Dear Mr. _________:
Senator Tarr asked me to forward the below informational bulletin that was just provided to him by the office of the Massachusetts Attorney General. He has supported and will continue to support law-abiding firearms owners. Please know he is exploring every avenue to address the issues that have been created by the AG's recent interpretation of the law.
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For many years, the gun industry has been marketing and selling what they describe as "Massachusetts compliant" assault weapons, despite the fact that these guns are actually banned under existing state law. There were about 10,000 of these weapons sold in Massachusetts last year alone. The AG's notice clarifies what it means to be a “copy” or “duplicate” of a prohibited assault weapon under G.L. c. 140, §§ 121, 128 and 131M, and it announces our intention to enforce our state ban on sales of copycat assault rifles for all sales conducted on or after July 20, 2016. The notice does not create new law, nor does it apply to individuals who purchased one of these weapons before July 20.
To help with any calls or inquiries about the announcement from your constituents, I’m sending along some information that I hope you will find helpful. Here is a web page where you can find the letter we sent, the enforcement notice, and answers to some frequently asked questions:
http://www.mass.gov/ago/public-safety/awbe.html.
There are also a couple of phone numbers to help better direct constituents to our office. Gun dealers who have questions about compliance can call (617) 963-2775. For all other questions or comments, you can direct constituents to our Consumer Assistance and Response Division hotline at (617) 727-8400.
Thank you!