Frequently Asked Questions

An LTC authorizes the purchase, possession and carrying of firearms, including large capacity firearms, but does not authorize assault-style firearms or large capacity feeding devices unless Section 131M permits them. An FID covers rifles and shotguns that are not large capacity or semi-automatic, with a limited exception for other firearms under the direct supervision of an LTC holder at an incorporated shooting club or licensed shooting range. Resident applicants generally apply through their local licensing authority and submit the safety certificate required by Section 131P, subject to its exemptions.

Resident applicants generally complete an approved firearms safety course and apply to the licensing authority in their city or town, submitting the certificate required by Section 131P unless exempt. The application generally includes fingerprints and a background check, and an initial LTC application requires a personal interview. The standard application fee is $100, with statutory exceptions. Section 121F generally requires approval and issuance or written denial within 40 days after receipt of a completed application.

Chapter 140, Section 131M generally prohibits possessing, owning, selling, transferring or importing assault-style firearms and large capacity feeding devices in Massachusetts. Its firearm grandfathering exception requires lawful possession within Massachusetts on August 1, 2024 by an LTC holder or a licensed dealer, plus registration and serialization. Large capacity feeding devices have a separate exception for lawful possession on September 13, 1994, with specified location, storage and transfer limits. A manufacture date alone does not meet these lawful-possession tests.

The Approved Firearms Roster is the list maintained by the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security of firearm models approved under the roster testing rules. Licensed dealers generally may not sell unapproved firearms, but the regulations provide exceptions, including qualifying firearms lawfully owned or possessed under a license before October 21, 1998 and firearms on the Formal Target Shooting Firearms Roster. Roster approval does not by itself establish compliance with the Attorney General's separate handgun sales regulations.

Section 131L generally requires a stored firearm to be secured in a locked container or by a properly engaged tamper-resistant lock or safety device that makes it inoperable by anyone other than the owner or another lawfully authorized user. A firearm carried by or under the control of the owner or another lawfully authorized user is not considered stored or kept for this rule. The section exempts specified antique ignition-system firearms manufactured in or before 1899 and qualifying replicas. Violations can result in fines, imprisonment or both.

An LTC does not authorize carrying at every location. Section 10(j) generally bars carrying on school or college buildings, grounds and student transport without written authorization, subject to its law enforcement exceptions. Section 10(k) covers specified government administrative, judicial and correctional locations, including their grounds and parking areas, and specified election locations while voting or ballot tabulation is occurring. It also covers the area within 150 feet of a polling-place or early-voting-site entrance while open for voting. Section 10(k) includes exceptions and a defense for licensed holders who securely store the firearm in a vehicle under Sections 131C and 131L.

Massachusetts does not recognize concealed carry permits from any other state. If you are traveling to Massachusetts with firearms, you must comply with Massachusetts law regardless of any permits you hold from other states. Non-residents may apply for a non-resident LTC through the Massachusetts State Police.

In Massachusetts, the current grandfathering rules depend on lawful possession rather than manufacture date alone. Section 131M(b) exempts an assault-style firearm lawfully possessed within Massachusetts on August 1, 2024 by an LTC holder or a licensed dealer, provided it is registered and serialized as required. Section 131M(c) separately covers large capacity feeding devices lawfully possessed on September 13, 1994, with specified location, locked-storage and transfer restrictions.

A lawful resident applying through the licensing authority where they live generally must be at least 21 years old. Section 131(d) also provides application routes for law enforcement officers employed by the licensing authority and people living in areas of exclusive federal jurisdiction within a city or town. The applicant must be neither a prohibited person nor determined unsuitable under Section 121F, and an initial application requires a personal interview.

Section 121F generally requires the licensing authority to approve and issue the license or send a written denial within 40 days after receiving a completed application. That is the statutory deadline. The licensing authority must provide a receipt showing the date it received the application.

The standard resident LTC application or renewal fee is $100. Section 121F sets a $25 fee for active and retired law enforcement officials, or government entities acting on their behalf. People over 70 and law enforcement officers applying through their employing agency are exempt from the renewal fee. Application fees are not refunded if the application is denied or the license is revoked.

Residents generally apply to the licensing authority in the Massachusetts city or town where they live. Applications can be submitted through the MIRCS Firearms Licensing Portal. Nonresidents use the separate temporary LTC process through the Firearms Records Bureau.

Unless an exemption applies, an LTC applicant must submit a basic firearms safety certificate meeting Section 131P. The State Police approve the courses and certify instructors, and EOPSS Guidance 5 says numerous courses satisfy the new law's academic requirements. A hunter education certificate substitutes for the safety certificate for an FID application, but not an LTC application. Students who pass can download their certificates through the Instructor Portal system within the Unified Gun Portal.

A nonresident can apply to the Firearms Records Bureau for a temporary LTC issued by the Colonel of State Police or an authorized designee. The applicant must not be a prohibited person or be determined unsuitable under Section 121F, and the application fee is $100. The license generally lasts one year, with terms of up to two years for specified employment or military categories. It cannot be used to purchase firearms in Massachusetts.

EOPSS Guidance 5 says that an FID holder whose card was obtained with a Massachusetts Hunter Education certificate must complete a state-approved basic firearms safety course to apply for an LTC. If the FID was obtained with a state-approved basic firearms safety course, the guidance says repeating that course is not required for the upgrade.

A resident LTC normally expires on the holder's birthday between five and six years after issue, with March 1 used for a holder born on February 29. Apply for renewal before the stated expiration date so the license remains valid for all lawful purposes until the renewal application is approved or denied under Section 121F(s). Section 131P exempts people who lawfully possessed an FID or LTC on August 1, 2024 from its certificate requirements when renewing.