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.
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.
Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the “lobbying” arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Click here to visit NRAILA.org.