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| 2 | 2 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 4138 FILED ON: 1/17/2025 |
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| 3 | 3 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2597 |
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| 4 | 4 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 5 | 5 | | _________________ |
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| 6 | 6 | | PRESENTED BY: |
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| 7 | 7 | | David F. DeCoste |
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| 8 | 8 | | _________________ |
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| 9 | 9 | | To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General |
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| 10 | 10 | | Court assembled: |
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| 11 | 11 | | The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill: |
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| 12 | 12 | | An Act relative to the definition of law enforcement officers as pertaining to possession of |
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| 13 | 13 | | firearms. |
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| 14 | 14 | | _______________ |
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| 15 | 15 | | PETITION OF: |
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| 16 | 16 | | NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:David F. DeCoste5th Plymouth1/17/2025Mackenzie Slocumb1/17/2025 1 of 2 |
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| 17 | 17 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 4138 FILED ON: 1/17/2025 |
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| 18 | 18 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2597 |
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| 19 | 19 | | By Representative DeCoste of Norwell, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2597) of |
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| 20 | 20 | | David F. DeCoste and Mackenzie Slocumb for legislation to further regulate the possession of |
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| 21 | 21 | | firearms by law enforcement officers. Public Safety and Homeland Security. |
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| 22 | 22 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 23 | 23 | | _______________ |
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| 24 | 24 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court |
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| 25 | 25 | | (2025-2026) |
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| 26 | 26 | | _______________ |
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| 27 | 27 | | An Act relative to the definition of law enforcement officers as pertaining to possession of |
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| 28 | 28 | | firearms. |
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| 29 | 29 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
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| 30 | 30 | | of the same, as follows: |
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| 31 | 31 | | 1 SECTION 1. Section 71 of chapter 135 of the Acts of 2024 is hereby amended by |
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| 32 | 32 | | 2striking out subsection (e) in its entirety and inserting in place thereof the following:- |
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| 33 | 33 | | 3 (e) This section shall not apply to transfer or possession by: (i) a qualified law |
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| 34 | 34 | | 4enforcement officer or a qualified retired law enforcement officer, as defined in the Law |
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| 35 | 35 | | 5Enforcement Officers Safety Act of 2004, 18 U.S.C. sections 926B and 926C, respectively, as |
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| 36 | 36 | | 6amended; (ii) a law enforcement officer as defined by MGL Chapter 6E, Section 1 or in Code of |
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| 37 | 37 | | 7Massachusetts Regulations 550 CMR 3.02, (iii) a federal, state or local law enforcement agency; |
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| 38 | 38 | | 8or (iv) a federally licensed manufacturer solely for sale or transfer in another state or for export. |
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| 39 | 39 | | 9 SECTION 2. Section 122 of chapter 135 of Acts of 2024 is hereby amended by striking |
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| 40 | 40 | | 10out the section in its entirety and inserting in its place thereof the following:- 2 of 2 |
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| 41 | 41 | | 11 Section 122. Said section 10 of said section 269, as so appearing, is hereby further |
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| 42 | 42 | | 12amended by striking out, in line 170, the words “law enforcement officer” and inserting in place |
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| 43 | 43 | | 13thereof the following words:- a law enforcement officer as defined by MGL Chapter 6E, Section |
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| 44 | 44 | | 141, a qualified law enforcement officer or a qualified retired law enforcement officer, as defined |
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| 45 | 45 | | 15in the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act of 2004, 18 U.S.C. sections 926B and 926C, |
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| 46 | 46 | | 16respectively, as amended. |
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| 47 | 47 | | 17 SECTION 3. Section 124 of chapter 135 of the Acts of 2024 is hereby amended by |
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| 48 | 48 | | 18striking out paragraph (5) in its entirety and inserting in its place thereof the following:- |
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| 49 | 49 | | 19 (5) This subsection shall not apply to a law enforcement officer as defined by MGL |
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| 50 | 50 | | 20Chapter 6E, Section 1, a qualified law enforcement officer or a qualified retired law enforcement |
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| 51 | 51 | | 21officer, as defined in the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act of 2004, 18 U.S.C. sections 926B |
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| 52 | 52 | | 22and 926C, respectively, as amended or to a security guard employed at the prohibited area while |
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| 53 | 53 | | 23at the location of their employment and during the course of their employment. Nothing in this |
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| 54 | 54 | | 24paragraph shall limit the authority of any municipality, county or department, division, |
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| 55 | 55 | | 25commission, board, agency or court of the commonwealth to adopt policies further restricting the |
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| 56 | 56 | | 26possession of firearms in areas under their control. |
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