H2672 (2026): Firearm Industry Accountability and Victims' Access to Justice

What the Bill Would Do

House Bill 2672 would create a new Chapter 110I and a firearm-industry standard of responsible conduct.^[1] It would require reasonable controls and prohibit specified product design, sale, and marketing practices that foreseeably promote illegal conversion or target minors or prohibited persons.

The bill applies to firearm-industry members, defined to include manufacturers, distributors, importers, marketers, and wholesale or retail sellers. It creates private and Attorney General civil actions for violations. Chapter 93A compliance is one required duty, but the filed bill does not create a public-nuisance cause of action.

Current Status

H2672 was reported favorably by the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security and referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means on January 27, 2026^[2]. Referral to Ways and Means indicates the bill has a fiscal impact that needs evaluation — likely related to potential state enforcement costs and court system impacts. A companion Senate bill, S1653, was sent to a study order and is effectively dead this session, making H2672 the sole vehicle for this policy.

What to Watch

Ways and Means referral is often where ambitious bills stall, but the favorable committee report is a strong signal of legislative intent. The firearm industry will lobby aggressively against this bill, arguing that PLCAA preempts state-level liability expansion. As filed, the bill already includes both mechanisms. Section 5(a) creates a private civil action for anyone harmed by a violation, and Section 5(b) authorizes an Attorney General enforcement action, with injunctive relief, compensatory and punitive damages, and attorney's fees available. Massachusetts already has strong consumer protection statutes under Chapter 93A; the question is how this bill would interact with that existing framework.