Overview

• Republican attorneys general from 25 states filed an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to take the case and reverse a March decision by Massachusetts’ highest court.
• The dispute arises from Philip Marquis, a New Hampshire resident charged after a 2022 crash in Lowell, whose dismissed unlicensed-carry charge was reinstated by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.
• The coalition argues the Second Amendment protects travelers across state lines under Bruen, saying Massachusetts’ nonresident licensing process is burdensome and constitutionally suspect.
• Massachusetts requires a state-issued license or FID, warns nonresident temporary licenses may take up to 90 days, and treats unlicensed carry as a felony with a mandatory minimum 18-month sentence.
• Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell vowed to defend the law as consistent with public safety, while the Supreme Court has not yet decided whether to hear the case.