After the usual “assault rifles” are “weapon of war” used by “mass murderers” anti-AR agitprop, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey dropped this bombshell at The Boston Globe.

The Massachusetts assault weapons ban mirrors the federal ban Congress allowed to expire in 2004. It prohibits the sale of specific weapons like the Colt AR-15 and AK-47 and explicitly bans “copies or duplicates” of those weapons. But gun manufacturers have taken it upon themselves to define what a “copy” or “duplicate” weapon is. They market “state compliant” copycat versions of their assault weapons to Massachusetts buyers. They sell guns without a flash suppressor or folding or telescoping stock, for example, small tweaks that do nothing to limit the lethalness of the weapon. That will end now. On Wednesday, we are sending a directive to all gun manufacturers and dealers that makes clear that the sale of these copycat assault weapons is illegal in Massachusetts. With this directive, we will ensure we get the full protection intended when lawmakers enacted our assault weapons ban, not the watered-down version of those protections offered by gun manufacturers. The directive specifically outlines two tests to determine what constitutes a “copy” or “duplicate” of a prohibited weapon. If a gun’s operating system is essentially the same as that of a banned weapon, or if the gun has components that are interchangeable with those of a banned weapon, it’s a “copy” or “duplicate,” and it is illegal. Assault weapons prohibited under our laws cannot be altered in any way to make their sale or possession legal in Massachusetts.

See below for legal definition of an “assault weapon.” And note: the AG does have the authority to make this determination; it was litigated by the pro-gun group GOAL some 12 ago.

Going by what I’m reading here, this new “directive” immediately bans the sales of all new AR and AK-style style rifles in The Bay State. I’ve called several Massachusetts gun stores (e.g., Worcester’s Pullman Arms above) and yup, they’re pulling all their modern sporting rifles off the shelves. Every. Single. One.

The MA AG goes on to reassure gun buyers who purchased “copy” or “duplicate” “assault rifles” that she’s not coming for their guns. At least not yet.

We recognize that most residents who purchased these guns in the past believed they were doing so legally, so this directive will not apply to possession of guns purchased before Wednesday. In the dozen years since the federal assault weapons ban lapsed, only seven states have instituted their own assault weapons ban. Many of those bans have been challenged (unsuccessfully) by the gun industry, and we anticipate our directive may be too. But our job is to enforce state laws and to keep people safe. This directive does both. In the face of utter inaction by Congress, states have a duty to enact and enforce laws that protect people from gun violence. If Washington won’t use its power to get these guns off our streets, we will. Not only do we have the legal authority to do so, we have a moral obligation to do so.

Wrong on both counts. In any case the S has hit the F in Massachusetts, of all places.

As per Mass. Gen. Laws Ann. ch. 140, § 121, here’s The Bay State’s definition of “assault weapon” [emphasis added].