The Massachusetts License to Carry (LTC) is the license that allows a person to purchase, possess, and carry handguns and large capacity firearms and the ammunition for them. An LTC does not authorize large capacity feeding devices or assault-style firearms, except where Section 131M permits. Large capacity feeding devices include fixed or detachable magazines, belts, drums, feed strips and similar devices that hold, or can be readily converted to accept, more than 10 rounds of ammunition or more than 5 shotgun shells, and parts from which such a device can be assembled when held or controlled by the same person. The definition excludes devices permanently altered to stay within those limits, attached tubular devices designed to accept and operate only with .22 caliber rimfire ammunition, and tubular magazines contained in lever-action firearms or pump shotguns. Under MGL c.140 §131M these are prohibited, with narrow grandfathering (large capacity feeding devices lawfully possessed on September 13, 1994, only in the places Section 131M(c) allows and stored unloaded in a locked container, and registered and serialized assault-style firearms lawfully possessed within Massachusetts on August 1, 2024, by an owner holding an LTC or a licensed firearms dealer). Section 131M(e) also provides exemptions for specified law enforcement officers, law enforcement agencies and federally licensed manufacturers selling or transferring solely to another state or for export. To be eligible, you must generally be a lawful resident at least 21 years old and apply to the licensing authority for the Massachusetts city or town where you live. Section 131(d) also allows a law enforcement officer employed by the licensing authority and a person residing in an area of exclusive federal jurisdiction within a city or town to apply. Non-residents apply instead for a temporary license under MGL c.140 §131F through the colonel of state police. Here is the complete application process, updated to reflect changes under Chapter 135 of the Acts of 2024[1].
Step 1: Complete an Approved Firearms Safety Course
Before applying, a new applicant generally must complete a Massachusetts-approved Basic Firearms Safety Course. The certificate required by Section 131P must be submitted with the application.[10] Courses conducted on or after April 2, 2026 must use the expanded curriculum that Section 131P requires, as set out in the EOPSS memo for law enforcement.
Live-fire status: Section 131P includes live firearms training in the statutory curriculum, but EOPSS has stated that live fire does not need to be included until implementing regulations are promulgated and live fire is fully implemented.[11]
Use a course on the current State Police approved-course list. The EOPSS memo also says a certificate from a course completed before April 2, 2026 should continue to be accepted even when the license application is submitted later.[12]
Step 2: Gather Required Documents
- Completed Resident Firearms License Application, submitted to your local police department or online through the MIRCS Unified Gun Portal
- Firearms Safety Course certificate, unless Section 131P exempts you (for example certain government officers or employees and military members authorized to carry or possess the firearm while acting within the scope of their duties, or people renewing a license or card they lawfully held on August 1, 2024)
- A form of identification
- Proof of residence, if your licensing authority requires it
- The application fee is $100, or $25 for active and retired law enforcement officials.
Step 3: Submit Your Application
Applications must be submitted to the licensing authority in your city or town of residence. Applications can also be filed online through the MIRCS Unified Gun Portal, formerly the MIRCS Firearms Licensing Portal. Fingerprints are part of the application, and the licensing authority must forward them with the application to the colonel of the state police within 7 days of receiving a completed application. For a renewal, new fingerprints are not required if the applicant's fingerprints are on file with the department of the state police.
Step 4: Background Check and Interview
After submission, the licensing authority will conduct a thorough background check including criminal history, mental health records, restraining order checks, and ERPO records. For an initial application, the licensing authority must conduct a personal interview under Section 131(d). Every application is also screened for suitability under Section 121F(k), and a denial on suitability grounds must state the specific reasons in writing. The statutory requirement is for the licensing authority to act within 40 days of receiving a completed application (Section 121F).
Suitability Standard Clarified (January 2026)
In Guinane v. Chief of Police of Manchester-by-the-Sea (January 2026), the Massachusetts Appeals Court held that a police chief had no reasonable grounds to deny an LTC where the unsuitability finding rested solely on concerns about the applicant's husband. Barbara Guinane was denied because her husband, whose own LTC had been suspended, lived with her. The court found no reliable, articulable and credible information that she herself had exhibited or engaged in behavior suggesting a risk to public safety, and it ordered the chief to grant the application. The statute does not allow an application to be denied based on speculation.
Step 5: License Issuance
If approved, you will be notified to pick up your LTC. The license is valid for up to six years, expiring on your birthday between five and six years after issue (March 1 for a licensee born on February 29), and displays your photo. The Class A / Class B distinction was eliminated by Chapter 284 of 2014. All LTCs issued are a single class.
If the Application Is Denied
A direct appeal from an LTC or FID denial is filed in the district court and generally must be filed within 90 days. The separate Firearms Licensing Review Board process applies only to eligible conviction-based petitions; those FLRB petitions must be submitted online beginning July 1, 2026.[9]