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Boston Globe

Federal appeals court upholds Massachusetts law banning assault weapons

This particular firearms saga began in 2022 with Joseph Capen, a Massachusetts resident who sought to purchase firearms deemed illegal by the law. He, alongside the National Association for Gun Rights, sued the state in Sept. 2022 arguing the law infringed on gun owners' Second and 14th Amendment protections by imposing on their rights to carry firearms and self-defense. Advertisement In a statement Friday, Attorney General Andrea Campbell, who handled the case for Massachusetts, lauded the court decision, saying it will make the state safer. 'Massachusetts has some of the strongest common sense gun laws in the country, and we know they are effective in ensuring our communities, especially our children, remain safe,' Campbell said. 'The recent First Circuit Court of Appeals' decision to uphold Massachusetts' assault weapons ban is a tremendous victory for our state, and I will continue to vigorously defend these laws.' Massachusetts, which had its assault weapons ban , commonly known as Bruen. The ruling Advertisement The ruling also unleashed a wave of legal challenges from Second Amendment advocates across the country, who saw the Bruen decision as an opening to overturn gun safety regimens nationwide. It deemed laws in places such as New York, Illinois, and Minnesota unconstitutional and made states think more carefully about whether any new gun restrictions could withstand lawsuits. The Boston-based US Circuit Court of Appeals for the First Circuit on Thursday sided with a federal district court that Massachusetts' ban 'does not impose a heavy burden on civilian self-defense,' Judge Gary Katzmann wrote on behalf of the appeals court, adding that those challenging it 'do not demonstrate a single instance where the AR-15 — or any other banned weapon — has actually been used in a self-defense scenario.' Meanwhile, Hannah Hill, vice president for the National Foundation for Gun Rights, wrote on social media that while the court's ruling was expected, it was 'full of absolute defiance of Bruen.' Last May, a coalition of 19 Democratic attorneys general, including Campbell, Massachusetts Democrats will face several more legal fights aimed at upending the state's firearms laws, including lawsuits over components of the law dealing with restrictions Advertisement Anjali Huynh can be reached at