No problem. MA needs more gun owners!
An FID allows to buy and possess "non-large capacity" rifles (i.e. ten rounds or less) and shotguns. It lets you use these weapons for hunting and target, and you are allowed to transport them (locked and unloaded) to and from target & hunting locations. No handguns, no concealed carry.
Requirements for an FID application vary by town, so you need to go to your town's police station and ask for an FID application (It is actually the same form for an LTC and an FID, you just check a different box). They will tell you (or you will ask) if there are any additional requirements. Some towns require letters of recommendation/reference to show that you are a "good" person, some towns require a letter from a physician saying you are mentally capable of owning a firearm, this is all town-by-town. Basically the state law says that to get a firearms permit, you must meet the state requirements plus any additional requirements set by the town police chief and/or licensing officer, so it is really different depending on where you live. The good news: FIDs are much easier to get, and basically considered "shall-issue" (as opposed to "may-issue" for LTCs).
You will need to take the safety course before submitting your application, as your safety certificate is part of the application itself. So you should contact one of the organizations that offer these classes and ask them what you need to take. For example, A&G Guns was very helpful when I emailed them for more information, because I had no idea what I needed to do when I was starting. Their web address is
http://www.agguns.com/ and there is a link to their Instruction Institute website. I *think* it is one course for an FID, and a different course for the LTC. I only took the Basic Pistol Safety Course to get my LTC. I could be wrong, so ask someone who knows
.
As for the class (I'm talking Class of license, not safety class) of a License To Carry to apply for, the options are Class A and Class B. An LTC Class B permits you everything you got from an FID, plus the ability to own and possess "non-large capacity" handguns. So again, rifles and handguns (10 round capacity or less) and shotguns, no concealed carry.
An LTC Class A basically removes the capacity restriction, so you can buy firearms that hold more than 10 rounds. The 'gotcha' here is that so-called "high-capacity" mags are only legal if they were manufactured before some date in 1994. New mags aren't legal to sell or own in MA unless you're a LEO, but since most manufacturers don't stamp their mags with the manufacture date....
Regardless, gun shops will usually only sell these mags if they were actually made before that date.
PLUG: Four Seasons is a great shop in Woburn that currently has 15-round mags for the Beretta 92FS.
http://fsguns.com/
Now, aside from Classes of your LTC, the licensing officer or chief of police can place restrictions on your LTC. A common one is what I have, "Target & Hunting". This means that I can use the capabilities of my Class A license in the pursuit of target shooting and hunting only. So I cannot carry a concealed weapon with this license. I also can't have a loaded or unlocked weapon in my vehicle on a public way. But I can own and use normal capacity handguns (those mags from Four Seasons are working flawlessly
).
If you're in a good town or if you have some connections, you can get a Class A with no restrictions, meaning the licensing officer has deemed you worthy enough to be able to legally exercise your rights as enumerated in the Bill of Rights.
Enough reading for ya? Here's the bottom line: check with someone who offers the courses, they will be willing to help guide you through the process and they should be more familiar with the peculiars of your town. I'm no lawyer, and I think everything I wrote above is true, but I could be mistaken with some of it.
Edited to add:
You want to apply for a
CLASS A when you're old enough. Worst case, they bump you down to a Class B. Best case, you get an unrestricted Class A. Applying for a Class B is (IMO) a waste of time.
It costs 100$ for the firearms application, and can take a while for them to give you an answer. You'll be fingerprinted, photographed, and entered into the system. It also involves a background check done by the Mass State Police (I believe). Make sure all of the information you put on the application is correct, they can deny you for any error that they discover. The class will cost you as well, the Basic Pistol Course at MRA is 150$. I don't know the price range for the FID class though.
