Massachusetts Gun Laws: Concealed Carry, Open Carry and Buying a Gun

No. Knowingly possessing a firearm, or having one under one's control in a vehicle, outside one's home or business without a Massachusetts license to carry (or, for non-semiautomatic rifles and shotguns, a firearm identification card) or a statutory exemption is a crime punishable by 2 1/2 to 5 years in state prison or 18 months to 2 1/2 years in a jail or house of correction, with an 18-month minimum.

License to carry firearms (LTC), issued by the local licensing authority (generally the police chief) for residents and by the colonel of the State Police (temporary license) for nonresidents. A lawful resident 21 or older may apply; the licensing authority 'shall issue' the license unless the applicant is a prohibited person or is determined unsuitable based on 'reliable, articulable and credible information' that the applicant may create a risk to public safety or to self or others; a personal interview is required on an initial application. The applicant must submit a basic firearms safety certificate (since January 25, 2026, the course must include a written examination and live firearms training). Decision within 40 days of a completed application. Fee: $100 for a new or renewal license (persons over 70 are exempt from renewal fees). Valid for up to 6 years, expiring on the holder's birthday 5 to 6 years after issue. The LTC covers handguns and large-capacity firearms but not assault-style firearms or large-capacity feeding devices except as allowed by §131M.

Massachusetts has no separate open-carry permit; carrying a firearm outside the home or business requires a Massachusetts license to carry (or a firearm identification card for non-semiautomatic rifles and shotguns), and the statutes reviewed do not distinguish open from concealed carry. Carry is barred in prohibited areas such as schools and colleges, government administration and court buildings, and polling places.

Handguns, semiautomatic and large-capacity firearms require a license to carry, which only persons 21 or older may obtain. A firearm identification card, available to residents 18 or older (15 to 17 with a parent's or guardian's written permission), allows purchase and possession only of rifles and shotguns that are not large-capacity or semiautomatic; FID holders over 18 may buy such rifles and shotguns from dealers or private sellers. Private sellers may transfer only to properly licensed buyers.

Yes. Every buyer must hold a license or card, which requires a State Police check (including NICS, probation, mental health and protection-order records) before issuance. Private (non-dealer) sales are limited: a licensed private seller may sell to another LTC or FID holder (FID-only buyers need a permit to purchase for anything other than non-semiautomatic, non-large-capacity rifles and shotguns), no more than 4 firearm transfers per calendar year, and every sale must be conducted through the state's electronic firearms registration system before or at the point of sale, which verifies the buyer and says whether the sale may proceed. All firearm transactions must also be reported to the registration system by all parties within 7 days.

Massachusetts has no state law that sets a waiting period between buying a firearm and taking delivery. Buyers must already hold a license to carry or a firearm identification card (or a permit to purchase), and the licensing authority has 40 days from receipt of a completed application to issue or deny it.

Yes. A petition for an extreme risk protection order may be filed by a family or household member; the licensing authority where the respondent lives; a law enforcement agency or officer that interacted with the respondent in an official capacity within the past 30 days; a health care provider (including physicians, nurses, psychologists, counselors and social workers) who treated the respondent within the past 6 months; or a school principal, assistant principal or college administrator. The court must hold a hearing within 10 days and grants the order on a preponderance of the evidence. An emergency order may issue without notice and expires 10 days after issuance unless a hearing is held. The respondent must surrender any license/card, firearms and ammunition. The court notifies the petitioner at least 30 days before an order expires, and the petitioner may seek renewal.

Yes. No person may possess, own, offer for sale, sell, transfer or import an assault-style firearm or a large capacity feeding device. Assault-style firearms lawfully possessed on August 1, 2024 by an LTC holder or licensed dealer may be kept if registered and serialized. Large capacity feeding devices lawfully possessed on September 13, 1994 may be kept only on the owner's private property, at ranges or competitions, at a dealer for repair, or while traveling to and from those places, stored unloaded in a locked container. Penalties: 1 to 10 years and/or $1,000-$10,000 for a first offense. Bump stocks, rapid-fire trigger activators and trigger modifiers are also banned.

A license or card is required to have a firearm under one's control in a vehicle (c. 269, §10(a)). A licensed person carrying a loaded firearm in a vehicle must keep it under his or her direct control ($500 fine). A large-capacity rifle or shotgun must be unloaded and secured in a locked container in a vehicle ($500-$5,000 fine). Possessing a firearm in a vehicle in a prohibited area (such as a government building parking area) is a defense if the licensed person securely stored it in the vehicle as required.

None. Massachusetts law contains no provision recognizing another state's license to carry firearms; carrying a firearm outside one's home or business requires a Massachusetts license (c. 269, §10(a)). A nonresident may obtain a temporary license to carry from the colonel of the State Police; it is valid for one year, the application fee is $100, and it may not be used to purchase firearms in Massachusetts. Limited exceptions: a nonresident may carry a firearm on their person while in a vehicle lawfully traveling through the state (stored under §131C when outside the owner's direct control), and nonresidents 18 or older may possess non-large-capacity, non-semi-automatic rifles and shotguns with a home-state card from a state the State Police list as having substantially similar requirements, or while hunting, at a range, at a gun-collector show, or traveling through with the gun unloaded and locked.

Even with a license, carrying a firearm is banned in any building or on the grounds of an elementary or secondary school, college or university (including student transport) without written authorization from the school (fine up to $1,000 and/or up to 2 years). Possessing a firearm is also banned in 'prohibited areas': places owned, leased or controlled by state, county or municipal government and used for government administration, court proceedings or correctional services, including their grounds and parking areas (municipalities may vote to exclude their administrative buildings; state hunting land is excluded), and ballot storage or tabulation sites while in use, polling places and early voting sites while open, and within 150 feet of the polling place entrance (fine up to $1,000 and/or up to 2 1/2 years).

All firearms must carry a serial number. No person may knowingly possess, manufacture, assemble, buy, sell, transfer or import an untraceable firearm. A person who builds a privately made firearm must first obtain a unique serial number from the Department of Criminal Justice Information Services, engrave it during manufacture, and register the firearm within 7 days. All firearms possessed, made or assembled in the state must be registered in the electronic firearms registration system. Firearms made before October 22, 1968 are exempt from serialization; new residents and heirs have 60 days to serialize.