Massachusetts Top Court Treads Lightly Around Gun, Weapon Rights

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court is taking a conservative approach to interpreting weapons regulations under US Supreme Court guidance, casting doubt on state Democrats’ ability to stringently restrict possession of guns and other self-defense tools.

State supreme courts are two years into building out a body of case law after the Supreme Court raised the bar for states to prove their weapons regulations are constitutional. So far, the Bay State’s top court has yet to push the envelope.

Massachusetts has some of the strictest weapons laws in the country, so the Supreme Judicial Court’s rulings are establishing a ceiling on ...