Why It Matters: A multi-year fight, going back to June 26, 2023, is coming to a head this November as Massachusetts citizens look to repeal Chapter 135 – An Act Modernizing Firearm Laws, signed into law in 2024, to restore their rights as law-abiding citizens. The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) engaged in strong opposition to all the iterations (HB 4420, HB 4607, HB 4139 and HB 4885) which eventually culminated in a slimmed down version of the original 142-page assault on Bay Staters’ Second Amendment rights.
Highlights:
- More than 100,000 signatures were collected to place the repeal of Chapter 135 on the November ballot.
- Chapter 135 was signed into law under an Emergency Preamble on July 25, 2024.
- The original 142-page bill was reduced to a 116-page law that was truly no better than the original iteration. Many of the provisions that were stripped were to protect and allow law enforcement to conduct their duties, while turning law-abiding citizens into criminals almost overnight. The many versions were simply a wish list of gun control measures that were given no serious critical thought, leaving enforcement officials confused on how to enforce many of the provisions in the first place.
2026 has seen its share of Second Amendment and sporting community ups and downs, both at the federal and state levels. From the US Supreme Court striking down Hawaii’s “Vampire Rule” to (most recently) the New Jersey Supreme Court overturning an unconstitutional “assault” weapons ban, juxtaposed to the aggressive, and unconstitutional overreach in Virginia that kept CSF and the Virginia Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus busy throughout the session.
Now, Massachusetts citizens will have the opportunity to take matters into their own hands on November 3, 2026, when they can vote to repeal Chapter 135 via ballot question #9 with a NO vote. Citizens supporting the repeal are actually voting against keeping Chapter 135, which is why (despite the counterintuitive nature) a NO vote is required for repeal.
What would Bay Staters and non-resident (sorry out-of-staters, no vote for you, but call your friends and loved ones!) sportsmen and women see restored to pre-Chapter 135? Several issues identified by CSF include limits to the type of firearms and ammunition feeding devices allowed, nonresident hunting restrictions, new firearm identification card regulations with a written portion and live fire segment, and age restrictions for semiautomatic modern hunting firearms, just to name a few.
If the effort is successful in repealing Chapter 135, non-resident sportsmen and women would see relief from Massachusetts’s confusing and cumbersome permitting requirements so that they can enjoy time afield in some of New England’s most beautiful woods and waterways. MassWildlife would benefit from not seeing a decrease in non-resident license sales from out-of-staters who may simply choose not to hunt due to the burdensome and confusing changes. Additionally, MassWildlife’s R3 efforts would be improved with less barriers to entry, especially for those under the age of 21 years.
For a bill that should have never seen the light of day, which was passed under dubious circumstances, and a clear violation of constitutional rights, this amazing opportunity to right the wrongs of the past is at hand and voters should turn out in droves and MASSes for this issue!
CSF looks forward to working with the leadership and members of the Massachusetts Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus, our friends at Gun Owner’s Action League (G.O.A.L.) and The Civil Rights Coalition, and our national firearms partners to get an overwhelming turnout of the sporting and conservation community on November 3!