Question on Massachusetts gun laws...

[benEzra]

What, exactly, does Massachusetts allow a nonresident visiting the state to have unloaded and locked in the trunk *WITHOUT* a nonresident license, if you are not visiting the state for a shooting competition, and assuming that you are making MA your destination instead of just passing through (so FOPA does not apply)?

I assume that all handguns and "assault weapons" would be verboten without a license, but how about:

An unloaded pump-action hunting shotgun locked in a hard case in the trunk and ammunition stored separately?

An unloaded, locked .22 rifle?

Single-edge fixed-blade knife, 8" blade?

Bow and arrows?

Pepper spray?

Nerf gun?

Sharp stick?

I have perused the GOAL website and the MA statutes themselves, and am just as confused now as I was before.

 

[Chipperman]

No firearms or ammo of any kind. Not even ammo components are allowed without a license.

An unloaded pump-action hunting shotgun locked in a hard case in the trunk and ammunition stored separately?

NO

An unloaded, locked .22 rifle?

NO

Single-edge fixed-blade knife, 8" blade?

That's Fine, just stay out of Boston with it.

Bow and arrows?

Fine, as long as you are not hunting w/o a license

Pepper spray?

NO, you need an FID card for that

Nerf gun?

YES

Sharp stick?

Does it have a marshmallow on the end?

 

[benEzra]

Holy cow, that is worse than I thought. FID for pepper spray?

Question on Boston knife laws--what is legal in Boston, not only what you can carry, but what you can have locked in your trunk? Is a folding pocketknife with 2 7/8" locking blade legal in your pocket or in your vehicle? How about a medium sized Swiss Army Knife (say, 3" blade or so)?

What's the law on impact weapons?

How about martial arts weapons (specifically a pair of sai with rounded blunt tips and circular cross section, not edged) locked in your trunk in a case and not on your person?

I do see that nunchaku are apparently banned there. I suppose it must be because of all the people killed by drive-by nunchuckings.

Glad to hear that Nerf guns are still legal there...for now... :banghead:

 

[GlowinPontiac]

If you dont have a Mass license your better off not taking ANYTHING into that state that can be used as a weapon. Even if it is legal you will still get harassed by the state police and more than likely have you guns confiscated and it will be a total PITA to get them back.

 

[highlander 5]

My advice,where ever you are if you're thinking of coming to Mass,do yourself a big favor stay home. No disrespect intended but the way the laws are here it's just not worth the hassle.

 

[Chipperman]

You can have a sword locked in your trunk and that is fine. In Boston you cannot CARRY a knife with a blade longer than 2 1/2"

" 16-45 PROHIBITING THE CARRYING OF KNIVES OR SIMILAR WEAPONS.

16-45.1 Carrying of Weapons Prohibited.

No person, except as provided by law, shall carry on his person, or carry under his control in a vehicle, any knife having any type of blade in excess of two and one-half (2� ) inches, ice picks, dirks or similar weapons that are likely to penetrate through police officer's ballistic vests, or other object or tool so redesigned, fashioned, prepared or treated that the same may be used to inflict bodily harm or injury to another, except:

There is no STATE limit on blade length. Outside of Boston you could legally carry your long fixed-blade knife (although a few towns have other restrictions, sp Lawrence)

 

[swiftak]

Do yourself a favor. Don't even dignify that state with your presence.

 

[calaverasslim]

I was stationed in central taxachuttes on 2 seperate occasions. 62-63 to go thru school at Ft. Devens and again as an instructor 73-77. My wife has a sister + Family and a brother + family there.

When I left in March of 77 they had passed a law that said that anyone that was caught carrying a handgun would spend 1 year in prison. When I got back Thanksgiving of 78, only one person had be convicted and sent to prison. A 78 year old grandmother who kept getting her social security checks stolen.

That told me something. LIKE, stay away from taxachuttes.


NEVER BEEN BACK. WON'T

 

[Boomerang]

When I left in March of 77 they had passed a law that said that anyone that was caught carrying a handgun would spend 1 year in prison.

Minor correction. It's 1 year if caught carrying a handgun without a license to carry it.
we have terrible gun laws for sure.

*edit*
I attempted to describe the types of licensing and what the rules are for each type, but I realized it would be too complicated for most to understand, so I scratched the idea.

 

[benEzra]

My advice,where ever you are if you're thinking of coming to Mass,do yourself a big favor stay home. No disrespect intended but the way the laws are here it's just not worth the hassle.

Do yourself a favor. Don't even dignify that state with your presence.

Believe me, I don't want to, but my 9 y.o. son is a cardiac patient and he has his surgeries and angioplasties at Boston Children's.

I'm not all that concerned about security while in Massachusetts (I stay in the hospital with him), but I would like to have something besides my hands and feet in the hotels at night between here and there. I can't afford to stay at high-end hotels, and I've been in Motel 6's and even a couple of Days Inns that were downright scary. On medical trips to other states, most recognize my NC CHL and those that don't are OK with firearms in the trunk, but MA and NJ present a bit different scenario, needless to say.

These trips sometimes come up on short notice, and it takes at least two months to get a nonresident license, from what I've heard. Unfortunately, I can't afford to spend $100/yr maintaining a Massachusetts nonresident license, given that we only get up there once every two or three years.

 

[calaverasslim]

Maybe someone from Ma. can enlighten you more but at one time they had a law for non-residents to obtain a temp. carry license. You had to go to Boston to get it and since your gonna be right there.........

I understand your position and I sure do wish you the best.

 

[Devonai]

A one-year non-resident License to Carry Firearms is available by mail through the Massachusetts State Police. They will send you an application, just fill it out, go down to your local PD to get the fingerprint cards, photocopy your home state license, and get a certified check or money order for $100. Request a Class A "All Lawful Purposes" license and you can carry concealed anywhere in the state, including Boston.

Four to six months later, you'll get your license. The State Police are very reasonable about issuing non-resident permits. The only potential hang-up is that the application requires you to state in writing why you "fear injury to yourself or property." I wrote a simple paragraph stating that I believe that I am ultimately responsible for my safety. That worked for me.

Ben, I understand you find this process to be overbearing. However, once you're done with the hassle at least you have the option.

 

[Chipperman]

benEzra, check your PM.

Best wishes to your Son!

 

[benEzra]

Thanks! And thanks to everyone for the help.

 

[Kino74]

Believe me, I don't want to, but my 9 y.o. son is a cardiac patient and he has his surgeries and angioplasties at Boston Children's.

Good luck to your son. Just keep your wits about you and hopefully you won't have to use defensive force.

 

[Aguila Blanca]

I'm not all that concerned about security while in Massachusetts (I stay in the hospital with him), but I would like to have something besides my hands and feet in the hotels at night between here and there. I can't afford to stay at high-end hotels, and I've been in Motel 6's and even a couple of Days Inns that were downright scary. On medical trips to other states, most recognize my NC CHL and those that don't are OK with firearms in the trunk, but MA and NJ present a bit different scenario, needless to say.

Simple solution - don't spend the night in Massachusetts. From Boston, you can be in New Hampshire or Rhode Island within about an hour, or in Connecticut within two hours. New Hampshire has civilized gun laws and a very affordable out-of-state permit. Connecticut and Rhode Island, while not bastions of firearms freedom, appear to be so due to their proximity to Massachusetts. Neither of those states prohibits "possession" in a dwelling without a license, only carry. Since you would be in transit from Boston to home, transport through either CT or RI would be covered under the FOPA. Assuming your home state is far enough away that you can't make the drive in a single day, stopping for the night should be considered in the normal course of travel and should not invalidate transport under the FOPA.

Even Connecticut issues non-resident carry permits, and they're good for four (or is it five?) years for less than Massachusetts charges for one year.

 

[the_doctor]

Slingshots

You forgot to ask out slingshots.

These guys read the bible.

You may possess a slingshot, but you are forbidden to BUY one or SELL one.

 

[scurtis_34471]

Personally, I would get the permit. It is expensive and they will probably not let you carry, but the permit would let you have a gun in your car and in your residence (hotel). That is worth it if you have to spend any time there.

Those who suggested driving an hour or two were not paying attention or have never had a sick child in the hospital.

 

[ABTOMAT]

(although a few towns have other restrictions, sp Lawrence)

A LOT of towns have restrictions like that, at least northeast of Boston. Surprised me, since until I engaged in some hardcore research one day I had never heard a thing. It's been long enough I forget what went where, but it was far more than you normally hear about. And the size limits are all different.

 

[scurtis_34471]

It is a shame that Massachusetts has such horrible laws, because it is a very pretty state and Boston is a great town.

 

[LAR-15]

MA bans slingshots?

 

[Chipperman]

MA bans slingshots?

No. Some people are confused by the term "slungshot", which is NOT the same as a slingshot.

Here is the MA code as it perttains to non=firearms weapons:
http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/mgl/269-10.htm
Please keep in mind that this is State law. Local laws can and do vary.

(b) Whoever, except as provided by law, carries on his person, or carries on his person or under his control in a vehicle, any stiletto, dagger or a device or case which enables a knife with a locking blade to be drawn at a locked position, any ballistic knife, or any knife with a detachable blade capable of being propelled by any mechanism, dirk knife, any knife having a double-edged blade, or a switch knife, or any knife having an automatic spring release device by which the blade is released from the handle, having a blade of over one and one-half inches, or a slung shot, blowgun, blackjack, metallic knuckles or knuckles of any substance which could be put to the same use with the same or similar effect as metallic knuckles, nunchaku, zoobow, also known as klackers or kung fu sticks, or any similar weapon consisting of two sticks of wood, plastic or metal connected at one end by a length of rope, chain, wire or leather, a shuriken or any similar pointed starlike object intended to injure a person when thrown, or any armband, made with leather which has metallic spikes, points or studs or any similar device made from any other substance or a cestus or similar material weighted with metal or other substance and worn on the hand, or a manrikigusari or similar length of chain having weighted ends; or whoever, when arrested upon a warrant for an alleged crime, or when arrested while committing a breach or disturbance of the public peace, is armed with or has on his person, or has on his person or under his control in a vehicle, a billy or other dangerous weapon other than those herein mentioned and those mentioned in paragraph (a), shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than two and one-half years nor more than five years in the state prison, or for not less than six months nor more than two and one-half years in a jail or house of correction, except that, if the court finds that the defendant has not been previously convicted of a felony, he may be punished by a fine of not more than fifty dollars or by imprisonment for not more than two and one-half years in a jail or house of correction.

It is, of course, very poorly written. Many people erroneously believe that it bans any blade longer than 1 1/2", but that pertains ONLY to autos. It also does not ban POSSESSION of any of those weapons, just Carrying.

 

[Aguila Blanca]

Those who suggested driving an hour or two were not paying attention or have never had a sick child in the hospital.

I was paying attention just fine. He said in Boston he stays with his kid in the hospital. It's the trip to and from Boston that's in issue.

I'm not all that concerned about security while in Massachusetts (I stay in the hospital with him), but I would like to have something besides my hands and feet in the hotels at night between here and there.

 

[Devonai]

It is expensive and they will probably not let you carry,

That's why you only bother applying for the Class A "All Lawful Purposes" license.