Massachusetts Bump Fire Stock Ban Enforcement Begins February 1

Previously: First in Nation Bump Fire Stock Ban Legislation had been attached to a budget bill moving through the Massachusetts General Court in October and was signed into law on November 3, 2017

via New Boston Post: Bump-Fire Stock Ban On Track For Feb. 1 Enactment, But Don’t Expect To Be Reimbursed For Complying

BOSTON — With the state’s ban on bump-fire stocks and trigger cranks set to begin at the start of next month, the Gun Owners’ Action League is questioning the “forced surrender” policy as interpreted by the state Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, criticizing the guideline for having “only one legal path to follow — turning the device(s) over to police” without reimbursement.

The pro-Second Amendment organization recently uploaded a copy of a letter penned by EOPSS Secretary Daniel Bennett, slated to be mailed out to licensed Massachusetts gun owners, to its website.

“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,” Bennett wrote. “Retention of such a prohibited item beyond the 90 day grace period will expose the owner to criminal prosecution.”

Felix Browne, a spokesman for Bennett, confirmed the authenticity of the letter and told New Boston Post that the letter is necessary as the “new law calls for notifying individuals holding firearms licenses of the change in state law.”

Browne also addressed the question of reimbursement, noting that “it does not appear the Legislature address the issue of compensation in the bill that became law.”