Press Statement  AG Healey Statement on Court Decision Upholding Massachusetts Firearm Licensing Law

Boston — Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey today issued the following statement on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit decision upholding Massachusetts’ firearms licensing law.

“In Massachusetts, we know that strong gun laws save lives,” said AG Healey. “The Court’s decision to uphold Massachusetts’ firearms licensing law will allow my office and our partners in law enforcement to continue the important work of reducing gun violence and protecting public safety.”  

The case Gould v. O’Leary involves a Second Amendment challenge to Massachusetts’ firearms licensing law as it has been implemented by law enforcement agencies in Boston and Brookline. As the Court explained, “The problems associated with gun violence are grave. Shootings cut short tens of thousands of American lives each year. Massachusetts has made a reasoned attempt to reduce the risks of gun violence on public streets: it has democratically adopted a firearms licensing statute that takes account of the heightened needs of some individuals to carry firearms for self-defense and balances those needs against the demands of public safety. The Boston and Brookline policies fit seamlessly with these objectives.”