Table of Contents
As a Medford resident, parent, licensed clinical social worker, and community member, I am writing to urge my neighbors across our city to vote YES on Ballot Question 9 this November.
Massachusetts has long been a national leader in public safety, resulting in some of the lowest gun violence rates in the country. In 2024, our state legislature passed landmark gun safety legislation (An Act Modernizing Firearm Laws) to keep pace with changing technology and protect our neighborhoods. Now, a repeal effort on the ballot threatens to dismantle these vital protections.
A YES vote on Question 9 protects common-sense, life-saving measures. The law explicitly prohibits firearms in polling places and government buildings, ensuring our community members and poll workers feel safe when exercising their democratic rights. It keeps untraceable "ghost guns" off our streets, bans devices that convert semi-automatic weapons into machine guns, strengthens licensing requirements, and expands "Red Flag" laws to prevent suicides and mass violence before they happen. As a mental health professional who is now covered under this expansion of the Red Flag law, I know firsthand how critical it is to have proactive tools to help individuals in crisis and keep our families and communities safe.
We cannot afford to roll back progress that keeps our Medford schools, public spaces, and neighborhoods safe. Please join me in protecting our state’s gun safety laws by voting YES on Question 9.
Erin Dowd – Medford
