State Releases “Firearm-Related Activity” Report…6 Months Behind Schedule
The Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS) and the Legislature released the “Firearm-Related Activity” Report from EOPSS, yesterday (October 20th, 2026)…2 weeks before an election where voters have the opportunity to overturn the State’s 2024 gun control law. More than 6-months later than its due date of March 1. [See MGL ch. 6A § 18 ¾ (10)]
How convenient.
The report is being touted as proof that the implementation of Chapter 135 of the Acts of 2024 is a success and that violent, firearm-related crime is down as a direct result. The report shows the number of crimes committed with a gun in 2025 dropping almost 20% from the same period in 2024. (from 2,952 in 2024 to 2,373 in 2025). The problem for this argument is that overall, crimes committed with a gun had already been dropping since 2022.
However, incomplete reporting limits the Massachusetts results. Worcester submitted a full year of data for 2024 but only January’s data in 2025. Its reported firearm-related offenses consequently dropped from 291 to 33 drastically skewing the results of the report. Removing Worcester from both years reduces the calculated decline in the report’s broader firearm-related offense total from 17.1% to 13.7%. This adjustment does not resolve other reporting limitations.
Massachusetts is not an outlier – even with our strict gun control laws. According to the FBI, Violent crime, and firearm-related crime has been dropping across the United States since at least 2021. In 2025, violent crime was down 9.3% across the US, gun-related homicides were down 16.7%, aggravated assaults with guns were down 8.6%, and robberies committed with guns were down 18.3%. These numbers were pretty consistent with trends in Massachusetts making it pretty clear that Massachusetts simply participated in a wider decline in firearm violence across the US. Establishing Chapter 135’s contribution would require complete reporting, a MUCH longer timeline, and comparisons with jurisdictions experiencing national declines under different laws. The report establishes neither that Chapter 135 caused the improvement nor that it had no effect.
Additionally, some of Chapter 135’s more “impactful” provisions haven’t even been completely implemented, making it unlikely the law had much impact at all. These provisions include new training requirements that have not been completely implemented and registration requirements set to be enforced October 28th, 2026. It is yet to be determined what impact those provisions may have on the report due in 2028.
Finally, the confusing nature of some of Chapter 135’s new statutes present a conundrum for EOPSS in the coming years, should the law not be repealed in November. Nonviolent firearm-related crime has the potential to skyrocket due to administrative or paperwork violations. Issues like a lack of timely serialization, confusion regarding transportation and storage laws, or even simple possession laws are confusing, difficult to follow and have already resulted in a number of prosecutions of otherwise law-abiding and responsible gun owners. www.goal.org/legal
Don’t let the Commonwealth point to this report to show Chapter 135’s success, it doesn’t say any of that. Violent crime is down everywhere and has been going down for almost a decade.