“Officers confiscated four firearms and arrested three males on gun-related charges in a six-hour span this weekend.” For some reason, this is BIG NEWS to bostonglobe.com. The gun bit, I mean. So big that The Globe felt obliged to chronicle each bust AND hit up the Boston Police Commissioner for a quote. William Evans is thrilled . . .
“I continue to be impressed by my officers’ courage and never-ending commitment to keeping our city safe,” Boston Police Commissioner William Evans said in the statement. “Taking four guns off the streets is a significant achievement that most certainly makes our community safer and I applaud my officers for the dedication and devotion that goes into protecting our city while bravely confronting those who think it’s okay to carry unlawful firearms in our community.”
Firearms can be unlawful? Who knew? Well, if a gun can be unlawful — rather than being unlawfully carried — then a bump fire stock is equally unlawful, and freshly so.
In case you missed it, bump fire stocks are banned in Boston, and the rest of the Bay State. The MA legislature made their sale and transfer illegal from the moment Governor Baker signed the law. Come Thursday, simple possession is punishable by life in prison. No really.
Will some bright-eyed Massachusetts law enforcement official celebrate the start of the bump fire ban by busting a Bay Stater for the plastic part? And if something bad should happen as a result — say, a cop gets shot — will that mark the beginning of a SWAT-led crusade against bump fire stocks and “assault weapons” owned by otherwise law-abiding citizens?
The road to hell is paved with good intentions. And bad ones too.