Buying a Gun in Massachusetts

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.

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.