The loophole in the Mass. assault weapons ban

[benEzra]

28. Yup, the 1994 Federal AWB did *not* ban AR and AK variants that passed the features test.

More AR's and civilian AK's were sold 1994-2004 than in the prior decades combined, because a Romanian SAR-1 with a target crown is not a "copy or duplicate" of a Chinese AK, and a Rock River 16" midlength AR is not a "copy or duplicate" of a Colt AR-15(tm). That's how the law was interpreted when it was passed, by those who wrote and passed it, and how it has been interpreted for 22 years since.

Now, in the dead of night, the Massachusetts AG comes out with a letter that basically rewrites the law as it has been understood for two decades now, and turns the owners of the most popular rifles in Massachusetts into criminals (although she says that she will use her "prosecutorial discretion" to not prosecute them FOR NOW, but reserves the right to change the terms later).

I expect the backlash against this will be large, nationwide. It reminds me of the damn fool stunt that the Virginia Attorney General pulled a few months ago, when he unilaterally said he was going to cancel recognition of almost all out-of-state conceal carry licenses, even in states with stricter standards than Virginia (like NC). The backlash was immense, and the Virginia governor made the AG walk that one back almost immediately.