Gun Violence Prevention Legislation Advances in the Legislature

Natick MA

04 February, 2022

5:09 PM

Description

Boston – Representative David Linsky (D-Natick) announced today the committee reports of his filed gun safety legislation. At the beginning of the 2021-2022 legislative session, Representative Linsky filed bills targets at improving gun violence prevention that were referred to the committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security. With the Joint Rule 10 deadline this past Wednesday 2/2, the committee was required to report on Representative Linsky's filed bills. The bills were reported on as follows. H.2486, An act requiring live fire practice for a firearms license – Favorable Report H.2486 would require a minimum of at least 5 hours of live discharge of firearms, rifles, and shotguns at a licensed gun club, and the discharge of at least 50 rounds of ammunition to be issued a firearms license.  H.3729, An act relative to universal background checks for private gun sales – Favorable Report H.3729 would close a loophole in state law that currently allows for private firearms sales to be completed without a federal background check on prospective buyers, and would require a National Instant Criminal Background System (NICS) check by a licensed gun dealer prior to any private sale or transfer of a firearm. Dealers would be able to charge a fee of $25 per transactions for these services. H.2489, An act to close the large capacity magazine loophole – Reporting date extended Currently, a glaring loophole exists in our ban on large capacity magazines. Currently law prohibits the sale, transfer, or possession of a large capacity magazine is prohibited unless it was lawfully possessed on or before September 13, 1994. However, this law is not enforceable as there is currently no way to distinguish between a pre-1994 and a post-1994 large capacity magazine. Magazines do not carry serial numbers or a manufacture date. H.2489 would close this loophole by requiring anyone currently in the legal possession of a large capacity feeding device to register such device with the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, and continue the ban on possessing or selling new ones. H.2491, An act relative to 3D printed weapons and "ghost guns" - Reporting date extended H.2491 would prohibit the manufacturing of 3-D printed gun without a Federal Firearms License (FFL). It also requires that all 3-D printed weapons have unique serial numbers so that they may be properly traced and recorded. H.4038, An act banning semi-automatic firearm – Reporting date extended H.4038 would ban all publicly owned semi-automatic firearms. By introducing a gun buy-back program and by enforcing a penalty of 18 months in prison and a fine of $5000 for each weapon the Commonwealth would drastically reduce the amount of semi-automatic weapons in the hands of the public. H.2486 and H.3729, which both received favorable reports, will be placed on the Legislative Calendar and will be open to debate and amendment on the House floor this Legislative Session. H.2489, H.2491 and H.4038 will receive reporting date extensions which allows the Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security to spend more time reviewing the bills before deciding how the bills will advance this Legislative Session. "Gun violence is an epidemic across our country. Countless lives are lost, and families are left devastated due to the current gun violence prevention laws in place" said Representative Linsky. "I want to thank Chair Carlos González, Chair Walter Timilty and the members of the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security for their work in helping these vitally important bills advance through the Legislature."