[Bondo_Red]

From What I was reading pretty much every pistol is banned here,If not then heavily regulated.Hopefully the source I was reading from is wrong.No USPs,Magnum Research guns,Kel-tecs,FRIGGIN SINGLE SHOT RIMFIRE TARGET PISTOLS ARE ILLEGAL.What can you actually have in MA as a legal handgun?

[obxned]

How can the 2nd Amendment mean NOTHING there? Boston Massacre and Tea Party, Lexington and the Shot Heard 'Round the World, Bunker Hill. Don't they teach history there?

I heard about a guy who was so fed up with this crap that he purchased all his firearms from a small business man who, like many of the Founding Fathers, often conducted business from a local tavern. Best of all, this local business man did not require any identification or background check, just good honest American dollars.

[hexidismal]

Well, I don't know much about it.. but it doesn't seem that bad. I searched for 'Mass. compliant handguns' and one of the first things was the webpage of a Mass dealer that seems to be pretty well stocked. Also it would seem from that page that hi-caps are not a problem in Mass. Being from NY, I'd say you don't have it bad at all.

http://fsguns.com/fsg_new_hg.html

In fact I notice his used page does list a USP.

[Martini13]

High cap mags are only legal if brought into the commonwealth by someone who moves here with them, or they were manufactured and sold here before the Klinton gun ban. We cannot purchase any that are for a gun that is a model of later vintage. Example: a Walther P99 compact, which came out a few years ago. Hope this helps.:)


Common Sense is the Rarest of all Senses

[tuna]

Here in the land of Teddy (I think I'll go for a swim) Kennedy and John (can I get me a huntin license here?) Kerry - just the tip of the iceberg, things are very strange.
We have an approved roster, and then another approved roster for handguns. It gets very confusing, and the easiest way to figure it out is to ask a dealer what you can and can't get, if you have something specific in mind. They can tell you what you can or can't get new.
Used is another story, if the gun is now not approved, but was in the state legally before the restrictions came about (1998 IIRC), then it can be sold in the state. Also, if someone from Free America moved here with the firearm, they can now sell it to you.

Yeah, curioser and curioser. (OK, you want proof that the people making our laws are smoking AND inhaling? How about this, if I have a permit to carry, I can carry a loaded pistol in my car and go to the range. But if, when I bring it to the range, I shoot all the ammo I have, then I need to lock it up before going home because it is illegal to have an UNLOADED firearm in the vehicle without being locked up)

Check out www.northeastshooters.com as this is discussed a lot there, and there are people more knowlegable about Mass gun laws than I.

[Bondo_Red]

modern society's rules make my stomach churn.:barf:

[wheel]

The best site to get info on MA laws and what's legal is www.northeastshooters.com, in the "gun laws" section. There are several lawyers very active there, and they are knowledgeable and quick to answer questions.

There are a few key parts to the law. I'll try to summarize them here but don't quote me, this stuff is complex enough that I can't keep it all straight in my head. If I have a specific issue I usually go to the above-mentioned forum and look at the FAQ's there.

- There are no guns in MA that are illegal to own (given the proper license). There are only those which are illegal to SELL. So when I use the term "banned" below, I mean banned from sales, not ownership.

- There is a list of "approved" new handguns which may be sold by dealers. These guns meet the safety requirements that MA mandates. You can find this list on the MA web page. (Google it.)

- The above list is incomplete however, since the Attorney General used his power to exclude certain models based on his own extra requirements. But there is no complete published list of these exclusions, so you just "have to know". New Glocks for instance are illegal - a dealer cannot sell them unless they were manufactured before 1998 (forget which month).

- Penalty for selling a banned gun (as defined above) is on the seller - the buyer is not responsible.

- Any banned gun that is already in the state can be re-sold from one MA resident to another, but the seller cannot be a licensed dealer (FFL).

- Same sort of ban applies to magazines. No mags larger than 10 rounds can be sold unless they were manufactured prior to 1998. (This is true for handguns as well as rifles, like AR's.)

- Based on Federal law, a MA resident cannot import a banned gun from another state, because that requires an FFL to FFL transaction, and the receiving FFL would violate the law if he then sold the gun to you.

- LEO's are not subject to the bans. For instance, an LEO can buy a new Glock. And he/she could then sell it to another MA resident (as long as it's not straw man sale).

- People moving to MA from another state ARE allowed to bring banned guns in that they already own.

Again, there may be a few errors in what I've stated here, so check the northeastshooters site to be sure.

[MassMark]

Here's a good page, (or bad page), from Four Seasons. Once you get through reading it, you'll understand fully how insane Massachusetts is, (if you didn't already).... :eek: :barf: :eek:

Four Seasons - Guns You Can't Have (http://www.fsguns.com/fsg_information.html)

Oooops... Wheel beat me to it...

[wheel]

then I need to lock it up before going home because it is illegal to have an UNLOADED firearm in the vehicle without being locked up

Just to be clear, it's only illegal if it's "not under your control". Pretty sure that's what you meant here.

For instance, you can't leave any firearm in the vehicle unless it's locked in the trunk or in a box. But you certainly can have a loaded/unloaded HANDGUN on your person while in a vehicle (in a holster for instance), if you have a class A license. Don't recall if that's also permitted with class B however.

Also, the laws for rifles are different. Hi-cap (more than 10 rounds) have more restrictions than low-cap. Hi-cap have to be locked in a case/trunk at all times. Low-cap may not have to be locked(?). Neither can ever be loaded while in the vehicle.

[Robo_Railer]

Tuna, I think you're getting a couple parts of the law mixed around. I'll admit, I got the heck out of there long before all that "Class A/Class B" license stuff, but what you wrote just didn't seem right. I found this on Lynn PD (http://www.lynnpolice.org/f_a_q_.htm)'s site:
How do I transport a gun in my vehicle?
A person with a Class "A" LTC may transport a handgun loaded or unloaded on his person or under his direct control in the vehicle. If the handgun is not under his direct control, it must be unloaded and in a locked case, locked trunk or other secure container.
A person with a Class "B" LTC must transport handguns unloaded and in a locked case, locked trunk or other secure container. All persons transporting large capacity rifles and shotguns must transport them unloaded and in a locked case, locked trunk or other secure container. Trigger locks do not meet the requirements of securing a weapon during transport in motor vehicle.
For more specific information see M.G.L. c. 140, §131C. (http://www.lynnpolice.org/c140-s131c.htm)I didn't dig into the laws any further (that stuff makes my hair hurt), but the different classes sound like the way it was back when a chief might issue someone a permit only for "hunting and target," or for "protection of person and property." (Supposedly if it said "For all legal purposes," you could carry anytime and just about anywhere.)

As for what you can or can't own, I didn't wanna go there, but another good source for info about the Mass. laws might be the Gun Owners' Action League (http://www.goal.org).

It just dawned on me that at the time I moved out of state, I had been licensed to carry in MA for half my life. Got my first "pistol permit" shortly after I turned 21, so I was just a few months short of boasting 21 years of being a law-abiding armed citizen of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts when I moved away. (Mass. motto: Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem. Meaning: "Let's enact a bunch of gun laws, and then whine when we're still ranked as the most violent state in New England.")

[The Good]

also on the four seasons site on some page is a list of the guns you CAN own in mass

[Tacoma]

You can go to the AG's website and look up the list too. However sometimes there is a lag in updating it. The best thing to do is use general guidelines ( on the AG site) to narrow your choices then check with your local dealer to see if he can get it. Dealers usually get the first updates. MA has some nuts cutoffs for teh list at times. ( Like same gun on "OK" list is not OK if it has night sights:rolleyes: )
While deciding, it's best to keep a couple of things in mind.
Rifles/shotguns- MA never let the assault weapons ban sunset. i.e everything you buy (new) in MA cannot have a flash supressor, bayonet lug,high cap mag, etc. Other than that, just about everything is OK. If you want a "preban" Ar, get ready to pay dearly.
Handguns- S&W revolvers are 99% OK/on the list. Revolvers from other manufactures are hit or miss. Semi autos, and particularly those from Glock, Colt, Sig, Walther, Pardini and other high end names are mostly NG unless your LEO. ( or get a LEO to buy it and sell it to you latter ;) )
Burns my butt that many of the high end target specific pistols are not exempt. Like a homie is going to use a $2000 Walther GSP .22 or T/C Contender to rob a drug store.

[cbsbyte]

Handguns- S&W revolvers are 99% OK/on the list. Revolvers from other manufactures are hit or miss. Semi autos, and particularly those from Glock, Colt, Sig, Walther, Pardini and other high end names are mostly NG unless your LEO. ( or get a LEO to buy it and sell it to you latter )

Your are completely mistaken about which handguns are allowed and which are not. For instance Sig pistols, besides the target guns, and 1911s, are legal for sale in Mass. All Walther pistols are legal for sale, Pre 1998 Glocks are legal for sale, Pre 1998 Colts are legal for sale. All Ruger Revolvers, Mark IIIs, and P345 are legal for sale.