April 21, 2021 | 4:43 PM
For several decades, it has been illegal for individuals to sell or possess assault weapons in Massachusetts.
At the same time, the state has an even longer history as the home of Springfield-based Smith & Wesson, one of the largest gunmakers in the country, among roughly two dozen other firearm manufacturers. And as such, critics say that Massachusetts bears some responsibility for the epidemic of gun deaths in the United States.
“These weapons are made in your state, but they can’t be sold in your state,” Sandy Phillips, whose daughter was killed in the 2012 movie theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado, said during a virtual press conference Tuesday. “So in effect, Massachusetts is exporting bloodshed to the rest of the country.”