BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey took action Wednesday to immediately implement a sweeping new gun law that cracks down on privately made, unserialized “ghost guns,” criminalizes possession of bump stocks and trigger cranks and requires applicants for a gun license to complete live-fire training.
The new law was approved in July and was set to take effect later this month.
The action by Healey frustrates efforts by gun rights activists who had hoped to gather enough signatures to suspend the law before it took effect.
The law also expands the state’s “red flag” law to let police as well as health care and school officials alert the courts if they believe someone with access to guns poses a danger and should have their firearms taken away, at least temporarily.
“This gun safety law bans ghost guns, strengthens the Extreme Risk Protection Order statute to keep guns out of the hands of people who are a danger to themselves or others, and invests in violence prevention programs,” Healey said in a statement. “It is important that these measures go into effect without delay.”