Massachusetts police chiefs can no longer deny a firearms license because an applicant lacks what a chief considers a good reason to have it, state officials say.
While gun owners still need a license, less is left up to the discretion of license-issuing authorities in the wake of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision.
Fireworks have been illegal in Massachusetts since 1943.
Along with bonfires, they were outlawed during World War II to keep the night sky dark, making the prospect of German airplanes bombing American cities during the war more difficult. That never happened, but the ban has stayed in place ever since.
