I am a busy mom of three young children with limited time for myself, but I am dedicating some of that time to help steer the Jewish Partnership for Gun Safety (JPGS).

JPGS is a collaborative alliance of members of three local synagogues (Temple Isaiah of Lexington, Temple Aliyah of Needham, and our synagogue) that seeks to educate and activate the Jewish community and its allies to prevent gun violence through the Vote Yes for a Safe Massachusetts campaign. There are a few reasons this campaign speaks to me.

In 1999, I reported on the Columbine high school shooting for my school newspaper when I was a high school student in Massachusetts. That shooting felt like the beginning of a very unfortunate trend of school shootings in our country. Advocating for gun safety laws feels like the least I can do to try to prevent as many school shootings as possible. I wish we lived in a world where there were none.

I have followed closely the rise in Jew hate worldwide following the attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023. Sadly, we have witnessed multiple incidents of violence against Jewish Americans, and some of those incidents have involved guns. For the safety of my family and other Massachusetts residents, I have an interest in Massachusetts continuing to have the most stringent gun safety laws.

I am guessing that I am not alone in appreciating the security measures that are in place at our synagogue. My family and I feel safe to attend school, socialize and pray at our synagogue. The gun safety laws in Massachusetts are part of the framework that makes this possible.

The lives of Massachusetts residents will be at stake in the November 2026 state election. That was the takeaway from the Zoom information session about Massachusetts’ effective gun laws and how to protect them hosted by JPGS on June 23.

Members of the three synagogues involved in JPGS heard from Ruth Zakarin, CEO of the MA Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence (Coalition) and MA Action to Prevent Gun Violence (MassAction), and Janet Goldenberg, co-founder of the Coalition and president of MassAction and a Temple Beth Elohim member.

Ruth explained that the Coalition works to end gun violence in Massachusetts in myriad ways, including supporting community violence intervention work, community organizing and education, and importantly, advocating to strengthen our life-saving gun laws. The Coalition recently formed MassAction to help expand the Coalition’s advocacy work. With our gun laws under threat by the NRA on the November 2026 ballot, Ruth and Janet helped stand up the Vote Yes for a Safe Massachusetts Campaign Committee to educate and mobilize people to vote to uphold the gun laws at issue on the November 2026 ballot.

Ruth gave an overview of the root causes of gun violence and explained that with effective gun regulation, the rate of gun violence decreases. With support from the Coalition, Massachusetts passed legislation in 2024 that among other things, regulates the sale of ghost guns, requires a live fire test before someone can obtain a gun license, and enhances data collection and tracking of gun use in the Commonwealth.

Ghost guns are guns without serial numbers made by the consumer from kits sold directly to the consumer by gun manufacturers. Ruth noted that these types of guns, designed to bypass existing gun laws, are untraceable, often are used to commit crimes and often are used by white supremacists.

Following the passage of the 2024 laws regulating ghost guns, the NRA’s local affiliate, the Gun Owners Action League (GOAL), sought a ballot initiative to repeal these laws in the November 2026 state election.

Janet shared some examples of the misinformation GOAL is disseminating as part of its campaign to encourage people to vote to overturn the gun laws. GOAL is calling its advocacy group the Civil Rights Coalition and presenting the decision in the ballot referendum as the “false choice between rights and safety.” Janet explained that the 2024 laws do not limit anyone’s Second Amendment rights and do not threaten to take away the guns of any licensed gunowners. Instead, they ensure that Massachusetts continues to be a leader in gun regulation for other states by regulating ghost guns the same way other guns are currently regulated and providing other helpful protections.

Janet emphasized that in Massachusetts, “we are standing between safety and a flood of unserialized ghost guns,” because if the laws are overturned in Massachusetts, the NRA would use it as leverage to convince other states not to enact such laws.

Perhaps you also feel motivated to protect the gun safety laws in Massachusetts. If you are interested in learning more, please reserve the afternoon of October 19 on your calendar for the next JPGS event! More details to come.

Please feel free to contact Beth Kramer at bkramer26avery@gmail.com or me at steinjf@gmail.com to learn more and get involved.