MA to close assault weapon "loophole"

http://ift.tt/2ag95QE

Quote:

Semi-automatic “assault” weapons are banned in Massachusetts. Yet 10,000 of the guns were sold in the state last year, Attorney General Maura Healey said Wednesday. Gun manufacturers create supposed “state compliant” guns by making slight changes in the weapons — removing a flash suppressor or telescoping stock — Healey said. That ends now, .... “We put gun manufacturers and gun dealers on notice that we’re cracking down on the sale of illegal assault weapons,” she said.

Okay.

Quote:

“This is not a new law,” she continued. “This is not a new regulation. We’re just reminding people of what is the law and has been the law since 1998.”

The law in MA says in part;
http://ift.tt/2akbQ6y

Quote:

''Assault weapon'', shall have the same meaning as a semiautomatic assault weapon as defined in the federal Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act, 18 U.S.C. section 921(a)(30) as appearing in such section on September 13, 1994, and shall include....

It goes on to list the guns by name that are banned and some exceptions. As far as I know section 921 back in 1994 read in part;

Quote:

(B) a semiautomatic rifle that has an ability to accept a detachable magazine and has at least 2 of-- ‘(i) a folding or telescoping stock; ‘(ii) a pistol grip that protrudes conspicuously beneath the action of the weapon; ‘(iii) a bayonet mount; ‘(iv) a flash suppressor or threaded barrel designed to accommodate a flash suppressor; and ‘(v) a grenade launcher; ‘(C) a semiautomatic pistol that has an ability to accept a detachable magazine and has at least 2 of-- ‘(i) an ammunition magazine that attaches to the pistol outside of the pistol grip; ‘(ii) a threaded barrel capable of accepting a barrel extender, flash suppressor, forward handgrip, or silencer; ‘(iii) a shroud that is attached to, or partially or completely encircles, the barrel and that permits the shooter to hold the firearm with the nontrigger hand without being burned; ‘(iv) a manufactured weight of 50 ounces or more when the pistol is unloaded; and ‘(v) a semiautomatic version of an automatic firearm; and ‘(D) a semiautomatic shotgun that has at least 2 of-- ‘(i) a folding or telescoping stock; ‘(ii) a pistol grip that protrudes conspicuously beneath the action of the weapon; ‘(iii) a fixed magazine capacity in excess of 5 rounds; and ‘(iv) an ability to accept a detachable magazine.’.

So it appears as if the AG is trying to make a new law by stating semi-auto firearms are assault weapons if they have the same operating system as a banned gun but fewer other features that the letter of the law requires for them to be identified as an assault weapon.

Manufacturers have been carefully crafting their firearms to meet the letter of the law for decades. But now they have to conform to the whim of the MA AG? Is the MA AG just now figuring out that people are able to own semi-auto guns that lack the cosmetic features of the guns they wanted to ban?

Quote:

People who already own the guns can keep them, she said. And gun dealers will be allowed to transfer their remaining stock to states where the guns are legal.

Gee, thanks.

Ranb

via International Skeptics Forum http://ift.tt/29WKAaE