This week the American political sphere is filled with news coming from the Republican National Convention and one state’s attorney general decided to use the RNC as a convenient distraction to sneak in new gun restrictions targeting Second Amendment rights.
In an article published at the Boston Globe, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healy noted that, starting Wednesday, her office is “sending a directive to all gun manufacturers and dealers that makes clear that the sale of these copycat assault weapons is illegal in Massachusetts.”
A ban on “assault weapons” is already in place in Massachusetts, but manufacturers have been selling state-compliant guns without the superficial characteristics that make such weapons illegal in Massachusetts.
Healy wrote that any weapon with an “operating system…essentially the same as that of a banned weapon, or if the gun has components that are interchangeable with those of a banned weapon” will be considered illegal and will no longer be legally sold in the state.
In her letter, Healy described the AR-15 and similar “assault weapons” as “weapons used to commit mass murder,” that “have no business being in civilian hands” and “are not weapons of self-defense,” despite being used to save the lives of American firearms owners multiple times and being considered an excellent tool of self-defense.
The changes were decided not by state legislature but solely by the Attorney General; Healy does have the authority to make this decision herself.