In a decision that is bound to be challenged, a judge has ruled that the popular AR-15 rifle is not protected by the Second Amendment and can be banned if states choose.
The ruling came in a case brought by several groups and individuals, including the Gun Owners Action League, who objected to a gun-ban in Massachusetts that cracks down on a number of “assault weapons.”
Judge William Young said the weapons at issue are “not within the scope of the personal right to ‘bear arms’ under the Second Amendment.”
Young said the state can ban the guns because the ban was passed by the legislature. He pointed out that other states are free to regulate firearms as they see fit.
“Other states are equally free to leave them unregulated and available to their law-abiding citizens,” Young wrote. “These policy matters are simply not of constitutional moment. Americans are not afraid
