Republican attorneys general filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court, asking it to overturn Massachusetts’ firearm licensing requirements for nonresidents.
Last week, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti and 24 other attorneys general submitted their brief in the Marquis v. Commonwealth of Massachusetts case.
This case involves Philip Marquis, a New Hampshire resident, who got into a car accident while in Massachusetts. At the accident, Marquis was arrested and charged in Massachusetts after telling law enforcement he was carrying a legally owned firearm without a state license.
In Massachusetts, non-residents are required to receive a temporary license for transporting firearms or ammunition within the state.
After being charged with unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, Marquis filed a motion to dismiss, saying this criminal charge violated his Second Amendment right. He cited the Supreme Court’s N.Y. State Rifle & Pistol Ass’n v. Bruen decision in 2022, which overturned New York’s law criminalizing owning a firearm without a license.
A state district court dismissed Marquis’ criminal case, but after appeal, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court reinstated his criminal case.
In the amicus brief, the attorneys general laid out several concerns regarding the state’s non-resident firearm license requirements.
The brief stated Massachusetts’ permitting process for nonresidents involves long delays, ranging from 40 to 170 days, and high fees.
Furthermore, the attorney general argued a historical precedent does not exist for preventing nonresidents from transporting or possessing firearms while traveling through a state.
On top of all this, the Republicans noted constitutional rights guaranteed by the Second and 14th amendments can’t be based on someone’s geographic location.
“Tennesseans’ Second Amendment rights don’t just disappear when they visit Massachusetts,” Skrmetti said.
He added that no American should face “criminal charges for simply exercising their constitutional rights while traveling.”
“Massachusetts’ licensing regime treats nonresidents as second-class citizens by imposing arbitrary and excessive restrictions, and it contradicts both historical tradition and Supreme Court precedent,” he explained. “We joined this brief to defend the principle that constitutional rights travel with every American—not just within their home state, but throughout the entire country.”
– – –
Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network. Email tips to Zachery at [email protected].
Yet Skrmetti and Governor Bill Lee to continue to support enforcing unconstitutional gun control statutes against Tennesseans. Has anyone asked them why ? ( on camera )
here is the link to the constitutional ruling they APPEALED !
https://tennesseefirearms.com/2025/08/overwhelming-support-for-the-trial-court-ruling-striking-down-2-tennessee-gun-control-statutes-as-unconstitutional/