Massachusetts Gun Laws

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    R

    Rico

    Member
    Jan 8, 2014
    11
    Salisbury
    Though I grew up in New Hampshire, I was born on Cape Cod (my family has a long history there, there is even a street named after us), and lived in Mass for a few years as an adult when my wife and I both worked in Boston. You need a license in Mass for everything, A Firearms ID card allows you to buy shotguns, rifles and ammo, and is shall issue, unless you have one of 7 disqualifiers. A License to Carry (LTC) B allows you to buy and possess non large capacity handguns (revolvers, 1911s - something designed to hold less than 10 rounds). Does not allow concealed carry. A LTC A allows for buying and possessing large capacity handguns and rifles, and large capacity magazines. Allows for concealed carry unless restricted (such as for employment or target and hunting). All LTCs are issued at the discretion of the chief in your town. The chief in our town only issued Class A LTCs. Usually, if you asked for no restrictions, that's how it was issued.
     
    GOG-MD

    GOG-MD

    Active Member
    Aug 23, 2017
    366
    AA County
    Wow - and I thought Maryland's laws were bad.

    Rico said:
    A Firearms ID card allows you to buy shotguns, rifles and ammo, and is shall issue, unless you have one of 7 disqualifiers. A License to Carry (LTC) B allows you to buy and possess non large capacity handguns (revolvers, 1911s - something designed to hold less than 10 rounds). Does not allow concealed carry. A LTC A allows for buying and possessing large capacity handguns and rifles, and large capacity magazines. Allows for concealed carry unless restricted (such as for employment or target and hunting). All LTCs are issued at the discretion of the chief in your town. The chief in our town only issued Class A LTCs. Usually, if you asked for no restrictions, that's how it was issued.
    Click to expand...

    Looks like Class B LTCs are being phased out. They stopped issuing them at the start of 2015. Source: Mass.gov and GOAL.org

    Still ridiculous though. That's almost Canadian levels of horrible gun laws.
     
    K

    Knuckle Dragger

    Active Member
    May 7, 2012
    213
    press1280 said:
    I'm not sure that MA is necessarily worse than MD. Although you need a license for purchase, most jurisdictions will issue unrestricted Class A licenses on a pretty much shall issue basis. There is a nice map put together by a MA gun forum (can't find it now), but here's an article spelling it out:

    https://commonwealthmagazine.org/guns/mass-chiefs-approve-most-gun-permits/
    Click to expand...
    The statistics are a little misleading. Massachusetts makes it harder than any other state to become a gun owner in the first place, but once you cross that threshold, it's relatively easy to carry a gun unless you live in one of the few cities or towns that don't issue unrestricted licenses to most people.

    The claim that 1.8% of applications denied is also misleading. Individual licensing authorities (there are 351 of them) often make it very difficult to actually apply. They impose non-statutory licensing requirements, limit the times and dates during which someone can actually apply, and will tell people to save the $100 application fee because 'we're just going to deny you anyway'. In one documented case, the town of Rehobeth was scheduling application appointments more than a year out.
     
    rob-cubed

    rob-cubed

    In need of moderation
    Sep 24, 2009
    5,387
    Holding the line in Baltimore
    A buddy I have that lives in Boston got his CC license with no issue, so IMO they aren't as bad as MD yet.

    Making me apply for a license to exercise a right is insulting, and probably un-constitutional, but denying me the ability to defend myself in public is far worse.

    It was really a shame to watch some of the far northeast change after Newtown though, they were always a holdout of conservative values and gave so much in the way of patriotism to the foundation of this country, which wouldn't have been possible without free access to arms. The revolutionary war may have started with disputes over taxation but it was when the government came for our arms that it exploded.
     
    C

    ccmc

    Member
    Aug 11, 2011
    50
    swinokur said:
    IIRC MA will issue to NR but you have to appear in person to apply


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Click to expand...

    That's true. It used to be you had to appear in person every year, but that was recently changed. Nonresidents still have to renew every year (IIRC resident permits are good for four years) at a cost of 100 dollars, but an in person appearance is now required every three or four years (I forget which). Nonresident applications are reviewed by the state police as opposed to resident applications which are reviewed by the local PD. Nonresidents must have a permit from their home state.
     
    K

    Kevnev

    Member
    May 12, 2018
    76
    My brother lives in MA and it’s always so interesting to see the differences in the state laws.
     
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