POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Grading Mass. gun laws

 

By Kelly Garrity Presented by  Majorities Still Back Stricter Gun Laws, Assault Weapons Ban  GALLUP POLL In MADISON WISCONSIN, a 15 year old female is responsible for a SCHOOL SHOOTING - details not yet available.  Toddler accidentally shoots, kills 22-year-old mother; boyfriend arrested in case USA TODAY DC police investigating 5-year-old shot by younger sibling inside apartment: 'Unfortunate situation' FOX NEWS Lansing mom sentenced to prison after 2-year-old son killed in gun accident MSN LEGISLATIVE REPORT CARD — Massachusetts earned an “A” rating from the gun violence prevention organization Giffords Law Center this year — for the first time ever, according to the organization. That’s thanks in part to the controversial gun law Gov. Maura Healey signed earlier this year — and then swiftly enacted before a group looking to challenge the law’s constitutionality could gather enough signatures to pause the legislation from taking effect. The sweeping 100-plus page legislation was packed with provisions regulating gun use in Massachusetts. In addition to cracking down on so-called ghost guns and bolstering the state’s red flag laws, the law updated the requirements for owning and carrying firearms, and included new training and licensing requirements for gun owners. Second Amendment organizations and gun owners have said the law effectively made many gun owners in Massachusetts “felons overnight .” And they’ve argued that the legislation won’t lessen gun violence in the state. But the new suite of regulations did bump the Bay State from its 7th place slot last year to 5th place in Giffords's ranking of “gun law strength,” making Massachusetts “a true leader in gun safety,” Lindsay Nichols, the group’s policy director, said in a statement. Giffords also ranked Massachusetts the “safest state” in the country, a result of having the lowest number of gun deaths per 100,000 people (3.7). But don’t attribute that to the latest gun legislation, only enacted in October: The bump is thanks to Rhode Island , which saw an increase in gun deaths this year after having the lowest last year. Still, it gives Beacon Hill leaders, who spent months crafting (and, after pushback from gun owners, recrafting ) the hulking law, a new lens through which to defend their work. Keeping the gun law in place, they can argue, means defending the state’s status as the safest in America. That could become their central message amid the fight to repeal the law through a ballot question in 2026. But for those backing the question, it's no longer just a fight to stymie the new gun restrictions. Healey’s decision to add an emergency preamble to the bill, preventing any delay to its implementation until 2026, saw its own pushback. “I believe this will be a two-year civics lesson for the people of Massachusetts when they see what their politicians have done," Toby Leary, a Cape Cod gun store owner who’s helping lead the repeal effort, said at a press conference earlier this year. GOOD TUESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS . Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Drop me a line: kgarrity@politico.com .  PROGRAMMING NOTE: We’ve reached the last week of Playbooks for the year! Send me your tips, scoops and birthdays before the week is up. TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll announce housing awards at 10:45 a.m. in Lawrence. Sen. Ed Markey hosts a press conference to introduce legislation that would dedicate hundreds of billions of dollars to build high-speed rail and expand and electrify existing rail service at noon in D.C.   A message from Vineyard Offshore: Offshore wind is revitalizing port communities from New Bedford to Salem, delivering local jobs, and establishing the Commonwealth as a leader in building a clean energy economy that benefits everyone. With Vineyard Wind 2, we can add nearly 3,800 more jobs and $2.3 billion in direct economic benefits – while delivering enough clean electricity to power 650,000 homes. Read all about it at vineyardoffshore.com/vineyardwind2.   THE RACE FOR CITY HALL NEW THIS MORNING — The Environmental League of Massachusetts Action Fund is endorsing Boston Mayor Michelle Wu for reelection. Wu is “the most ambitious and effective climate mayor of any major U.S. city, governing with science, data, and community at the center,” ELM Action Fund President Elizabeth Turnbull Henry said in a statement announcing the group’s support. Wu hasn’t made any formal reelection announcement yet (though she’s said she is running ), but she has already racked up endorsements from a handful of labor unions as potential challengers weigh their own bids. — “Somerville city councilor says he’s running for mayor, teeing up a possible challenge to two-term incumbent,” by Spencer Buell, The Boston Globe: “Jake Wilson isn’t wasting any time. With still nearly a year left before the election, the Somerville city councilor-at-large on Monday said he is running for mayor, the first person to publicly announce a run that would set up a potential challenge with current Mayor Katjana Ballantyne.” YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS HOUSE SHUFFLE — State Rep. Jerry Parisella hasn’t officially vacated his House seat, but the scramble to fill the rare (pending) vacancy is already on. Gov. Maura Healey tapped Parisella for a role as an associate justice of the District Court last month, setting up an eventual special election to take his place once he’s confirmed by the Governor’s Council (which could happen as soon as Wednesday). Hannah Bowen, an at-large city councilor in Beverly, is eyeing a bid . And now Medley Long III, a small business owner who previously served as president of the Greater Beverly Chamber of Commerce, is jumping in. “When I heard my friend Jerry would be stepping down to take a judgeship, I was proud and happy for him but concerned we would lose the compassionate and pragmatic leadership he has provided us for the past decade,” Long wrote in a letter addressed to “friends and neighbors.” “I’m running to build on that legacy while offering the energy and vision of a new generation of leadership.”   Billions in spending. Critical foreign aid. Immigration reform. The final weeks of 2024 could bring major policy changes. Inside Congress provides daily insights into how Congressional leaders are navigating these high-stakes issues. Subscribe today .     PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES — “Parking minimums topple in Somerville,” by Jennifer Smith, CommonWealth Beacon: “Somerville will now be the second city in Massachusetts to entirely do away with requirements that new developments be built with a minimum amount of parking. … In a Thursday night vote, the Somerville City Council passed the new zoning ordinance unanimously, though one councilor was not present. It joins Cambridge, which similarly rezoned in 2022, in waving away baseline parking requirements for new construction.” DAY IN COURT — “A state agency that issues student loans has sued thousands of borrowers,” Jenifer B. McKim and Camille Bugayong, GBH News: “The Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority has filed more than 3,300 lawsuits against borrowers in Massachusetts civil courts since 2015, and more than 1,300 of those in the past three years, according to data obtained by the GBH News Center for Investigative Reporting and analyzed by students from Boston University’s Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences’ SPARK! Program. MEFA has sued borrowers for debts ranging from as little as $2,500 to well over $100,000, according to publicly available lawsuits and interviews with borrowers. Their stories appear on Reddit with headlines like, ‘I’m being sued by MEFA’ and ‘Desperately seeking advice.’”   A message from Vineyard Offshore:     IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN — “David vs. Goliath: Mass. tries to even the playing field for decisions about energy infrastructure,” by Sabrina Shankman, The Boston Globe: “Decisions about where to locate energy facilities like power plants and substations can have a major impact on a community’s health and well-being. But in Massachusetts, those communities have rarely had a seat at the table. ... That David vs Goliath dynamic is poised to shift, thanks to the recently-passed state climate bill, which includes the creation of a new fund to provide community groups and environmental justice organizations with up to $150,000 in grant funds from the state.” FROM THE 413 — “A second Pittsfield High School staff member has been placed on administrative leave amid investigations,” by Greg Sukiennik, The Berkshire Eagle: “A Pittsfield High School staff member was put on administrative leave Friday as the result of an investigation by the Department of Children and Families, the superintendent said in a message to parents Monday afternoon. The staff member was not identified by name or title in Superintendent Joseph Curtis' notice. Curtis did not say what the DCF investigation is about.” THE LOCAL ANGLE — “After Massachusetts police officers were accused of sexual assault, city launches hotline to report cops for misconduct,” by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: “Worcester has launched a hotline for residents to report alleged misconduct by cops after the Department of Justice’s bombshell report about city police officers allegedly sexually assaulting women and other misconduct. The DOJ last week released a scathing report about the Worcester Police Department, alleging that the city and police department have committed civil rights violations.” — “Everett mayor declares victory over local paper, citing ‘deliberate, purposeful, relentless campaign’,” by Aidan Ryan and Izzy Bryars, The Boston Globe: “An emotional Mayor Carlo DeMaria of Everett on Monday declared victory in a long-running dispute with the Everett Leader Herald, a 139-year-old local paper that published unfounded allegations against him, resulting in a $1.1 million defamation settlement and the closure of the publication.” — “'Material support of terrorists': Massachusetts man exported technology to Iran, says FBI,” by Norman Miller, MetroWest Daily News: “Federal authorities arrested a Natick man on Monday after he allegedly sold U.S. technology that was later used in a fatal drone attack in Jordan that killed three U.S. soldiers.” excerpt: The arrests of Mahdi Mohammed Sadeghi, 42, of 85 Woodland Road, Natick, and Mohammad Abedini in Milan, Italy, are connected to a Jan. 28 attack at a U.S. military base, Tower 22, in Jordan, according to federal authorities. The attack killed three U.S. Army members — Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, Sgt. Breonna Moffett and Sgt. Kennedy Sanders — and injured 47 others. — “Brockton failed to spend state-mandated minimum on schools by $7M. How did this happen?,” by Christopher Butler, The Brockton Enterprise: “Brockton Public Schools failed to meet the state's mandated minimum school spending requirements last year by more than $7 million. Trish Boyer, interim CFO of the school department, said the district spent $7.2 million less than its legal minimum of $295 million in fiscal year 2024, and is now required to spend that money during the remaining six months of the current fiscal year.” — “Why Worcester’s new equity chief has hope for role with troubled past,” by Adam Bass, MassLive.   Write your own chapter in the new Washington. From the Lame Duck Congress Series to New Administration insights, POLITICO Pro delivers intelligence across 22+ policy areas to help you anticipate and navigate change. Discover how a Pro subscription empowers you. Learn more today .     HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH SPOTTED — at the White House Chanukah Party: Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action President Cindy Rowe, state Treasurer Deb Goldberg and former Ambassador to Spain and Andorra Alan Solomon. ALSO SPOTTED — at the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus Young Professionals Holiday Soirée at Carrie Nation: Linnea Walsh, MWPC Board of Directors; MWPC Executive Director Kat Cline; MWPC Political Action Committee Chair Shannon Montanez; state Rep. Sam Montaño; Tina Ascolillo of Rasky Partners; Kat Jarvis, MWPC PAC Board; and the Animal Rescue League of Boston’s Allison Blanck.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Joe Kaplan, Coley Walsh, Catherine Sanderson and Zachary Gavel.   A message from Vineyard Offshore: With a track record of working with local communities and building trusted partnerships, Vineyard Offshore is committed to a community-first approach to offshore wind development. Our next project, Vineyard Wind 2, will continue to grow the economic engine of offshore wind, generating over 3,000 job-years of employment and more than $1.6 billion in direct economic benefits for the Commonwealth. It will also supply enough clean electricity to power 650,000 New England homes and reduce carbon pollution by 2.1 million tons per year – the equivalent to taking 414,000 cars off the road. With this commitment, Massachusetts is set to lead the nation in harnessing the impact of offshore wind. Learn more at vineyardoffshore.com/vineyardwind2.   Want to make an impact? POLITICO Massachusetts has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Bay State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you’re promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness among this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com .   Follow us on Twitter Kelly Garrity @KellyGarrity3   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Ottawa Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters Follow us

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