Massachusetts State Law Summary

Last updated January 11, 2011

In the publication Gun Laws Matter: A Comparison of State Firearms Laws and Statistics, LCAV ranked each state based on a review of state laws in 25 firearm-related policy areas. Massachusetts ranked third out of 50 – having enacted some of the strongest gun violence prevention laws in the nation.  Among other things, Massachusetts:

• Requires any person who sells, rents or leases a firearm to obtain a state dealer license (unlicensed sellers may transfer no more than 4 firearms per year); 

• Bans most assault weapons and large capacity ammunition magazines, but not 50 caliber rifles;

• Requires all firearm purchasers to obtain a license;

• Prohibits the sale of “unsafe handguns” not on the roster of approved handguns; and

• Maintains permanent records of firearm sales.

However, Massachusetts does not:

• Limit the number of firearms that may be purchased at one time;

• Impose a waiting period on firearm purchases, although the purchaser must hold a valid license; or

• Require unlicensed firearm sellers to conduct a background check on the purchaser, although they must ensure that the purchaser holds a valid license.

Local governments in Massachusetts retain authority to regulate firearms and ammunition, and the local licensing authority in Massachusetts has discretion in determining whether to issue a license to carry a firearm.

Massachusetts has the third lowest number of gun deaths per capita among the states. Massachusetts also supplied the fourth lowest number of crime guns to other states per capita. The national crime gun export rate is almost four times the crime gun export rate in Massachusetts. The portion of crime guns that enter Massachusetts from other states is more than twice the national average.  Massachusetts imports 2.9 times as many crime guns as it exports.

For details about specific firearms laws in Massachusetts, choose a topic below.

Overview State "Right to Bear Arms" Statistics Local Authority to Regulate Firearms
State Firearms Policies Persons Prohibited from Firearm Possession Prohibited Purchasers Generally Minimum Age to Purchase / Possess Domestic Violence & Firearms Disarming Prohibited Persons Sales & Transfers Background Checks Mental Health Reporting Multiple Purchases / Sales of Firearms Retention of Sales / Background Check Records Waiting Periods Gun Dealers & Other Sellers Dealer Regulations Private Sales Gun Shows Immunity Statutes Gun Owner Responsibilities Licensing of Gun Owners / Purchasers Registration of Firearms Reporting Lost or Stolen Firearms	Firearms in Public Places Concealed Weapons Permitting Open Carrying Location Restrictions Guns in Vehicles Guns in Schools Other Location Restrictions Consumer & Child Safety Design Safety Standards for Handguns Locking Devices Personalized / Owner-Authorized Firearms Child Access Prevention Classes of Weapons / Ammunition Assault Weapons Large Capacity Ammunition Magazines Fifty Caliber Rifles Machine Guns / Automatic Firearms Non-Powder Guns Ammunition Regulation Investigating Gun Crimes Microstamping / Ballistic Identification Trafficking
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