15 is America" width="620" height="349" />15 is America" width="620" height="349" />
But Young dismissed that idea, noting that the semi-automatic AR-15's design is based on guns "that were first manufactured for military purposes" and that the AR-15 is "common and well-known in the military." "The AR-15 and its analogs, along with large capacity magazines, are simply not weapons within the original meaning of the individual constitutional right to 'bear arms,'" Young wrote. Young also upheld Healey's 2016 enforcement notice to gun sellers and manufacturers clarifying what constitutes a "copy" or "duplicate" weapon under the 1998 assault weapon ban, including copies of the Colt AR-15 and the Kalashnikov AK-47.
Healey's stepped-up enforcement followed the shooting rampage at a nightclub in Orlando, Florida, that killed 49 patrons. She said at the time that gun manufacturers were circumventing Massachusetts' ban by selling copycat versions of the weapons they claimed complied with the law. The Massachusetts assault weapons ban mirrors the federal ban that expired in 2004. It bans the sale of specific and name-brand weapons and explicitly bans copies or duplicates of those weapons. The lawsuit was filed last year by other groups who said the law infringed on their rights under the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Family of AR-15 creator says it's not for civilians 00:46 Jim Wallace, executive director of the Massachusetts gun owners group, said Young's upholding of Healey's crackdown on copycat assault weapons gives the attorney general "unbridled authority" to interpret laws as she pleases. "Everyone in the state should be really concerned about that," Wallace said. "What if the next attorney general isn't a friend on one of your issues?" Wallace said he couldn't yet say whether they will appeal the ruling. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the Second Amendment allows Americans to have guns in their homes for self-defense and blocked local governments from banning handguns.
But the court last year turned away an appeal from Maryland gun owners who challenged the state's ban on assault weapons.
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