The Democrat-led Massachusetts House of Representatives is pushing to force residents with a license to carry to renew twice as often and is expanding the prohibitions that prevent applicants from getting licenses to begin with.
The Boston Globe reports House Speaker Ronald Mariano (D) suggested that lawmakers are trying to make sure the state is in line with Supreme Court of the United States’ June 23, 2022 NYSRPA v. Bruen decision while “proactively safeguarding” other Massachusetts gun controls.
Breitbart News noted that Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the majority opinion for Bruen, where he noted, “In this case, petitioners and respondents agree that ordinary, law-abiding citizens have a similar right to carry handguns publicly for their self-defense.”
He observed, “We too agree, and now hold, consistent with Heller and McDonald, that the Second and Fourteenth Amendments protect an individual’s right to carry a handgun for self-defense outside the home.”
People attend a March for Our Lives rally in Christopher Columbus Park in Boston on June 11, 2022. (Erin Clark/The Boston Globe via Getty)
The Democrat-led Massachusetts House is trying to be sure the state lines up with Bruen where it must, while tightening other controls where it can.
But the Globe points out that the Democrat-led push would retain language that allows police to reject a resident’s concealed carry application if they find that resident “unsuitable.” This is something that legal experts believe could run afoul of the Bruen ruling.
State Representative Michael S. Day (D) commented on what he referred to as Massachusetts’ “licensing scheme,” saying, “People are free to apply for firearms. We want to make sure our licensing authorities are considering who should actually get them. Who is a responsible gun owner and who is not?”
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and a Turning Point USA Ambassador. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. Reach him at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.