AN ACT RELATIVE TO THE POSSESSION OF A MACHETE
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authorityof the same, as follows:
SECTION 1.
Subsection (b) of section 10 of chapter 269 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2002 OfficialEdition is hereby amended by inserting after the word ?inches?, in line 67, the following word:- , machete.
SECTION 2. Said subsection (b) of said section 10 of said chapter 269,as so appearing, is hereby further amended by adding the following paragraph:-
For purposes of this section, ?machete?means ?a heavy knife at least 18 inches in length and having a blade at least 1.5 inches wideat its broadest measurement. This subsection shall not apply to carrying a macheteon one?s person or in a vehicle if the machete is carried for the purposeof cutting vegetation or if the machete is being transported for the purposeof cutting vegetation. In a prosecution of a violation of this subsection, there shall be a permissible inference that suchcarrying of a machete is not for the purposes of cutting vegetation. Such presumption may be rebutted.
Any individual who requires a machetefor the purposes of cutting vegetation shall register the machete withthe local police department on an annual basis and, upon payment of an appropriate annual registration fee as determined bythe local granting authority, shall be issued a permit authorizing him to possess the machetesolely for the purposes of cutting vegetation.