Legislation to “preserve second amendment rights for medical marijuana patients” has been scheduled for a hearing in the Massachusetts Legislature.
Senate Bill 1514 was filed in February by Senator Ryan Fattman (R), and it was subsequently assigned to the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security. After sitting dormant for over nine months, the measure has been scheduled for a hearing on November 28, starting at 11am.
The official text of Senate Bill 1514 states:
Section 131 of Chapter 140 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is hereby amended in subsection (i) of paragraph (d) by inserting after the words “violation of said Chapter 94C” the words :- “Provided, however, that the state of Massachusetts and its approved licensing bodies may not deny an otherwise qualified applicant for a license to carry or a firearm identification card solely on the basis of the applicant being a lawful holder of a medical marijuana patient license”
In Arkansas legislation providing explicit gun rights to medical marijuana patients went into effect earlier this year. A similar measure was approved by Maine’s full legislature in June.
On the federal level, US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says that provisions allowing for marijuana expungements and providing gun rights to medical marijuana patients will be included in a federal marijuana banking bill that will be voted on “very soon“.
