Is my gun legal in the state of Massachusetts?

[Hrasvelg]

Hey all,

I am considering moving to the state of MA, and unfortunatly my gun is not listed on their Approved Firearms Roster 10-2011 (http://www.mass.gov/eopss/docs/chsb/...er-10-2011.pdf) I carry a S&W model 19-3 produced in 1970. Is it illegal for me to bring this gun with me if i do move, or is it possible that it has been grandfathered in due to its age? It doesnt make sense that this gun would be illegal as there are many S&W .357 revolvers listed. I mean, they're made there in Springfield for Christs sake!

Anyone with some knowledge on MA firearms restrictions would be greatly appreciated. I'd hate to part with my favorite revolver, and i might just move to NH or ME instead.

[MLeake]

Personally, I'd move to NH... laws, taxes, cost of living are all better, and you can still be within an hour of Boston. (I've lived up that way a time or two... taxes in Maine are also pretty atrocious, but some other costs aren't so bad.)

I'd recommend checking with a lawyer with regard to MA. It seems to me that similar threads about California's approved list said the list was about buying or transferring, IE you could only buy, sell, or transfer a gun on the approved list, but that you could keep whatever you owned, assuming it wasn't specifically banned.

I would guess MA would be similar, but I don't know.

[Hrasvelg]

I just emailed the Police Department in the town I intend to move to. I hope they can give me some information on this. MA has 5 pages of firearms legislation in comparison to MT's 1. This seems like it will be a huge headache. According to the website not only does the state have laws and restrictions, but so do different counties and jurisdictions which can vary from eachother. I am going from the least regulated to the most and it is a nightmare.

[telcontar]

You need to find a town where the police are friendly to firearms. It doesn't matter what type of gun you have if you don't have a license or FID.
You need at least a FID just to posses in this crazy state.

[Hrasvelg]

I do have an MA issued FID card, but i'm not sure if it applies to hand guns or just long guns. I grew up in MA, but haven't lived there in some years. Do i need to apply for a Class A or B LTC? I don't intend to carry my gun concealed, but would like to take in out to the firing range and keep it in my home for defence. I seem to recall you cant even keep a loaded gun in your own home unless it's in your 'direct control,' I.E unless your holding it, and you cant store ammunition and firearms in the same room. My friend has offered to trade me his AK-74 for my gun if i can't keep it, but i have no interest in assault rifles. Its a really nice AK though and he would include his scope.

[ATW525]

FID card is no good for handguns. Either LTC A or B should work for possessing your revolver, but the LTC A is needed to actually carry it. Your model 19 shouldn't be a problem, but you'll have to register it when you get there and you'll have 60 days from the time you move to get your LTC.

[Hrasvelg]

What are the odds that my application will be rejected? I have an almost entierly clean record, but a few arrests. None of which occured in MA or ever resulted in a conviction. They had nothing to do with violence, intoxication, or controlled substances either. I hear that its difficult to get your LTC A unless you know somebody. If they do reject my application what are the reprecussions? What will happen to my gun in the event that i can't aquire the neccessary licences?

[Don H]

Originally Posted by Hrasvelg

What will happen to my gun in the event that i can't aquire the neccessary licences?

Nothing, since, hopefully, you didn't bring it into the state without having the proper approvals in hand. I believe you can apply for a license as a non-resident; I imagine the approval rate is dependent upon the locality.

[Hrasvelg]

Nothing, since, hopefully, you didn't bring it into the state without having the proper approvals in hand. I believe you can apply for a license as a non-resident; I imagine the approval rate is dependent upon the locality.

Ah, that makes sense. I was under the impression that the application had to be delivered in person, but it looks like that is NH and not the case in MA. I've been reading these damb laws so long my head is spinning. Thanks everybody for your responses and help!

[ATW525]

Approval is based on the locality you'll be moving to. The local police have absolute discretion when it comes to issuing LTCs.

Non-resident LTCs aren't much use for you. They are temporary license issued by the state police to non-residents. Even if you receive one prior to moving, you'll still need to get a regular LTC from the local police. The locals can deny you regardless of what the state police did.

[Don P]

I have to ask why one would choose to move to MA. Born and raised in the North East lived in NYC, PA, MA, and now glad to be in FLA. Good luck getting a CCW. When I lived there 20 years ago we knew the Chief of Police ( he issues and OK's ) permits and I could not get a CCW. All he would give was one to and from the target range. I will go out on a limb and assume things are even worse now.

[RichB69]

I was born in Mass. and lived there until I went into USAF. When I got out I promtly moved to N.H. I loved it for 25 years. I now Live in So. NV and often wonder why I left NH. I would never never live in MA. Did I say never and I do remember why I left NH , snow and ice. I'll bet gun laws are tough. It a police state. Just sayin!


Rich

[Thespis]

No question that MA's gun laws are weird, restrictive and reflect the state government's essential bias against gun ownership. However, the situation is far from hopeless. I live in a small town in rural western MA. Prior to 1998, I had only an FID card. When the new laws came in, I applied for a class A concealed carry license. My town's police chief was helpful and, once the state bureaucracy had its chance to analyze, pulverize, synthesize, rationalize and generally chew over the application like a toothless dog with a bone, I received my license. Of course, I was/am allowed to own only those firearms which appear on not one but two separate MA lists of approved guns (attorney general's and consumer protection agency's, I believe). Still, I have been able to collect a fairly wide range of hand- and long guns, from pocket pistols (e.g., NAA Guardian in .32) to 1911s (e.g., Colt Officer's model in .45) to shotguns (e.g., Mossberg 500 in 12 ga.) to rifles (e.g., Ruger Mini-14). I think the posters who mentioned the importance of knowing your local police force are correct. While there was no legal reason for me to have been denied a license to carry, I always felt that approval was largely dependent on the chief in my particular town. From what I hear, the difficulties in getting licensed are far greater over east in Boston and its suburbs.

[Wyoredman]

I live in a small town in rural western MA

I din't know there was such a thing! I mean with 6.5 million people crammed into a state that is the size of my county in Wyoming with 35,000 people!

Anyway, I have a story that may be of some intrest to the OP before he just takes his guns to MA.

In 1998 my wifes' brother (BIL) was invited to attend a wedding in Vermont. Being from Wyoming and never having been east of the big river, he decided to drive to the wedding. Well, long story short, as he was passing through MA late at night, he was pulled over by a MA State Trooper for not having an illuminated license plate. When the officer asked him if he had any weapons in the vehicle, he (being from WYO, we all have weapons in the car - it's not a crime) told the officer about his loaded .357 desert eagle under the seat.

Hes was immediatly aressted and taken to jail for possesing an un-licensed handgun. The prosecuting atourney filed charges and he was bound over for trial. We posted bail, hired a lawyer, and flew him to MA three times for court appearances. Now I know you are thinking that that isn't so bad, what is the worst that can happen?

Well, MA has a mandatory sentenceing law. If found guillty of possesing an unlicensed handgun, it is a mandatory prison term! My BIL was in the US army at the time and had never been arrested prior. The PA would not plea bargin and was going to "make a point" about bringing weapons into her state.

My BIL flew out for his trial, with his "prison bag" packed because he didn't know what to expect.

Lucky for him, the judge at trial dismissed his case (lots of legal stuff and political favors - Wyoming is a small place and we have the ear of our elected officials).

It cost a lot of $ and was very stressfull on the family.

BE very carefull with your guns in MA! You may end up in prison!

[MLeake]

Wyoredman, under FOPA, your BIL would have been ok (in theory, at least) if he had the weapon in a case, unloaded, in the trunk.

You can transport from legal state to legal state, but you have to comply with the transportation requirements of the intermediate states.

[Wyoredman]

Yep, we found that out the hard way. He needed it cased, unloaded, and should have said he was going to a shooting competition in VT! Then he would have been OK. He was ignorant of the law and it almost cost him his freedom.

When the officer asked him about weapons, he said he had a pistol, then the officer asked if it was loaded. His reply was "Of course, an unloaded gun is just a piece of steel". Not the right thing to say!

It all turned out in the end, but it cost allot of money and time. Prior to this, we never really considdered that our western ways were so much different than those in other parts of the country. We no longer think that way!

[jimbob86]

BE very carefull with your guns in MA! You may end up in prison!

I'd just avoid the state......

I have to ask why one would choose to move to MA.

Some parts of this country are still free. MA is not.

[MLeake]

My family used to primarily live in MA. The only ones left up there anymore either:

Own a contracting business, and can't really move; or

Have a pension from the state, that incurs weird penalties if they move out of state.

Several of us have made conscious decisions not to move up that way. As noted in an earlier post, of the options given by the OP, I'd take NH, if I were moving to the northeast.

[Thespis]

Quote:
I live in a small town in rural western MA

I din't know there was such a thing! I mean with 6.5 million people crammed into a state that is the size of my county in Wyoming with 35,000 people!

Wrong image. You need to imagine 6.49 million crammed into eastern Mass., mostly around Boston, a few more population centers scattered between route 128 and the Connecticut River, and - oh - maybe 27 of us living west of the river. OK, I exaggerate slightly. But the portion of Massachusetts lying west of the Connecticut River is like a separate state. The Boston pols ignore us (not all bad). The tourists tend to zoom north on I-91 into Vermont and New Hampshire in their SUVs with the fancy ski and bike racks. Meanwhile, we locals still have gorgeous country, any number of small villages, gravel roads, and enough game birds, deer, bear and moose to keep most hunters happy...

Whoops! On second thought, I take it all back. Western Mass. is horrible. Whatever you do, don't move here! ('Cuz the truth is, insane gun laws notwithstanding, I really love sparsely populated western Mass. the way it is...)

[oneounceload]

I have to ask why one would choose to move to MA

Maybe because their job market has one of the highest salary ranges in the country? or perhaps because they have some of the best Universities in the country?

There IS more to life than just guns............

[Don P]

There IS more to life than just guns............

You're joking right?

[CUBAN REDNECK]

Be very careful with the police in MA regarding firearms. I lived there for 27 years and don't regret leaving due to the suffocating gun laws. NH might be a better and safer choice.

[Alaska444]

I didn't realize that MA has gotten as bad as it is. My mother lives on Cape Cod. I would hate to think I couldn't bring any firearms at all if I visit. How would I go about bringing a gun there legally for a short visit of a couple of weeks?

[jimbob86]

Quote:
I have to ask why one would choose to move to MA

Maybe because their job market has one of the highest salary ranges in the country?

Cost of living negates that, as you gotta pay everybody else's "highest salary ranges" and high wage scales ......

[MLeake]

Alaska444, you would apply to the State Police for a non-res permit. If you get through the hoops and are approved, I believe it is only good for one year.

Check Handgunlaw.US