MASSACHUSETTS — Gov. Maura Healey on Tuesday held a ceremonial signing of what her administration describes as the state's most significant gun safety legislation in a decade. Known as 'An Act Modernizing Firearms Law,' it cracks down on homemade ghost guns, strengthens red flag laws and expands the definition of an assault weapon.

It also prohibits possession, transfer or sale of “assault-style” firearms or large capacity feeding devices. 

"As technologies advance, our laws need to advance with them," Healey said Tuesday. "We're taking action to strengthen our red flag law because it's our duty to ensure that guns aren't in the hands of people who are a danger to themselves or to others. We take action today to invest resources in our communities because gun violence is a public health crisis."

The legislation also prohibits the issuance of a license to carry a machine gun except for firearms instructors and collectors, while criminalizing the possession of parts intended to make weapons more lethal by adding them to the machine gun statute. 

But the Gun Owners Action League is sharing what they call 'serious concerns' over the legislation.

"This is a dark day in American history, and I don't think people will grasp it for quite a while," said GOAL's Executive Director Jim Wallace. "They have no idea what they passed. They don't. Literally. It's the worst attack on civil rights in modern U.S. history. And that's not a clickbait line."

Wallace says this will impact between 600,000 and 700,000 lawful residents in the state. He also says the law changes the curriculum for hopeful gun owners trying to take the proper courses.

"There's no instructor in the state that's qualified right now to teach that," said Wallace. "Which means no new people can apply for a license until all of this is put in place and there's no funding to do it. How long is it going to take? A year. Two years to get certified trainers up to speed on this new curriculum and be approved? That's insane. You can't do that. You cannot delay a civil right for any length of time, never mind a year or two. Maybe that's just silly. I'm hearing somebody speak up and want something mean when you read."

The National Rifle Association say it plans to challenge the law. Wallace says his group is preparing to take legal action in hopes of having the legislation repealed, but he expects it could be a years-long process.