Massachusetts Lawmakers Pass Sweeping Gun Bill Months After 6–3 Supreme Court Decision

Lawmakers in a Democrat-controlled state passed a major gun law, with the House speaker saying it came after the Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling.

The Guardian or Authority of Law, created by sculptor James Earle Fraser, on the side of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, on Sept. 28, 2020. Al Drago/Getty Images

The Massachusetts state House of Representatives approved a sweeping gun law that aims at restricting more firearms and cracking down on AR-15-style rifles—after a unanimous coalition of police chiefs in the state publicly opposed it.

The measure, which passed in a 120–38 vote on Oct. 18, prohibits people from carrying firearms into other people’s homes without their consent. It also would force major gun components to have serial numbers, which would be registered with the state of Massachusetts, while also expanding the state’s “red flag” law that allows a judge to suspend the firearms license of someone who is considered a risk to harming others.