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Warren Backs Healey's Copycat Assault Weapons Crackdown

BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren is backing Attorney General Maura Healey's crackdown on copycat assault weapons.

In an email to supporters Monday, Warren praised the fellow Democrat for taking action, saying weapons of war have no place in local communities.

Warren says Healey won't be bullied by the gun lobby. She's urging voters to sign an online petition backing Healey.

Healey has come under intense criticism from gun rights supporters who say she has gone too far in her interpretation of the state's assault weapons ban.

Gun Rally
A gun advocate holds a sign in protest of AG Maura Healey. (WBZ-TV)

The crackdown prompted Springfield-based gun maker Smith & Wesson to contribute $500,000 to a firearms industry association to support voter registration.

CEO James Debney says the company made the contribution on behalf of "law-abiding firearm owners of Massachusetts" who have been "denied their fundamental rights."

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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