nice long article by state house news service via lowell sun https://www.lowellsun.com/2023/10/19/mass-house-approves-gun-law-changes-on-120-38-vote/
===================================== They unanimously agreed to an amendment making clear that the bill does not ban off-duty police officers from carrying firearms in certain restricted spaces, so long as the weapon is provided by their department. The legislation originally allowed only active, on-duty police to wield guns in those locations. Rep. Mark Cusack of Braintree, the Democrat who filed the amendment, said it was meant “to clarify that off-duty active law enforcement officers would be allowed to carry their department-issued firearms in the following places … first, a place owned, leased or under the control of state, county or municipal government and used for the purpose of government administration, a location in use at the time of possession as a polling place and for the storage or tabulation of ballots, and third in elementary schools, secondary schools, college or university, including transport used for the students.” ================================ " The legislation became a top priority for representatives in the Black and Latino Legislative Caucus, whose communities are disproportionately affected by gun violence. In 2020, the Massachusetts rate of firearm deaths among Black men was more than four times as high as among white men. " yup - thats what we had dug up a year or 2 ago ================== Since July 1, Day said, the state has experienced 90 shootings that killed 40 Bay Staters and injured 86 others. =================== Rep. Michael Day, the Stoneham Democrat who authored the landmark bill and a predecessor version, introduced the measure by rattling off a long list of past gun restrictions policymakers approved dating back to 1632, when the Massachusetts Bay Colony “prohibited individuals from carrying loaded firearms without proper authorization.” -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "massfire" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/massfire/CAFXWwKYneWa%2BHUZiDswtpq2_uDmF7cCE6qAZhpxnnxG_RR%2ButQ%40mail.gmail.com.
