Southern New Hampshire / Boston, MA

[IrvJr]

Fellow Highroaders... I need your help!

There's a chance that I may have to move to the Boston/Southern New Hampshire area and I'm looking for help from fellow THR-ers on scouting possible locations to live.

My preference is to move to a gun-friendly locale (i.e., NOT Massachusetts). However, if I do have to move, I will need to be in daily-commuting distance of Cambridge, MA.

Any folks on THR live in Southern, NH and commute regularly to Boston/Cambridge? If so, what are good towns/locations to consider in NH, and what is your daily commute like? I think I'd want to use mass transportation (Lowell train line?) if I had to go into Boston/Cambridge every day.

Any folks on THR live in MA, near Boston/Cambridge? Are there any gun-friendly communities in that area? Is it even remotely possible to get an unrestricted CCW license in the Boston/Cambridge area? If so, what towns/counties allow this? Anyone from Westford or chelmsford? Also, I've heard that certain handguns are not permitted in MA. I have a few 1911 and Colt SAA type of handguns. Would I be able to bring them with me?

Of course, my first preference is to live in NH, but this might not be an option.

Thanks for your help!

 

[fish2xs]

I live in northern MA, a town away from NH. I am closer to the coast (ie
just east of 93) than the towns you mention. Here are some factoids.

It's called "The People's Republic of Cambridge" for a reason.

You want to carry in or near Boston? Forget it.

Yes - the selections of allowable handguns in MA is restricted. Visit
www.fsguns.com for what a good shop in the Woburn area offers. You might
not be able to bring your guns into MA.

If you live and are licensed in NH, you cannot carry in MA save for special
circumstances.

Some towns in MA are alright with respect to LTC. The closer to Boston, the
worse it gets - generally speaking.

There are many other issues besides handguns to consider. MA residents have
to pay an 'excise tax' on any vehicle, boat, trailer, etc. NH does not have
this to my knowledge. MA taxes are ubiquitous. They drive like idiots (myself
included...you have to in order to get anywhere).

My advice is this. Live in NH. Deal with the commute hell. Put your time
in at the Cambridge site and get another job eventually.

I would leave MA for NH tomorrow if it were not for other issues.

 

[Amadeus]

You should have no trouble commuting from NH to Boston. Many many people do that commute. I used to live outside of Boston and knew of several people that commuted from -- I think it was Nashua -- to their jobs in Bedford MA and points beyond. It's definitely feasible.

 

[Jonesy9]

Welcome to the area! anything you currently own can be brought with you no problem. If you were planning on buying something like a new Glock 36, buy it now. Same for Kahrs and Kel tecs. Most of the rest are legal, Sig, Ruger, Beretta, SW etc etc.

All your rifles are fine as long as they conform to Federal laws. Class III is leagal but up to the local cops and can be problematic.

You want to carry in or near Boston? Forget it.

Once licensed you can carry anywhere except police station, schools and federal building. Bars are fine, just don't get drunk.

There are no restrictions on Boston, even for high caps.


The commute from southern NH can be rough with traffic but many people do it. At time of no traffic you're talking 30-40 minutes. Excellent public trans available to so you don't have to go all the way into the city.

Westford/Chelmsford area is nice and less expensive than towns closer to the city. Southern NH is getting expensive but there are still towns you can get into for under 300k and not have to buy a small handyman special.



Consider getting an out of state permit that has reciprocity in MA (is ther even such a thing?) before you arrive. The further out fdrom the city you get, the cheaper it gets and easier to get your ClassA permit.

If guns are your primary concern, head straight to NH.

 

[Sean Cloherty]

From northern MA there are also a good number of commuter trains which run from there to Boston making driving all the way to town a less inviting option.

 

[DF357]

keep in mind....

that if you live in NH and work in Ma, you'll have to pay Mass. income tax anyway.

 

[FPrice]

I believe that Devonai just made the move from the Boston area to New Hampshire. If so, hopefully he will see this thread and reply.

I do have a friend who lives in Nashua, NH and commutes to the Hanscom AFB area and he seems to be okay with it. His issue is quality of home life rather than firearms tho.

 

[Jonesy9]

that's true, he'll pay MA income tax but be able to apply for a refund no?

I've got some friends at Comcast from NH that worked in MA. Bitched all the time about MA income tax, till they both got laid off recently and can collect MA unemployment bennies.

 

[atk]

Some things that are not quite accurate about MA were mentioned. For the sake of IrvJr, here's the corrections I noticed:

First, provided you have an LTC, Class A, ALP, carry in Boston is legal - unless you are a Boston resident. As described on the NRA ILA website

The provision does not apply to possession by non-residents of Boston at a sporting or shooting club by persons who possess the requisite state license to carry.

Second, as long as you obtain the necessary license for ownership of your firearms, and register them within 60 days of moving to MA, you can move to Massachusetts and keep them. I don't have the reference off hand, but I can find it for you if you PM me.


Third, you can carry in MA if you obtain a non-resident permit. $100 for 1 year. Contact the MA state police for information, or check out www.packing.org, and GOAL. I may be wrong, but I believe non-residents must apply to the State Police, and cannot go through towns.

MA does not accept other states' permits.

Good luck on whatever you decide

 

[Chipperman]

Unfortunately, there is a LOT of misinformation out there concerning MA, and even some within this thread.

Go to GOAL.org
Looks at the regs posted on that site. If you have any questions, call Jon Green.

1. Check with each prospective town before moving. It is a general assumption that closer to Boston is worse, but not always true.

2. You can carry anywhere in MA with a Class A license, even into Boston. No CCW in schools, courthouses, Po-Po stations. Bars are ok

3. You DO NOT have to register the guns you bring in with you. You DO have to register any you buy while living in the state, even if bought outside the state.

4. Living in NH and working in MA, you whacked with taxes twice. You pay the MA income, and the much higher NH property. It may be worth it to you, though.

5. NFA-- Machine guns and SBR's are allowed, but NOT suppressors. You need to get a special Machine Gun License (also called a Green Card) prior to getting any NFA stuff though. Depending on the town this may be impossible, or ok. I would advise getting a C&R license before making the attempt. That will show you are a bona-fide collector (check the wording on the Green Card regs)

 

[atk]

I'll look again, when I get home, but Chipperman may be right - and I may have misspoken: I can find the proof of the 60 day grace period (chapter 140, section 129C, paragraph j).

I can't find anything proof you have to register the firearms, right now, so I'll look for that later...

 

[jamz]

Depending on how much you mind driving, the commute to and from NH to Cambridge might be okay. I know I could not do it. It would be probably 45 minutes minimum, at 2:00 AM with no traffic, and maybe an hour 15 to an hour and a half with traffic, each way.

That said, you might want to look at Arlington MA. It is next to Cambridge, sort of inexpensive (that's relative though) and they issue Class A LTC by default. I only knew about that AFTER I moved out of arlington, naturally. :banghead:

1 word of caution: but all the cool guns you want before moving to this state. The following is a list of the ONLY handguns you are permitted to buy. (requires adobe reader)

http://www.state.ma.us/chsb/pdfs/frb/frb_approved_roster_2002.pdf

Oh wait, but that's not all! Not only does your desired handgun have to be on this "approved roster list", but it ALSO has to comply to the Attourney General's regulations, which can be found here:

http://www.ago.state.ma.us/con_pro/cmr2.pdf



So if you can stomach this sort of legal nonsense and don't want the commute, I'd say MA. If you don't mind the drive, NH is certainly the way to go.

-JAmes