Mass hi cap rules?

[courier de bois]

I say rules, because I can find no 'law'.
I no longer live in Mass, but went to a gun show yesterday. All sorts of hi caps for everything on the tables. The last couple shows- months ago, I bought all sorts of 20 and 30 rounders. at decent prices. This time I saw nothing I needed or wanted to pay big bucks for, but I hear one loud mouth vender telling a would be customer he can't sell anyone except a policeman anything over 10 rounds. for 2 years now. News to me, would have been news to the people who sold me stuff lately. I do still have a Mass class A hi cap permit, and mister mouth said that wasn't good anymore. Again, for two years now. State employees there didn't know anything about it, vendors I know well hem and haw, they don't know either. On the web I can't find anything beyond the 1994 fed ban mass still enforces- that's why they issue hi cap permits ain't it? I don't want to start a rowe, but does anyone on here know the 'facts'??? (as if I care anymore!)

 

[M-Cameron]

If you have an ltc-a, you are allowed to own preban high cap mags.....

Ltc-b and fid are limited to 10 round mags.

No new production high cap mags are allowed, except to LEO.

Assuming he was selling preban mags, there is no reason he couldn't sell them to you........vendors rarely know, or care, what they are talking about

 

[Frank Ettin]

Instead of simply posting unsupported opinions, can someone cite/quote applicable legal authority and/or the relevant statutes?

 

[mp510]

I'm a Mass LTC-A holder (non-resident) . I am also certified by the Commonwealth as a BFS instructor.

There are several complicating points to the OP's post.

I'm going to try to address each of them.

An LTC-B allows a resident to purchase or possess a large capacity rifle, non-large capacity rifles, large capacity shotgun, non-large capacity shotguns, or a non-large capacity firearm (pistol/revolver). Resident LTC-B holders can also purchase ammunition, large capacity ammunition feeding devices (manufactured befor 13 sep 1994) for rifles and shotguns, non-large capacity feeding devices for rifles and shotungs and non-large capacity ammunition feeding devices for firearms. [Under recent legislation, no new LTC-B may be issued. Some resident licenses will be valid through 2019. There shouldn't be any non-resident LTC-B valid anymore- which is immaterial since in recent memory, all NR LTC-B were chemical propellant spray restricted] An LTC-B does not allow carry in a motor vehicle [unloaded/ secured transport only] or concealed carry in public (i.e. open carry only), and is subject to restriction.

Resident LTC-A holders may do everything that a Resident LTC-B holder may do and also purchase large capacity firearms and large capacity ammunition feeding devices (manufactured before 13 Sep 1994, only) for firearms. An LTC-A also allows concealed carry (subject to restrictions).

[non-resident ltc holders are expressly proscribed from purchasing firearms or ammunition in the Commonwealth by the section authorizing non-resident LTC. The sections describing the procedure regarding the sale of firearms, ammunition, and ammunition feeding devices explicitly relate to residents. ]

Typically when a resident LTC-holder moves out of state, his LTC is considered void immediately. (There are some instances in which addresses have, for some reason or other, been revised to reflect the new out of state address. Typically, the only two instances in which a non-resident can have a resident LTC is (1) when he is a part-year resident of the Commonwealth and (2) when maintains a place of business in the Commonwealth. (There is a lot of debate about whether or not people who are non-residents, particularly non-resident business owners, with resident LTCs, can purchase/ be sold firearms or ammunition in the Commonwealth). There is a certain gray area regarding sale of magazines to NR LTC-A holders. [The legislature intended to stop all sales to non-residents after the college shooting in 1992.]

Remember that there are many weapons that are considered large capacity for which no non_LEO can possess a large capacity feeding device which would still require an LTC-A to possess. A very good example of that would be an M&P 9. There are also firearms that are large capacity compatible, but are not typically equipped with large capacity magazines and which people don't associate with large capacity feeding devices, that are also considered large capacity firearms (like the Smith & Wesson 41). The LTC being designated large capacity is as much about the firearm (and its potential capacity) as it is about the feeding device.


(I'm not going to get into the issue of LEO privileges under the most recent legislation in this post. There was a major liberalization to that during the last major statutes implemented in Mass. If the seller had preban mags, he may have misunderstood the effect of that. )

See MGL c. 140 SS. 121, 123, 128B, 129B, 129C, 131, 131 3/4, 131E, 131F.

 

[courier de bois]

Hey, MP510, I think you got it down to a science. Everything I own is before the 1990's anyway, so I suppose I just never noticed. I think hawkers howling about more and new laws is like a snake oil salesman. Boring doesn't attract buyers does it? I suppose to go around this, savvy vendors in a state like Mass, should swap new made for old stock in other states, keep the flow going for another few years.... unfortunately, it seems most younger buyers aren't interested in guns older than themselves, so after a few years, this won't mater anymore, they limit themselves, and people my age will be more than stocked up. BTW, I was told my A is good till it and my driver's run out later this year. By then who cares.. Thank you so much for clearing this up!