Massachusetts gun owners face a registration deadline, while Idaho voters choose a state firearm

As voters get ready to cast their ballots in the upcoming U.S. elections, gun laws and firearm history have become important topics on state ballots. In Massachusetts, gun owners are rushing to meet an October 28 registration deadline. The deadline comes just six days before voters decide whether to repeal the law that created it. Meanwhile, in Idaho, voters are making a symbolic choice of their own. They are choosing an official state firearm from a list of six historic weapons. These different measures show how states across the United States are taking different approaches to gun ownership, regulation and local culture ahead of Election Day on November 3.Registration requirement in MassachusettsThe upcoming deadline in Massachusetts comes from House Bill 4885, also known as Chapter 135. Governor Maura Healey signed the wide-ranging gun law into effect. According to reporting by the Associated Press, the law created a required electronic system to track firearm ownership across the state. Under the law, gun owners must register all firearms that have not been recorded before. This includes grandfathered assault-style rifles. Owners must register these weapons through the state's ...