Massachusetts H 1568: An Act to increase the safety of courthouses

Bill Text

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HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1898 FILED ON: 1/18/2023
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1568

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_________________
PRESENTED BY:
Daniel J. Hunt
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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act to increase the safety of courthouses.
_______________
PETITION OF:

NAME: DISTRICT/ADDRESS: DATE ADDED:
Daniel J. Hunt 13th Suffolk 1/18/2023

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HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1898 FILED ON: 1/18/2023
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1568
By Representative Hunt of Boston, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1568) of Daniel
J. Hunt for legislation to increase the safety of courthouses. The Judiciary.

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 1894 OF 2021-2022.]

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________
In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)
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An Act to increase the safety of courthouses.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:

1 SECTION 1. Section 10 of chapter 269 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2010
2 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding the following subsection after subsection (o) :-
3 (p) Whoever, not being a law enforcement officer in the performance of his official
4 duties, and notwithstanding any license obtained by him under the provisions of chapter one
5 hundred and forty, carries on his person a firearm as hereinafter defined, loaded or unloaded, in a
6 courthouse without written authorization of the trial court administrator and trial court chief
7 justice shall be punished by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars or by imprisonment for
8 not more than one year or both. For the purpose of this paragraph, “firearm” shall mean any
9 pistol, revolver, rifle, or smoothbore arm from which a shot, bullet, or pellet can be discharged
10 by whatever means.

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11 Whoever, not being a law enforcement officer in the performance of his official duties,
12 and notwithstanding any license obtained by him under the provisions of chapter one hundred
13 and forty, carries on his person a firearm as hereinafter defined, loaded or unloaded, in a
14 courthouse with the intent to use said firearm during the commission of a crime shall be punished
15 by imprisonment in the state prison nor more than five years or for not more than two and a half
16 years in a jail or house of correction or by a fine of not more than five thousand dollars or by
17 both imprisonment. For the purpose of this paragraph, “firearm” shall mean any pistol, revolver,
18 rifle, or smoothbore arm from which a shot, bullet, or pellet can be discharged by whatever
19 means.
20 Notice of the provisions of subsections (p) shall be posted conspicuously at each public
21 entrance to each courthouse.