House Passes Gun Safety Amendment With Rep. Tommy Vitolo’s Support

BROOKLINE, MA — The Massachusetts House of Representatives has passed Amendment 13 to H.5046, an Act to improve and modernize the information technology systems and capacities of the judiciary, with Brookline Rep. Tommy Vitolo’s support.

The amendment, created in consultation with the Office of the Attorney General, would close loopholes in state gun licensure laws created by the Supreme Court's New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen decision.

“While the Supreme Court rolls back protections, from gun safety to abortion access, we in the House of Representatives continue to act with urgency to protect our residents,” Vitolo said in a statement. "I am relieved that this amendment was adopted, making our gun safety laws less vulnerable to being struck down. It's critical gun safety legislation that will prevent residents from exploiting loopholes to receive a license to carry that they would not have been issued prior to the Bruen decision."

The Bruen decision, issued June 23, ruled that it is unconstitutional to require applicants to demonstrate "proper cause" when obtaining a license to carry. The amendment protects existing components of Massachusetts gun laws from future challenges and more clearly defines who is considered a prohibited person when obtaining a license to carry.

"We want to make sure that our licensing authority are considering who should actually get [firearms], who's safe and who is not, who is a responsible gun owner, and who is not,” Rep. Michael Day, Chair of the Joint Committee on The Judiciary, said in a statement. "We're clarifying who is a prohibited person. If you're subject to a restraining order, you're not allowed to have a firearm. Those types of things, those cleanup pieces, are what we're addressing."

With these loopholes closed, lawmakers are expected to spend the next several months working to create comprehensive gun safety legislation before the next session begins in January of 2023.

"Our proposal will consider everything from updating our firearm licensing and training framework, to clamping down on evolving technology designed to circumvent our safety laws, to refining tools that help identify individuals who pose a danger to themselves or others,” Speaker of the House Ronald Mariano said in a statement. "We look forward to passing this legislation in the next legislative session."

The bill now goes to the Senate before reaching the Governor's desk to be signed into law.