Can't get a link since it's lexis nexis, but here is the article.
Copyright 2004 Globe Newspaper Company
The Boston Globe
July 2, 2004, Friday ,FIRST EDITION
SECTION: METRO/REGION; Pg. B2
LENGTH: 141 words
HEADLINE: BAY STATE ENACTS ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN
BODY:
Governor Mitt Romney yesterday signed into law a permanent ban on deadly assault weapons, such as the AK-47 and Uzi, made or sold in Massachusetts. The current state ban, passed in 1998, is tied to a federal law that is set to expire Sept. 13 unless Congress reauthorizes it. President Bush has signaled that he would sign a bill extending the ban, but state officials had worried that Congress might not approve a new bill before the expiration. Activists say Massachusetts is the first state to extend the ban. During a bill-signing news conference, John Rosenthal, cofounder and chairman of Stop Handgun Violence, Rosenthal called on other states to pass similar measures. If the federal ban expires, people will be able to purchase and sell assault weapons in other states and the weapons may end up in Massachusetts, he said.
Romney and Bush on the same page...