All licensed gun owners of Massachusetts received chilling letters in the mail, demanding that they turn over any and all their (newly) banned firearm accessories to the police immediately. The letters concern a new state law, banning bump fire stocks, trigger cranks, and similar items. Residents have only weeks to comply – as the law comes into full force on February 1st, 2018.
Massachusetts’ Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS) is the organization responsible for these targeted letters, and for keeping track of every single registered gun owner in the state. After the Las Vegas mass shooting, Massachusetts banned bump fire stocks, and any such similar accessories made to enhance the firing rate of a semiauto firearm.
“It went out snail mail so license holders should be receiving as we speak [or] in the coming days,” Felix Browne said – a spokesperson for EOPSS.
The agency went on to say that no such registry exists for bump fire stocks in the state, as there does with firearms, and they are unaware of how many of the devices are in the state, or who owners may be.
“Effective 90 days from the enactment of the bill—February 1, 2018—the new law will also prohibit possession of bump stocks or trigger cranks, including possession in a private home,” the letter read. “There are no exceptions to this prohibition for licensed firearm owners: an FID card, a License to Carry, or even a license to possess a machine gun will not authorize possession of a bump stock or a trigger crank.”
The letter also warns that those who are currently in ownership of a bump-fire stock or other newly prohibited gun accessories must turn them to the police by May 2018 will face arrest and criminal prosecution.
“Because the law does not allow for transfer or sale of these prohibited items, if you currently possess a bump stock or trigger crank within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts you should contact your local police department or the Massachusetts State Police to get details about how to transfer custody of the prohibited item to the police for destruction,” the letter goes on to say. “Retention of such a prohibited item beyond the 90 day grace period will expose the owner to criminal prosecution.”
