Massachusetts Question 9 on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot asks voters whether to keep or repeal a 2024 state firearms law. Question 9 is a referendum on an existing law, so the meaning of the votes is reversed from the other questions: a “yes” vote keeps the law, and a “no” vote repeals it, according to the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s official voter information. This explainer summarizes what the law does and what each outcome means, drawing on official and news sources, and presents both sides’ stated arguments without endorsing either.
Massachusetts Question 9: What a Yes or No Vote Means
- A YES vote keeps the 2024 law in place. The state’s ballot summary says the law increases regulation of firearms, including ghost guns, machine guns and assault-style weapons.
- A NO vote repeals the law. WBUR reports that the rules on licensing, training and data collection added by the law would be rolled back, as would regulations around serializing home-assembled guns.
WBUR notes that repeal would not undo earlier state regulations: the pre-existing assault weapons ban would stand, licenses and safety training would still be required, family- or police-initiated red flag petitions would remain possible and the state would continue to track guns at the point of sale. The WBUR explainer describes Question 9 as the only referendum on this year’s ballot.
What the 2024 Law Does
The law is formally titled An Act Modernizing Firearm Laws. Gov. Maura Healey signed it in July 2024, and WBUR says she called it the state’s “most significant gun safety legislation in a decade.” The ballot summary says the House approved it on July 18, 2024, by a vote of 124 to 33, and the Senate approved it the same day by 35 to 5. Provisions listed in the official summary include:
- Penalties for possessing, creating or transferring untraceable “ghost gun” firearms, and serial numbers for all firearms except antiques and relics, including unfinished frames and receivers that can readily be made into a finished product. Privately made guns, including 3D-printed guns, fall under the ghost gun provisions.
- Changes to licensing: letting local licensing authorities request prior license and permit information from the state and see denied involuntary commitment petitions, requiring people to be 21 to own semiautomatic rifles or shotguns, adding possible jail time of up to six months for a second offense of failing to report a lost or stolen firearm, and allowing 12- to 15-year-olds to apply for a self-defense spray permit with parental permission (15- to 18-year-olds can apply independently).
- An expanded definition of “machine gun” that includes bump stocks, trigger cranks, Glock switches and auto sears, and an expanded definition of “silencer” that includes parts used to build one.
- Expanded options for who can ask a court for an Extreme Risk Protection Order, which can require a person to surrender firearms and licenses.
The summary above is condensed; the full ballot text is on the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s ballot questions page.
Why It Is on the Ballot
Under Massachusetts law, residents can gather signatures to put a new law to a referendum vote. WBUR reports the question is before voters because gun rights advocates began a referendum effort soon after the law was signed. NBC Boston, quoting an analyst, noted that the governor ruled the issue an emergency and the law took effect despite the effort. Gun rights advocates have also filed lawsuits arguing the law violates constitutional rights; WBUR notes that because of those legal challenges, a “yes” vote would not guarantee the new rules remain if courts rule differently.
Arguments Made by Each Side
NBC Boston’s ballot question guide publishes the arguments submitted for the voter guide. Ned Notis-McConarty, writing for Vote Yes for a Safe Massachusetts, argued that keeping the law keeps the state safer from gun violence and said it made updates including banning ghost guns, outlawing devices that convert semi-automatic weapons to machine guns, expanding tools to help prevent firearm suicide and mass shootings, and creating a firearms data dashboard.
Toby Leary, writing for The Civil Rights Coalition, argued that the law as implemented was “bureaucratic overreach,” saying tax money was spent on confusing new regulations in a state that already had some of the strictest gun laws in the country, and that state agencies have issued dozens of clarifications. These are the campaigns’ own claims, and this article has not independently verified them.
Tufts Now’s guide to the 2026 questions adds that it is too soon to know the full benefits and drawbacks of the 2024 law, noting that Massachusetts had relatively low levels of gun violence before 2024.
Voting Details and More Coverage
Election Day is Nov. 3. This article does not list early-voting or mail-ballot dates; the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s elections division is the official source. For the full ballot and race overview, see our report on the Massachusetts 2026 governor race and nine ballot questions and our midterm elections key dates guide. More local coverage is in our Boston news hub.