EddieCoyle
Member
RANT WARNING !!!!!!
And this is goin' to be a long one.
The ridiculous California gun laws are well known, but perhaps less widely known is the crap that us handgun owners have to deal with here in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
As a handgun owner in The Commonwealth, your options are very limited. This is the state that bills itself as one of the birthplaces of Liberty, and in years past was the "Silicon Valley" of gun manufacturing.
Some background:
Starting in 1998, our state Attorney General, Mr. Tom Reilly, used a loophole in the consumer protection laws to prevent Massachusetts residents from purchasing "unsafe" handguns. Here's the problem: EVERY handgun was considered unsafe until proven otherwise. In order to make it onto the Approved Firearms Roster, a gun manufacturer has to submit every model that they want to sell in Mass to a testing lab and subject it to a battery of tests. If it passes, and a "board" gives it the OK, it goes on the list.
Here's the list if you want to read it (It's a Word document).
If the gun is not on that list, we can't buy it. We can't buy it out of state either. Massachusetts FFL holders can't transfer a gun that's not on the list.
Many manufacturers have chosen not to deal with the bulls**t. I see a lot of people on this board recommending guns from Taurus and CZ. Taurus? CZ? Sorry, we can't buy 'em. Even the manufacturers that submit guns for approval do not do it for all of their models. I want a Para Wart Hog. Sorry, it's not on the list so I can't buy it. You can buy a Sigarms P232 in stainless, but not blued because they didn't submit the blued model for certification.
Now, there are exceptions to the rule. A dealer can sell a used gun if he can prove (with a sales receipt, etc) that it was in the Commonwealth before 1998. This has created a crazy market for desirable used guns. I went to my local shop today and they had just placed on display a USED Beretta Tomcat that was MA compliant (because it was here in 1998 - the Tomcat is not on "The List"). This is a gun that I've coveted for a while so I was going to buy it until I saw the price. They wanted (and will get) $500 for it. I just checked the Beretta website; the MSRP on a new Tomcat is $370! Because it has a pre-1998 Massachusetts pedigree, my local dealer will get $130 more than the price of a new one! (Just for the record, he's a good guy. He's not gouging. He had to pay a premium to get it).
Here's another story:
My uncle passed away recently and my Aunt - not being a gun person - wanted to get rid of his guns. Before talking to me she went to a gun shop and unloaded most of his long guns. My uncle also had a German Luger that he brought back with him from WWII. The a**hat shop owner told my aunt that since she did not have a receipt for the gun, it would be illegal sell it (that part's true), but he'd give her $200 for it because he felt bad for her and wanted it for his personal collection. The fact that he said the word "illegal" scared her off (fortunately) and she took the Luger home with her and called me. I'm in the process now of buying it from her for a fair price - and I hope that unscrupulous shop-owner gets his just rewards for cheating a widow on the long guns too (Before you shop owners flame me, the guy gave her $50 for a mint engraved Citori because it was so old).
That's another thing about the 1998 rules. "The List" doesn't apply to private sales. I can take any non-fully auto handgun and sell it to any Massachusetts resident with a wad of cash and the proper license. Unfortunately, most Massachusetts handgun owners know about this and mark-up their non-roster handguns accordingly. Trading is the best way to go. Too bad this is a blue state - there aren't enough gun owners here.
Buying ammo through the mail or online is another story. I drool at the prices for ammo from links that I see posted here on this site. Contact any of them and ask if they'll ship to Massachusetts and the answer is a resounding, "No."
The reason for this is that the Massachusetts AG (the aforementioned Mr. Reilly) went after several online sellers for "illegally" selling ammo to residents of the Commonwealth. It was not illegal, but many (all?) online retailers decided to stop selling to Massachusetts residents rather than deal with the buls**t. It's ridiculous! I can't even buy bullets (I don't mean loaded cartridges, I mean chunks of jacketed lead) online.
Fortunately, my GF lives in NH and she can get it for me. Is that pathetic or what?
"Sweetheart, will you buy 1000 rounds of 7.62x39 for me? I'll give you the money."
"Sure Honey. As soon as you change my oil give me a foot massage."
Anyway. For all of you residents of the Commonwealth (and I know there's a few of you out there), here's a recommendation:
Get a C & R. That's a Curios and Relics Federal Firearms License (Type 03 FFL). This allows you to get any Curio and Relic firearm (any gun made more than 50 years ago - handguns included) shipped from out of state directly to you. You can't get every modern gun you want but you can get a CZ52 or P38 (as well as many others). The cost for a C&R is $30 for 3 years.
Here's another recommendation:
Join GOAL - The Gun Owners' Action League. These people are fighting the good fight and winning (or at least keeping some of the wolves at bay).
As a final note, let me preempt anybody that's tempted to post something like:
"Well, that's what you get. Why don't you move someplace that's more gun-friendly."
To him I say:
I'd rather stay and fight for my rights than turn tail and run.
And this is goin' to be a long one.
The ridiculous California gun laws are well known, but perhaps less widely known is the crap that us handgun owners have to deal with here in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
As a handgun owner in The Commonwealth, your options are very limited. This is the state that bills itself as one of the birthplaces of Liberty, and in years past was the "Silicon Valley" of gun manufacturing.
Some background:
Starting in 1998, our state Attorney General, Mr. Tom Reilly, used a loophole in the consumer protection laws to prevent Massachusetts residents from purchasing "unsafe" handguns. Here's the problem: EVERY handgun was considered unsafe until proven otherwise. In order to make it onto the Approved Firearms Roster, a gun manufacturer has to submit every model that they want to sell in Mass to a testing lab and subject it to a battery of tests. If it passes, and a "board" gives it the OK, it goes on the list.
Here's the list if you want to read it (It's a Word document).
If the gun is not on that list, we can't buy it. We can't buy it out of state either. Massachusetts FFL holders can't transfer a gun that's not on the list.
Many manufacturers have chosen not to deal with the bulls**t. I see a lot of people on this board recommending guns from Taurus and CZ. Taurus? CZ? Sorry, we can't buy 'em. Even the manufacturers that submit guns for approval do not do it for all of their models. I want a Para Wart Hog. Sorry, it's not on the list so I can't buy it. You can buy a Sigarms P232 in stainless, but not blued because they didn't submit the blued model for certification.
Now, there are exceptions to the rule. A dealer can sell a used gun if he can prove (with a sales receipt, etc) that it was in the Commonwealth before 1998. This has created a crazy market for desirable used guns. I went to my local shop today and they had just placed on display a USED Beretta Tomcat that was MA compliant (because it was here in 1998 - the Tomcat is not on "The List"). This is a gun that I've coveted for a while so I was going to buy it until I saw the price. They wanted (and will get) $500 for it. I just checked the Beretta website; the MSRP on a new Tomcat is $370! Because it has a pre-1998 Massachusetts pedigree, my local dealer will get $130 more than the price of a new one! (Just for the record, he's a good guy. He's not gouging. He had to pay a premium to get it).
Here's another story:
My uncle passed away recently and my Aunt - not being a gun person - wanted to get rid of his guns. Before talking to me she went to a gun shop and unloaded most of his long guns. My uncle also had a German Luger that he brought back with him from WWII. The a**hat shop owner told my aunt that since she did not have a receipt for the gun, it would be illegal sell it (that part's true), but he'd give her $200 for it because he felt bad for her and wanted it for his personal collection. The fact that he said the word "illegal" scared her off (fortunately) and she took the Luger home with her and called me. I'm in the process now of buying it from her for a fair price - and I hope that unscrupulous shop-owner gets his just rewards for cheating a widow on the long guns too (Before you shop owners flame me, the guy gave her $50 for a mint engraved Citori because it was so old).
That's another thing about the 1998 rules. "The List" doesn't apply to private sales. I can take any non-fully auto handgun and sell it to any Massachusetts resident with a wad of cash and the proper license. Unfortunately, most Massachusetts handgun owners know about this and mark-up their non-roster handguns accordingly. Trading is the best way to go. Too bad this is a blue state - there aren't enough gun owners here.
Buying ammo through the mail or online is another story. I drool at the prices for ammo from links that I see posted here on this site. Contact any of them and ask if they'll ship to Massachusetts and the answer is a resounding, "No."
The reason for this is that the Massachusetts AG (the aforementioned Mr. Reilly) went after several online sellers for "illegally" selling ammo to residents of the Commonwealth. It was not illegal, but many (all?) online retailers decided to stop selling to Massachusetts residents rather than deal with the buls**t. It's ridiculous! I can't even buy bullets (I don't mean loaded cartridges, I mean chunks of jacketed lead) online.
Fortunately, my GF lives in NH and she can get it for me. Is that pathetic or what?
"Sweetheart, will you buy 1000 rounds of 7.62x39 for me? I'll give you the money."
"Sure Honey. As soon as you change my oil give me a foot massage."
Anyway. For all of you residents of the Commonwealth (and I know there's a few of you out there), here's a recommendation:
Get a C & R. That's a Curios and Relics Federal Firearms License (Type 03 FFL). This allows you to get any Curio and Relic firearm (any gun made more than 50 years ago - handguns included) shipped from out of state directly to you. You can't get every modern gun you want but you can get a CZ52 or P38 (as well as many others). The cost for a C&R is $30 for 3 years.
Here's another recommendation:
Join GOAL - The Gun Owners' Action League. These people are fighting the good fight and winning (or at least keeping some of the wolves at bay).
As a final note, let me preempt anybody that's tempted to post something like:
"Well, that's what you get. Why don't you move someplace that's more gun-friendly."
To him I say:
I'd rather stay and fight for my rights than turn tail and run.
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but I doubt I'll make it. In the meantime I'm going to enjoy living in a free country rather then a Socialist paradise.
