Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley Endorses Vote Yes For a Safe Massachusetts

 Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley Endorses Vote Yes For a Safe Massachusetts

Wednesday, June 10, Boston – Today, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) endorsed the Vote Yes For a Safe Massachusetts campaign, the effort to protect Massachusetts’ life-saving 2024 gun violence prevention law from repeal.

“Massachusetts is a national leader when it comes to gun violence prevention. I’m proud of the work we have done – alongside leaders and partners at the federal, state, and local level – to drive down rates of gun violence in communities across the MA-07 and around the Commonwealth,” said Representative Pressley. “I’m also clear-eyed that there is more work to do to break cycles of trauma and ensure every person, in every community can live truly free from the fear of gun violence. That work requires building on the progress we’ve made already – we cannot go backwards. I’m proud to support Vote Yes For a Safe Massachusetts and help protect proven violence prevention efforts.”

Massachusetts' existing law creates stronger protections against “ghost guns” – firearms that can be built at home that previously did not need to be registered by the state – modernizes red flag laws when an individual poses a potential threat to themselves or others, and strengthens Massachusetts violence prevention programs. A group of gun extremists – backed by the gun lobby and the state arm of the NRA – are seeking to repeal the law in its entirety and stop critical, ongoing efforts to make every community in Massachusetts safer.    

“Both in the U.S. House of Representatives and during her time as a Boston City Councilor, Congresswoman Pressley has been a champion for efforts to prevent gun violence and support survivors,” said Ruth Zakarin, Chair of the Vote Yes For a Safe Massachusetts campaign. “She has brought deep compassion and relentless determination to the work of keeping our communities safe and addressing the root causes of violence. We are grateful to have her partnership in the fight to preserve Massachusetts’ existing violence prevention laws, which are already saving lives.” 

In Congress, Representative Pressley has introduced the Making America Safe and Secure (MASS) Act, which would incentivize states to adopt gun-licensing standards similar to those proven effective in Massachusetts. She is a member of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force and she helped pass H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019, and H.R. 1112, the Enhanced Background Checks Act, to help keep guns out of the hands of those seeking to do harm.  

On Election Day, November 3, voters in Massachusetts will have the choice between maintaining life-saving gun violence protections, or eliminating those protections and leaving our communities less safe. Vote YES For a Safe Massachusetts.