United States First Circuit

Plaintiffs' constitutional challenges to "An Act Relative to Gun Control in the Commonwealth [Mass.]," which placed new restrictions on guns classified as "Large Capacity Weapons," and increased the penalties for unlicensed possession, were rejected, where the pre-enforcement hardship alleged by plaintiffs indicates controversy is not ripe, ongoing administrative clarification of the Act reduces alleged uncertainties, and challenged provisions comply with relevant constitutional requirements.

Appellate Information

• Decided 03/26/2002
• Published 03/26/2002

Judges

• LIPEZ, Circuit Judge., Before TORRUELLA and LIPEZ, Circuit Judges, and ZOBEL, District Judge.

Court

• United States First Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Stephen P. Halbrook, with whom Edward F. George, Jr. was on brief for appellants., Michael Paris, Benjamin S. Albert, Randall E. Ravitz, and Brown Rudnick Freed & Gesmer, on consolidated brief for The Center to Prevent Handgun Violence, the International Brotherhood of Police Officers, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the American Association of Suicidology, the American Medical Student Association, the American Public Health Association, the Massachusetts Brain Injury Association, and Stop Handgun Violence, Inc., amici curiae.


• For Appellees:
  
• Edward J. DeAngelo, Assistant Attorney General, with whom Thomas F. Reilly, Attorney General of Massachusetts, and Adam Simms, Assistant Attorney General, were on brief for appellees., Edward L. Morris on brief for appellee Edward Davis.