eFA-10 Registration Guide:
When and How to File in Massachusetts

MGL Chapter 140, Section 121B establishes a real-time electronic firearm-registration system and requires firearms possessed, manufactured, or assembled in Massachusetts to be registered unless a statutory exception applies.^[1] The public workflow is available through the MIRCS Unified Gun Portal.^[2]

Transactions

Section 128A requires a permitted purchase, sale, or transfer to be conducted through the electronic system before or at the point of sale.^[3] Except for a qualifying loan to a licensed or exempt person lasting less than seven days, Section 121B requires all parties to report a firearm transaction within seven days. Follow the portal-generated instructions and retain the verification supplied to the seller and purchaser.

Registration Timing

• Ordinary import, purchase, or acquisition: Registration is completed at the time of the event unless a listed timing exception applies.
• New Massachusetts resident: A firearm may be registered within 60 days of import. Section 129C also provides a limited 60-day possession exemption for qualifying new residents and certain returning residents.^[4]
• Heir or devisee: A firearm may be registered within 60 days after acquisition through estate distribution.
• Licensed dealer, gunsmith, distributor, or manufacturer: An imported firearm may be registered within seven days.
• Privately made firearm: Registration is required within seven days after manufacture or assembly.

Privately Made Firearms

Section 121C requires a person to obtain a DCJIS serial number before manufacturing or assembling a privately made firearm, apply it during manufacture or assembly, and register the completed firearm within seven days.^[5] EOPSS Guidance #4 also states that a registered frame or receiver must be registered again after it is built into a firearm.^[6]

Existing Firearms and the 2026 Compliance Date

EOPSS Guidance #4, Frequently Asked Question 35, states that individuals are not required to comply with Sections 121B and 121C until October 28, 2026. The document separately says that Chapter 135 took effect on October 2, 2024. That 2024 effective date is not the registration and serialization compliance deadline. Current instructions should still be confirmed with the Firearms Records Bureau before relying on a deadline.

Loss or Theft

Section 121B requires an owner to report a loss or theft within seven days through the electronic system to the appropriate licensing authority or State Police and to DCJIS.

Corrections and History

The Firearms Records Bureau provides a deletion request form for correcting an erroneous transaction record.^[7] A person may also request their firearm transaction history.^[8]

Penalties

Section 121B establishes escalating penalties for failing to register or report and states that failure to report is also cause for license, card, or permit suspension or permanent revocation. For a fact-specific compliance question, use the statute, current EOPSS instructions, and qualified legal advice.