  The Massachusetts Attorney General issued an Enforcement Notice in 2016 to
announce a new interpretation of a key phrase in the state's assault weapons
ban. The Enforcement Notice increased sales of tagged assault rifles by 616% in
the first 5 days, followed by a 9% decrease over the next three weeks. Sales of
Handguns and Shotguns did not change significantly. Tagged assault rifle sales
fell 28-30% in 2017 compared to previous years, suggesting that the Enforcement
Notice reduced assault weapon sales but also that many banned weapons continued
to be sold. Tagged assault rifles sold most in 2017 in zip codes with higher
household incomes and proportions of white males. Overall, the results suggest
that the firearm market reacts rapidly to policy changes and partially complies
with firearm restrictions.
