Massachusetts Gun Laws

Sections 131R through 131Y of Chapter 140 establish the Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) framework, originally created by Chapter 123 of the Acts of 2018 and substantially expanded by Chapter 135 of the Acts of 2024. ERPOs allow courts to temporarily remove firearms from individuals who pose a significant risk of harm to themselves or others.

Section 121 defines the key terms used throughout Massachusetts firearms law, including firearm, large capacity firearm, large capacity feeding device, assault-style firearm, untraceable firearm, covert firearm, and unfinished frame or receiver.

Evidentiary provision establishing that a sworn ballistics expert certificate serves as prima facie evidence to identify firearms and ammunition in court proceedings. Not amended by Chapter 135.

Created by Chapter 135, Section 121B mandates a real-time electronic firearms registration system operated by DCJIS. Requires registration of all firearms possessed, manufactured, or assembled in the Commonwealth, with graduated penalties for noncompliance.

Created by Chapter 135, Section 121D regulates the use of 3D printers and CNC milling machines in connection with firearm manufacturing. Requires a valid LTC to use such equipment for firearm production. Prohibits sale of machines with the primary or intended function of manufacturing firearms unless a Section 121D(c) exemption applies.

Created by Chapter 135, Section 121E mandates a publicly accessible online data dashboard containing non-personally identifying firearms data, updated at least quarterly. DCJIS publishes licensing demographics and firearm violence statistics.

Licensing section for firearms dealers and gunsmiths. Replaced by Chapter 135 with text that applies the Section 121F eligibility tests, requires the online dealer training that Section 125 mandates, and states that the license does not entitle the holder to possess or carry firearms or ammunition outside the licensed business premises. Application fee is $100.

Establishes all operational compliance conditions for licensed firearms dealers. Chapter 135 restructured the section from numbered conditions to lettered subsections (a) through (p), added suicide prevention posting requirements, expanded credential verification procedures, and introduced severe criminal penalties.

Section 128A governs Massachusetts firearm transfers by LTC and FID holders and specified exempt organizations and individuals. LTC and FID holders may make no more than four firearm transfers per calendar year to the individual recipients listed in subsection (b). Transfers to dealers and qualifying public collections under subsection (a) have no annual limit. Transactions permitted by Section 128A must use the Section 121B electronic system.

Section 129B governs Massachusetts Firearm Identification Cards. An FID generally permits non-large-capacity, nonsemiautomatic rifles and shotguns and their ammunition. It permits supervised use of other rifles and shotguns only under the statute's shooting-club or licensed-range exception.

Section 129C defines limited exemptions from Massachusetts firearms licensing requirements for specified people, purposes, and periods. Transaction registration and loss-or-theft reporting are governed primarily by Section 121B.

Central mechanism ensuring unlicensed persons do not retain firearms. Requires immediate surrender upon license denial, revocation, or suspension. Chapter 135 added electronic reporting, a criminal evidence exception, and a destruction mandate for certain firearms.

Repealed by Chapter 135, Section 47, effective October 2, 2024. Previously prohibited the sale or furnishing of firearms and ammunition to aliens and minors. Section 128 now carries the dealer penalties for sales without a license, card, or permit, and Section 123 requires verification before a transfer. The repeal is part of Chapter 135, which is the subject of the 2026 referendum on Question 9.

Section 131 governs Massachusetts Licenses to Carry. It defines the license scope, application categories, duration, and current eligibility framework. An ordinary lawful-resident applicant must be at least 21 and satisfy the applicable safety-certificate, background, prohibition, and suitability rules.

Repealed by Chapter 135, Section 59, effective October 2, 2024. Previously governed conditions for purchasing firearms from dealers or private sellers. Purchase conditions now appear in Sections 128A, 129B, and 131, with transaction reporting in Section 121B. The repeal is part of Chapter 135, which is the subject of the 2026 referendum on Question 9.

Section 131F authorizes the Colonel of State Police, through the Firearms Records Bureau, to issue temporary Licenses to Carry to non-residents. The license is valid for one year, but a license for certain employees whose application is endorsed by the employer, or for a member of the armed services stationed in Massachusetts, may be issued for any term not to exceed two years. Chapter 135 of the Acts of 2024 amended this section. On March 11, 2025 the Supreme Judicial Court held in Commonwealth v. Donnell that the earlier "may issue" version violates the Second Amendment, and held in Commonwealth v. Marquis that the version amended in 2022 is facially consistent with it.

Mandates that every firearm sold in the Commonwealth include a Colonel-approved safety device to prevent discharge by unauthorized users. Treats absence of an approved device as a product defect. Joint and several liability for manufacturers, importers, and sellers. Contributory negligence is not a valid defense.

Section 131L requires covered firearms to be secured in a locked container or with an engaged tamper-resistant lock or safety device when they are stored or kept. Penalty tiers depend on firearm type and whether the firearm was kept where a person under 18 may have access under the statutory conditions.

Requires all license applicants to complete an approved firearms safety course. Chapter 135 (effective January 25, 2026) adds live firearms training, a standardized written exam, injury and suicide prevention curriculum, and use-of-force education. Hunter education now only substitutes for FID, not LTC.

Massachusetts Section 131M contains the assault-style-firearm and large-capacity-feeding-device prohibitions. The First Circuit's Capen decision affirmed only the denial of a preliminary injunction, and its Recchia decision rejected a narrow facial challenge. The consolidated Capen and Hanlon district-court case is stayed, and a contrary Third Circuit ruling is not binding in Massachusetts.

Section 131M contains the prohibition on assault-style firearms and large capacity feeding devices under subsection (a), and the grandfathering framework under subsections (b) and (c). Two statutory cutoff dates apply: September 13, 1994 for LCFDs and August 1, 2024 for assault-style firearms under Chapter 135. Grandfathered LCFDs face location-based possession restrictions. The entire provision is subject to the November 2026 ballot referendum.

Section 121C governs firearm serialization, including privately made firearms. Section 121D regulates specified firearm-manufacturing uses and purpose-marketed equipment sales but does not create a general printer or CNC registry.

Penalty section for knowingly possessing a firearm, rifle or shotgun without a license or other statutory authorization. Mandatory minimum sentences. Distinct penalties for first and subsequent offenses.

Criminalizes carrying certain enumerated dangerous weapons other than firearms, including stilettos, daggers, switch knives, ballistic knives, blackjacks, metallic knuckles, nunchaku, and shuriken. In Commonwealth v. Canjura (2024), the Supreme Judicial Court held the switch-knife prohibition unconstitutional. Not directly amended by Chapter 135.

Criminalizes unlawful possession of machine guns and sawed-off shotguns. Chapter 135 expanded scope to cover automatic parts (including Glock switches and auto sears), rapid-fire trigger activators, and trigger modifiers, and named bump stocks, which Massachusetts has banned since St. 2017, c. 110, which counted them as machine guns. Life imprisonment or any term of years, subject to 18-month mandatory minimum.

Provides escalating mandatory sentences for repeat firearms offenders. Second offense: 5-7 years (5-year mandatory minimum). Third offense: 7-10 years. Fourth offense: 10-15 years. No suspension, probation, or good conduct deductions. Not directly amended by Chapter 135.

Criminalizes owning, possessing, or transferring a firearm or ammunition without FID compliance. No mandatory minimum. Chapter 135 updated terminology.

Prohibits carrying firearms, loaded or unloaded, in school buildings, on school grounds or on student transport without written authorization from the board or officer in charge, except for exempt law enforcement officers. A valid LTC is not a defense. No mandatory minimum. Chapter 135 expanded the LEOSA exception and explicitly added school buses.

Chapter 135 added new prohibited areas where carrying a firearm is restricted, including government buildings, courthouses, correctional facilities, and polling places during elections.

Imposes dramatically enhanced mandatory minimum sentences on persons who violate Sections 10(a), (c), or (h) and have prior convictions for violent crimes or serious drug offenses. Three-tiered penalty structure ranging from 3-15 years to 15-20 years. Not directly amended by Chapter 135.

Completely rewritten by Chapter 135 to broadly target "untraceable firearms" (ghost guns). Prohibits manufacturing, assembling, importing, selling, or receiving firearms with knowledge they are untraceable. New 12-month minimum imprisonment with no fine-only option. Possession of an untraceable firearm is prima facie evidence of guilt.

Chapter 596 of the Acts of 1989, a state act for the city of Boston, makes it unlawful in the city to sell or possess assault weapons and large capacity magazines, and it establishes an assault weapon roster board that compiles a roster of assault weapons. Section 6 of the 1989 act required any person lawfully in possession of an assault weapon and a firearm identification card for it to apply to the police commissioner for a city license to possess it.

Firearms discharge within Boston is regulated primarily through MGL Chapter 269, Section 12E, which prohibits discharge within 500 feet of a dwelling or building in use. Municipalities may impose stricter restrictions under Home Rule authority. Penalties include fines of $50 to $100 or imprisonment up to 3 months.

Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 140, Section 131L supplies the statewide firearm-storage rule. A review of Cambridge's published municipal code did not identify a separate firearm-storage ordinance as of August 25, 2026.

EOPSS regulations governing three rosters: the Approved Firearms Roster (handguns meeting testing requirements), the Large Capacity Weapons Roster, and the Formal Target Shooting Firearms Roster. Establishes testing, listing, and removal procedures. Last amended March 25, 2016.

Prescribes the format, content, and publication requirements for the Approved Firearms Roster. Requires supersession notices, testing criteria citations, and a prominent notice that the Roster does not guarantee compliance with AG regulations at 940 CMR 16.00.

Consumer protection regulations governing handgun sales. Drop test, trigger pull weight, and loaded chamber indicator requirements. The second layer of the three-layer purchasing system.

Signed July 25, 2024. Effective October 2, 2024. The most significant amendment to Massachusetts firearms law in a decade. Subject to a potential repeal referendum in November 2026.

Approved August 11, 2014. Chapter 284 eliminated the Class A and B LTC distinction, revised licensing suitability procedures, created a private-sale portal, and changed storage penalties. Many provisions were later amended by Chapter 135.

Overview of the federal Gun Control Act of 1968. Establishes definitions, dealer licensing, prohibited persons, interstate commerce restrictions, and penalties. Section 927 explicitly declines federal preemption, allowing states like Massachusetts to impose additional requirements. Major amendments include FOPA (1986), Brady Act (1993), and BSCA (2022).

18 U.S.C. Section 922(g) establishes nine federal prohibited-person categories. This guide includes the Supreme Court's 2026 Hemani decision on the unlawful-user provision and the separate Massachusetts licensing layer.

Federal safe harbor for interstate transport of firearms. Requires firearms to be unloaded, locked, and inaccessible. Legal at both origin and destination. Massachusetts enforcement of FOPA protections is inconsistent.

ATF regulations implementing the Gun Control Act. Covers FFL types and fees, Form 4473 requirements, Bound Book record-keeping (kept until the business is discontinued), NICS procedures, interstate transfer rules, and enhanced under-21 checks. Massachusetts requires additional state-level compliance beyond these federal requirements.

The Attorney General's July 20, 2016 enforcement notice gave guidance on identifying copies or duplicates of the enumerated weapons in the assault weapons ban. Section 121(f), added by Chapter 135, uses July 20, 2016 as a cutoff in its copy or duplicate definition.

Consumer protection regulations issued under Chapter 93A. Require performance testing, drop testing, a childproofing mechanism, and a load indicator or magazine safety disconnect. Challenged in Granata v. Campbell, now on appeal to the First Circuit. Not repealed by Chapter 135.