SECTION 5. There shall be in the city of Boston an assault weapon roster board, hereinafter referred to
as the board, which shall consist of seven members each of whom shall serve for a term of four years.
The members of the board shall be: the police commissioner of the city of Boston, ex officio, or his
designee, who shall serve as chairman of the board; the corporation counsel of the city of Boston, ex
officio, or his designee; and five members to be appointed by the mayor, one of whom shall be a member
of the Massachusetts chapter of the National Rifle Association; one of whom shall be an employee of a
Massachusetts firm which manufactures firearms; and three citizens of the city of Boston, one of whom
shall be a member of a recognized gun control organization.
The board shall meet at the request of the chairman or by the request of a majority of its members.
There shall be an assault weapon roster, hereinafter referred to as the roster, which the board shall
compile and initially publish in a newspaper of general circulation in the city of Boston by December first,
nineteen hundred and eighty-nine.
In determining whether any weapon shall be placed on the roster, the board shall consider each of the
following characteristics, without placing any undue weight on any one characteristic:
(1) Ballistic accuracy,
(2) Quality of materials,
(3) Quality of manufacture,
(4) Reliability as to safety,
(5) Utility for legitimate sporting activities.
The board shall at least semi-annually publish the roster in a newspaper of general circulation in the city
of Boston, and shall send a copy thereof to all dealers licensed in the city of Boston under the provisions
of section one hundred and twenty-two of chapter one hundred and forty of the General Laws.
The board may modify the roster upon the board's own initiative. A person may petition the board to place
a weapon on the roster, subject to the provisions of this section. A person who so petitions shall give the
reasons why the weapon should be placed on the roster.
A petition to place a weapon on the roster shall be submitted in writing to the board and shall be in the
form and manner prescribed by the board. Upon receipt of the petition to place a weapon on the roster,
the board shall, within forty-five
days of receipt of the petition, either notify the petitioner by certified mail that the petition is denied, or it
shall place the weapon on the roster. The prohibition of a weapon shall be effective on the date it is
included in the next publication of the roster in a newspaper of general circulation in the city of Boston.
The board shall be authorized to promulgate regulations concerning the appeal of a decision to place or
to deny to place a weapon on the roster and any other regulations not inconsistent with this act to
effectuate its purpose.