Supporters of these efforts must Collect tens of thousands of signatures by early October to get a question on the 2026 ballot that will let voters decide whether to keep the law or repeal it. If they collect enough signatures, they could potentially have the law suspended in the meantime.
A day after Healey officially signed the bill, the Gun Owners’ Action League, a Massachusetts-based gun rights advocacy group, announced it would put a referendum on the ballot. Jim Wallace, the group’s executive director, raised a number of concerns about the bill, including that it would make it harder for licensed gun dealers to operate and make it harder for residents to obtain new gun licenses.
“We will take every possible action to prevent this, because this is undoubtedly the worst attack on civil liberties in modern US history,” he said.
The group has said it plans to challenge the sweeping law on themes. So far, they have filed a lawsuit in federal court claiming the licensing and training portions of the law violated the Constitution. Other organizations working with them also plan to file lawsuits, the group said.
The referendum petition process officially began Thursday when Mike Harris, the group’s public policy director, delivered 10 signatures from registered voters to the secretary of state’s office, according to Debra O’Malley, a spokeswoman for the office that oversees the state’s elections. The attorney general’s office must prepare a summary of the law to be printed on the petitions, after which the elections office has 14 days to print them.
Supporters of the petition, which Wallace said is being organized by a special campaign committee, have until Oct. 9 to submit signatures to local officials to have the petition appear on the 2026 ballot. If they want to suspend the law before it appears on the ballot, they must submit at least 49,716 signatures. However, Healey could also decide to an “emergency preamble” to the bill within 30 days of her signing, which would make the law take effect immediately and prevent it from being suspended. If she does, supporters would need at least 37,287 signatures for it to appear on the ballot, O’Malley said.
“In Massachusetts, strong gun laws save lives. That’s why we’ve come together to pass our state’s most significant gun safety law in a decade,” said Jillian Fennimore, a spokeswoman for Healey. “We’re confident Massachusetts voters will support this effort to keep our neighbors, our communities and our state safe.”
Rep. Michael Day, a Democrat from Stoneham who sponsored the weapon Legislation in the House of Representatives, lawmakers said had prepared for legal challenges from opponents during the drafting process.
“We believe we are on solid legal and constitutional ground here. It is in the tradition of what we have always done here in Massachusetts,” he said after an event at the State House to celebrate the passage of the law.
“I think the vast, vast, overwhelming majority of residents here understand what we are doing today and agree with what we are doing today to make us safer,” he added.
In addition to the vast majority of state lawmakers, numerous gun control advocates and statewide police groups supported the bill, including the Massachusetts police chief.
A similar attempt to repeal a law by referendum occurred two years ago after the state passed a law that would allow illegal residents to obtain a driver’s license. Then-Governor Charlie Baker vetoed the law, but the legislature overrode his opposition. Opponents of the driver’s license law then launched a successful last-minute attempt to let voters decide its fate. Those voters ultimately decided to leave the law in force.
Toby Leary, co-owner of Cape Gun Works, who helped organize the referendum petition, said he wanted to give people angry about the law an opportunity to voice their feelings and “let the people of Massachusetts decide whether or not we should have our rights taken away.” He plans to turn his Hyannis gun shop into an organizing center for the initiative, where supporters can pick up and drop off petitions.
“This is a really good opportunity for voters in Massachusetts who feel like their vote doesn’t count in this state to really make a big difference in the end,” he said.
You can reach Anjali Huynh at [email protected].
