Massachusetts: Legislation Introduced to Challenge AG Healey’s Gun Ban

The Massachusetts General Court’s 2017 legislative session is in full swing with the introduction of numerous pro- and anti-gun bills.  Among the pro-gun bills are Senate Docket 1157 and Senate Docket 1889.  Both SD 1157 and SD 1889 seek to challenge the gun ban set forth last summer by Attorney General Healey’s “enforcement notice,” which greatly expands the Commonwealth’s definition of “assault weapon.”  AG Healey alleges that the ban’s definition of “copy” or “duplicate” “assault weapons” have been misinterpreted for the last 18 years and she is simply the first law enforcement official to discover this incorrect interpretation.  In response, several legislators wrote a letter to AG Healey voicing their strong opposition.  SD 1157 and SD 1889 take their opposition a step further by challenging AG Healey’s unilateral decision making through legislation. 

It is important that you contact your state Senator and state Representative and urge them to support these bills when they come up for a vote.  Please click the “Take Action” button below to contact your state legislators!

SD 1157, sponsored by state Senator Don Humason (R- Second Hampden and Hampshire), would remove the Attorney General’s authority to regulate firearms and would repeal the previous regulations.

SD 1889, sponsored by state Senator Anne Gobi (D- Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire and Middlesex),would eliminate the term “copy” from statute, thereby, eliminating the premise behind the Attorney General’s actions.  

Please stay tuned to www.nraila.org and your email inbox for further updates on these bills.