Ballot 2026 Series
Firearms Regulation
Ballot Measure 9 seeks to repeal the 2024-gun law: An Act Modernizing Firearms Laws (H.4885): A "Yes" vote will ensure that it remains the law in Massachusetts, while a "No" vote will repeal it.
By Julian Troake. Published Sept. 7, 2026.
Background
In July 2024, Governor Maura Healey signed into law An Act Modernizing Firearms Laws (H.4885). The final law outlawed untraceable ghost guns, updated Massachusetts’ red flag laws, revised the state’s ban on assault weapons, and restricted the ability to carry firearms in some public spaces.
Overwhelming Democratic support
The new gun restrictions received large Democratic majority votes in both the State House and Senate. The Senate voted in favor by 35-5 and the House supported it by134-23 votes.
Gun lobby pushback
A group that calls itself the Civil Rights Coalition, was formed immediately after the bill was signed to attempt to repeal the new law. They managed to collect the required signatures to get Question 9 on to this year’s ballot. The organization is working to repeal Chapter 135, citing on its website the “dangerous precedents it sets which have the potential to reach far beyond the Second Amendment and threaten all Civil Rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution.”
Pros/cons
The ballot initiative seeks to repeal the law claiming it is overbroad in both privacy and due process terms—and that it infringes on the rights of legitimate gun owners.
(Smith & Wesson and a number of local gun ranges and sports clubs are the major contributors.)
Supporters of House Bill 4885 say that it helps to keep Massachusetts citizens safe from gun violence.
Do we want machine guns, sawn-off shotguns, and ghost guns on our streets in the hands of dangerous criminals? They would add that basic gun training improves the safety of legitimate gun owners and restrictions on the types of weapons that can be carried near schools and hospitals will keep us all safer.
Summary
A "Yes" vote retains this commonsense law that improves gun safety in Massachusetts.
A "No" vote would repeal House Bill 4885 and could permit citizens to obtain such undesirable weapons as AK-47s and similar dangerous firearms.
Author Recommendation
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Julian Troake is a Boxford resident and the treasurer of the BoxfordDems.
Subscriber recommendation
Total consensus - 18 thumbs up.
BoxfordDems Ballot-Measure Series
The BoxfordDems Ballot 2026 Series is our attempt at providing brief overviews of the various certified Massachusetts ballot initiatives as they pertain to our immediate region.
Overview of Ballot-Initiative Process (Christina Eckert)
Question 1
Expand Public Records Requirements for the Legislature and Governor’s Office? (Ellen Mandel)
Question 2
Permit Collective Bargaining for PCS Employees? (Christina Eckert)
Question 3
Adopt Top-Two State Primary Elections? (Terri Teleen)
Question 4
Permit Same-Day Voter Registration? (Eleanor Grigg Schoenberg)
Question 5
Change State Tax Revenue Limit Initiative? (Christina Eckert)
Question 6
Establish Nature-for-All Fund? (Jessica Grigg)
Question 7
Set Minimum Limit on Required Lot Size for Single-Family Homes? (Terri Teleen)
Question 8
Recriminalize Adult Recreational Use Marijuana? (Adam Steiner) (link)
Question 9
Uphold 2024 Act Modernizing Firearms Laws? (Julian Troake)
The graphic above represents our subscribers’ vote recommendations. The recommendations are also available as a PDF document, which is available for download here.
Opinions expressed in the series do not necessarily represent those of the Boxford Democratic Town Committee and should not be considered to be Committee endorsements of a particular policy or initiative. They are provided to promote healthy discussion and help voters make informed decisions at the ballot box
