On the morning of July 20th, 2016 the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office issued a new enforcement notice which restricted the sale of commonly owned sporting rifles in Massachusetts.  This “new” assault weapons ban reinterpreted long-standing language in existing law, effectively banning the sale of weapons that either have the same operating system or interchangeable parts with AR and AK-type weapons.  Details of this ban can be found on the AG’s website here: http://www.mass.gov/ago/public-safety/awbe.html

The AG’s decision upset the long-standing notion that it was lawful to sell and possess modern sporting rifles so long as they did not have certain unlawful features such as a folding stock or bayonet lug.  Thousands of Massachusetts residents who had purchased these rifles from licensed firearms dealers over the past 10 years suddenly found themselves on the wrong side of the law.

Over the past two weeks I have been assisting both license holders and firearms dealers to understand and remediate the impact of this decision.  It is our hope that there will some clarity (and potentially a reversal) in the coming months.  In the meantime, residents and dealers should be mindful of the new restrictions and seek legal assistance if an unexpected enforcement action occurs.