Worman v. Healey

What the court held

Massachusetts gun owners and dealers challenged the state's ban on the sale, transfer, and possession of certain semiautomatic assault weapons and magazines holding more than ten rounds, asserting a right to keep them at home for self-defense. The First Circuit affirmed summary judgment for the state, assuming without deciding that the weapons receive some Second Amendment protection and that the law touches the core home-defense right, but holding the burden is minimal because handguns and other firearms remain available, so only intermediate scrutiny applies. The court found the legislature's judgment supported by substantial evidence about the lethality of the weapons and their use in mass shootings and held the fit close enough to survive that scrutiny.

Summarized from the court's opinion.

What this case is about

Massachusetts ban on assault weapons and large-capacity magazines

GunMapUSA summary of the issue, not a quotation from the court.

Key Dates

• 2019-04-26 — Decided

Sources

• CourtListener — retrieved 2026-08-08