What Massachusetts HD.4420 Is and Why Some Want to Stop It

From one end of Massachusetts to the other, particularly in the more rural areas, there is a smattering of lawn signs calling for the defeat of Massachusetts HD.4420.

What is HD.4420, and what drives some people to organize in opposition to it?

According to the 193rd General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts website, HD.4420 is "An act modernizing firearms laws." The proposed legislation from Rep. Michael S. Day (D-Stoneham) was assigned to the House Judiciary Committee for discussion this fall.

A Senate version of the legislation is before the Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security.

Mary Serreze/Townsquare Media

StopHandgunViolence.org, a registered 501 (C)(3) organization, supports the legislation. The group says, "Firearms is the leading cause of death for children and teens."

The organization's website provides a "fact sheet" about the need for the legislation and asks readers to contact Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey and their legislative delegation to offer support for the bill's passage.

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Guns America Digest calls HD.4420 a "draconian gun bill" that "plans to reshape the Commonwealth's gun laws."

Gun Owners of America calls HD.4420, "The worst anti-Second Amendment omnibus bill in the whole nation." The group says, "Their bill, HD.4420, would ban more firearms than any other state in the entire country."

Sam Doran/SHNS

Massachusetts House Speaker Ronald Mariano had hoped to advance the legislation before the legislature's summer recess. In a statement obtained by State House News Service, Mariano told lawmakers, "While the House's commitment to pursuing a comprehensive update remains steadfast, a new legal landscape will be the greatest threat to those efforts."

Mariano further stated, "That is why the House believes that we must thoroughly evaluate all of the proposals made in [the legislation] over the summer and that House members must have the chance to continue to speak with their constituents and provide feedback."

Read more about HD.4420 so that you can see the proposed legislation and decide for yourself whether it has merit.

States Ranked by Gun Death Rates

Gun death rates per 100,000 are high in the U.S., and getting higher. Here's a list of states ranked by firearm safety, from lowest death rates to highest. Data for 2021 is from the CDC via Violence Policy Center.