A top House Democrat behind major gun reform legislation said the bill is still locked up in an inter-branch procedural dispute even as House Speaker Ronald Mariano said last week he wants his chamber to pass the bill by the end of the month.
Judiciary Committee Co-Chair Rep. Michael Day said he has “no idea” when his omnibus firearms bill will make it to the House floor for a vote. The legislation tackles unregistered ghost guns, illegal firearms, gun violence, and responds to a U.S. Supreme Court decision on licenses to carry publicly.
Day said he has not had any discussions with Senate leaders “at this stage” to resolve a procedural back-and-forth over what legislative committee will take possession of the bill for a public hearing.
The House tried to send it to the Judiciary Committee while the Senate instead wanted the Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee, chaired by Democrats Rep. Carlos González and Sen. Walter Timilty, to review the proposal.
“It’s a dispute between the chambers right now and that’s kind of where it sits, as far as I know,” Day told reporters outside of his office on Tuesday, hours before an electrical fire. “This bill, I think, is urgent to move quickly, given what’s going on in Massachusetts and the United States. We’re losing people on a daily basis right now. And the longer we sit on this bill, I think, the less service we’re doing to our constituents.”
Senate leaders said they are committed to holding a public hearing “as soon as next week” on all gun-related bills before the Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee.
“We must honor the many, many voices who have played a role in helping to craft the 47 gun bills currently referred to the committee, and ensure that all voices are heard before any decisions are made,” Senate Majority Leader Cynthia Creem, Judiciary Committee Co-Chair James Eldridge, and Timilty said in a joint statement.
The trio said they “hope” the House will agree with them and “join us” in holding a hearing on “all gun safety legislation next week.”
“We believe that the best way to ensure that our gun safety laws are comprehensive, thoughtful, and thoroughly vetted is to first allow for a full and open public hearing process that will lead to stronger laws to hold those who engage in crime accountable,” the statement said.
House Democrats have said they are exploring options to advance the bill before the August recess, even if it means bypassing the joint committee process and the need for a public hearing.
Representatives met privately on Monday and Tuesday near the House chamber where they heard a presentation from Day about the bill and were given the chance to ask questions about the legislation.
Rep. Ruth Balser, a Newton Democrat, said she was “not sure” about the next steps for the proposal.
“Several great steps have already happened, which is there were public hearings across the state,” Balser told reporters outside the State House. “All the stakeholders have met with legislators. Legislators have now been briefed. And so everyone’s kind of thinking about it and digesting it.”
Rep. Peter Durant, a Spencer Republican who is running for Senate, said Wednesday he is “adamantly against” the bill.
“Many of the provisions in the bill are ill-conceived and unconstitutional,” he said in a statement. “After reading and studying this bill, I see very little that would make this bill at all palatable to any lawful gun owner or sportsmen in the commonwealth.”
The House plans to meet next informally Thursday morning after an electrical fire scrapped plans to hold an informal session on Wednesday morning, a spokesperson for Mariano told the Herald. House leaders had previously advised of a potential full formal session where roll call votes can be taken.
Mariano said last week his original goal was to tee the bill up for a House vote before the August recess. He said there are several different options he can pick from to move the legislation forward.
“I’ll look at the different options that are at my disposal and have to pick one of them,” he said.