Revised Massachusetts House Gun Bill To Be Released Thursday

By Chris Lisinski

House Democrats will kick off a renewed push for a sweeping overhaul to the state’s gun laws Thursday morning with the release of an “updated” bill and a plan to vote by the end of the month.

Speaker Ron Mariano, House Ways and Means Committee Chair Rep. Aaron Michlewitz and Judiciary Committee Co-chair Rep. Michael Day plan to host a media availability at 11 a.m. to discuss the legislation, an earlier version of which drew intense pushback from gun owners’ groups and set off a procedural fight with Senate Democrats.

Mariano’s office said in an advisory the House plans to “release an updated version of a gun safety reform bill to be heard by the public and voted on by the House of Representatives later this month.”

Day, a Stoneham Democrat, filed legislation earlier this year that sought to update the state’s licensing laws, crack down on untraceable “ghost guns,” and more.

Mariano originally said he wanted the bill — which never received a public hearing — to win House approval in the summer, but after a series of private meetings with representatives, he pushed the timeline back to the fall.

It was not immediately clear Thursday morning what changes Democrats would make to the legislation.

Senate Democrats wanted the legislation to be reviewed by a different committee than the House proposed, leaving Day’s original proposal in procedural limbo. Senate leadership has said it is working to craft its own gun reform bill, but an aide to Majority Leader Cindy Creem said this week it’s unclear when a bill itself would be drafted.