State Law Background
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 some assault weapons and large capacity ammunition magazines, but not 50 caliber rifles;
- Requires all firearm purchasers to obtain a license, and report any lost or stolen firearms to law enforcement;
- Prohibits the sale of “unsafe handguns” not on the roster of approved handguns;
- Maintains permanent records of firearm sales;
- Requires the reporting of mentally ill individuals to the federal database used for firearm purchaser background checks;
- Allows family members, household members, dating partners, and law enforcement to act to temporarily disarm dangerous people by using an Extreme Risk Protection Order; and
- Is a national leader in investing state funds in support of the implementation of evidence-based, community-driven violence intervention strategies in disproportionately impacted communities.
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 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.
In 2016, Massachusetts had the lowest rate of gun deaths among the 50 states. According to 2016 Firearms Trace Data from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the national crime gun export rate is almost 6.5 times the crime gun export rate in Massachusetts. Massachusetts had the 4th lowest rate of crime gun exports among the states in 2016–meaning that crime guns originally sold in Massachusetts were recovered after being used in crimes in other states at the 4th lowest rate among the states.
Massachusetts Firearms Laws
For details about specific firearms laws in Massachusetts, choose a topic below, or see all of the firearms laws in this state.
People 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
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
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
Other Laws
State “Right to Bear Arms”
Local Authority to Regulate Firearms
Immunity Statutes
Local Intervention Strategies