The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms has taken direct action regarding proposed training mandates in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, by sending a letter to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS), opposing the requirements.

CCRKBA board member John Petrolino’s letter reminds John H. Melander, Jr. at the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security in Boston that such a training requirement is unlikely to pass constitutional muster.

“There are no training mandates in order to exercise any other civil liberties enumerated by the U.S. Bill of Rights, and the Second Amendment should not be treated like a second class right,” Petrolino wrote.

The EOPSS is set to conduct a public hearing on June 4 to gather comments, ideas, and information concerning the live fire component of the Basic Safety Firearms Course. CCRKBA believes these training requirements present unnecessary barriers that infringe on the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens.

The Massachusetts constitution states, “The people have a right to keep and to bear arms for the common defense. And as, in time of peace, armies are dangerous to liberty, they ought not to be maintained without the consent of the legislature; and the military power shall always be held in an exact subordination to the civil authority, and be governed by it.”

“There is not a lot of wiggle room in the state constitution,” said CCRKBA Managing Director Andrew Gottlieb. “I encourage our members in Massachusetts to attend this hearing and identify themselves when they comment. With their actions, together we can make meaningful changes to protect our rights”.

The Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS) will conduct a public hearing for the purposes of gathering comments, ideas, and information concerning the live fire component of the Basic Safety Firearms Course required by the new firearms law, An Act Modernizing Firearm Laws, Chapter 135 of the Acts of 2024. Specifically, Section 152 of the Act requires the Secretary of Public Safety and Security to “study and report to the legislature on recommendations to ensure the effective implementation of live fire training required pursuant to section 131P of chapter 140 of the General Laws. Prior to filing its report, EOPSS must host (2) public hearings to solicit public input regarding the implementation of the live fire training requirement.

To access the meeting please click here.

To join hearing #2 via telephone (audio only), dial 857-327-9245 and use the following conference ID: 327430235#, and password: sE9jN6hG. If you are joining by computer, you may need to allow extra time to download Microsoft Teams.

Submission of Comments: Written comments or testimony in advance of the hearing are welcome and may be submitted by e-mail to John.Melander@mass.gov with a subject line stating, “Live Fire Comment” or by mail to the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, One Ashburton Place, Room 2133, Boston, MA 02108, attention John H. Melander, Jr. Comments received after June 4, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. may not be accepted. All persons desiring to be heard on this matter should join the virtual hearings, and participants shall conduct themselves as if attending the hearing in-person.