said.
Yablo said he thinks the law will “further set [Boston] apart” from other cities and states because it shows “we’re not satisfied with being the safest” and wants to take gun reforms further.
Gun advocates, however, disagreed with Healey’s decision to immediately implement the new law. Some opponents to the law formed The Civil Rights Coalition and spoke against Healey’s decision to sign the emergency preamble.
Toby Leary, a co-owner of Cape Gun Works in Hyannis and chair of the coalition, said in a press conference outside the Massachusetts state legislature on Wednesday Healey’s emergency passage of the law was a political move and criticized the lack of signature gathering to get the law passed earlier.
Leary said the Healey administration is violating its oath of office with the emergency passage of H.4885 and blaming gun advocates for violence when it occurs.
“[Government officials] point the gun of government violence at us if we don’t comply, but yet they themselves don’t comply with their oath of office,” Leary said.
Matt Cosentino, a fourth-year student at Northeastern University and vice president of Northeastern University College Republicans, said he disagrees with many of the measures in the new law, including the banning of assault weapons.
“With the assault-style weapons, I argue that’s not really an objective term. Every weapon is an assault weapon,” Cosentino said. “I think if someone passes a background check, and they want to own something like an AR, I don’t think the sale of that should be banned.”
While gun advocates were unsuccessful in suspending the law, they announced they had enough signatures to place a referendum question on the 2026 ballot, allowing voters to decide whether or not to repeal the gun law.
Cosentino said he agreed with the ballot referendum.
On the other hand, Slattery said she is confident that voters will understand the law’s purpose and keep it in effect if put to a vote in 2026.
“It’s not hard to understand that this bill is really necessary,” Slattery said. “Our main mission is to end gun violence, [but] we’re not trying to take away people’s guns.”
With the law now going into effect, and with no possibility of it being recalled until 2026, Yablo said he thinks the state and city of Boston will be safer because of it.
“We are truly leading the way in terms of how to address the gun violence crisis,” Yablo said. “But right on, Gov. Healey, for moving on it in an expeditious way.”
