The Bay State has some of the most convoluted gun laws in the nation. Onerous and draconian are terms that could be used to describe the policies regulating the Second Amendment in Massachusetts. A recent arrest is a stunning example of just how futile they really are. To bring you up to speed, Massachusetts has magazine capacity limits, an approved handgun roster, and a may issue permitting scheme for licenses to carry (as well as many other awful laws). As reported by the Boston PD News, Khari Wilcox, 24, of Brockton was arrested for a number of things.

Officers were flagged down by a citizen who stated the driver of the motor vehicle appeared to be asleep with a gun on his lap.

Officers activated their lights and sirens, exited their cruiser and when they approached the vehicle, they observed the driver, later identified as, Khari Wilcox, 24, of Brockton, to be asleep. Officers observed the firearm on Wilcox’s lap and as they attempted to awake him, he became non-compliant. After a brief struggle he was safely placed under arrest.

During the search, officers recovered from Wilcox, a plastic bag of crack-cocaine, one bag of white Xanax pills, one bag of unknown pills and $2718.00 in US Currency. The firearm was determined to be a Beretta PX4 Storm with one round in the chamber and thirteen rounds in the magazine.

Thankfully the boys in blue from Beantown were able to intervene in this situation. That’s quite the menagerie of things allegedly going on in Wilcox’s vehicle. From the list of charges, unlawful possession of a firearm and unlawful possession of ammunition was noted. We can assume that those charges surround the possibility and probability that Wilcox was also not in possession of a valid license to carry. That’s not inherently stated, but you can decide on your own if Massachusetts permitting laws were effective in this instance. What are the odds that Wilcox was issued a valid license to carry?

Wilcox was allegedly in possession of a Beretta PX4 Storm pistol. Doing a quick search of the Massachusetts Approved Firearms Roster, dated June of 2021, the Beretta PX4 Storm is not listed. Maybe it’s buried in there somewhere, but I can’t find it. Heh, imagine that? A firearm not on the approved list in someone’s possession illegally. Not having that pistol on the approved roster has severed the public how? Granted, possession of a firearm not on the list is not going to be completely prohibited, there are ways and means to legally acquire off roster handguns, but I’m going to just lean towards those legal channels not being utilized in this instance. The roster is nothing more than a way to extort firearm manufacturers into jumping through their hoops and limit the number of available makes and models of pistols to the peasants.

Taking a deeper look, it’s noted that there were thirteen rounds in the magazine of the firearm. Massachusetts has a cap on magazine capacity of ten rounds or less. That is of course unless the magazine is a “pre ban” magazine. Pre ban magazines are those that were grandfathered and would have to have been manufactured prior to September 13, 1994. Okay, so Wilcox might not be breaking the law there, however that’s going to be very difficult to prove since the production of the Beretta PX4 Storm started in 2004. Yeah, so that’s a big negatory on being legal.

Massachusetts and their ridiculous and arbitrary gun laws did not stop this individual from his alleged crimes. Ignoring the gun charges, Wilcox had quite the treasure trove of goodies to tack on plenty of charges. All the gun charges amount to in this case are things to be plead down or away. It’s nice knowing that Wilcox and his ilk can be in possession of off roster firearms with a standard capacity while the rest of the citizens that actually follow the law are not allowed to. Bravo Bay State. Here is just another example of your legislative failures. Looking at the full list of charges, it does appear that they neglected to add on being in possession of a “large capacity magazine”, but whatever:

Khari Wilcox was placed under arrest and charged with; Unlawful Possession of Firearm, Unlawful Possession of Ammunition, Possession of Class B, Drugs, Possession of Class E, Drugs and Resisting Arrest. He is expected to be arraigned in Dorchester District Court.

As for solutions to keep gang members, drug dealers, people who sit in their car with narcotics and firearms on their laps, and all other Dot Rats from proliferating in criminal activity, it’s probably a good time for the BPD to return to the tried and proven anti-youth violence program Operation Cease Fire. The program was implemented in Boston in 1996 and saw a massive drop of youth criminal activity. Massachusetts should maybe focus on bringing that back to it’s full glory, rather than passing obviously ineffectual laws that do nothing but burden the law abiding citizen. Clearly the criminals grant themselves whatever rights they want…the same way the Attorney General grants herself her own powers.