Advisory Opinion to the Attorney General Re: Prohibits Possession of Defined Assault Weapons

Summary

The court held that the proposed assault-weapons initiative could not be placed on the ballot because its ballot summary affirmatively misled voters about the effect of the grandfathering and registration provision. The summary suggested that lawfully possessed and registered assault weapons themselves would remain exempt, while the initiative exempted only the current owner's possession. Because the summary failed to satisfy the statutory requirement of fairly informing voters of the amendment's material effects, the court disapproved placement of the initiative on the ballot.