The governor of Massachusetts is implementing the new gun law weeks earlier than planned

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey quickly signed a new gun law into law on Wednesday that not only cracks down on deinialized “ghost guns” and attachments like stop stocks and trigger cranks, but also requires applicants to demonstrate basic safety principles and practice shooting with a sharp weapon before they are admitted and receive a firearms license.

State lawmakers passed gun reform legislation in July that was expected to take effect later this month, at a time when the deep blue state already has some of the strictest gun laws in the country.

The Associated Press reported that gun rights advocates were working to collect enough signatures to suspend the law before it took effect.

But rather than wait for the law to take effect on October 23, or 90 days after the governor signed it, Healey decided to put the law into effect immediately, blocking any temporary suspension of the law sought by gun rights advocates.

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Ghost guns can be seen. (Luiz C. Ribeiro Archive/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)

“This gun safety law bans ghost guns, strengthens the Extreme Risk Protection Order law to prevent guns from ending up in the hands of people who pose a danger to themselves or others, and invests in violence prevention programs,” Healey said in a statement. “It is important that these measures come into force immediately.”

The new law expands the state's “red flag” law, which allows police, health and school officials to alert the courts if they believe someone with access to guns is a threat and their firearms should be temporarily confiscated .

Gun rights advocates called the law a “historic attack on our civil liberties,” adding that it imposes unnecessary hurdles on those who are law-abiding citizens and want to own a gun.

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Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey speaks during a meeting at the State House. (Stuart Cahill/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)

Gun rights advocates have also sought to suspend the law and place a referendum on a ballot in 2026 to give voters a chance to repeal the measure.

To suspend the law's effective date, gun rights advocates had to collect at least 49,716 signatures from registered voters.

The law was enacted in part in response to the Supreme Court's 2022 Bruen decision, which declared that citizens have the right to carry firearms in public for self-defense.

Gun rights advocates also filed a federal lawsuit arguing that the Massachusetts law was unconstitutional, characterizing it as “burdensome firearms legislation that imposes sweeping gun bans, magazine restrictions, registration requirements and licensing requirements that are as burdensome as they are ahistorical.”

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Ghost guns are displayed at a police station. (AP Photo/Haven Daley, File)

The lawsuit asks the courts to issue a preliminary injunction to prevent the state from enforcing “onerous licensing requirements for the possession and carrying of firearms for self-defense.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the Gun Owners' Action League of Massachusetts regarding Healey's implementation of the gun reform law.

Healey's action Wednesday makes it illegal for people not involved in law enforcement to carry guns in schools, polling places and government buildings.

The law also requires anyone applying for a license to carry firearms to demonstrate a basic understanding of safety principles and provides relevant mental health information to local licensing authorities.

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District attorneys can also prosecute people who shoot at or near homes and ensure that people subject to a restraining order no longer have access to guns.

Additionally, the new law expands the definition of “assault weapons” to include known assault weapons and other weapons that function similarly. It also prohibits the possession, transfer or sale of large-capacity assault firearms or feeders.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.