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Massachusetts is one of those states that have stringent gun laws.
The state issues various types of permits for both concealed carry and open carry, alongside a firearm identification card.
To open carry in Massachusetts, the first thing is to understand gun statues in the state before that of local municipalities.
Massachusetts issues License to Carry and firearm identification for the possession of firearms in the state.
A local police station is in charge of processing license applications for residents of the state, while the Massachusetts police firearm record bureau is in charge of non-residents' application.
Massachusetts is a May-issue state.
To buy a firearm, you can either use a License to Carry or the firearm identification card.
All dealers must complete a background check by verifying a buyer’s firearm identification card with the Massachusetts criminal justice department.
You can also use your LTC to purchase ammunition in the state.
Dealers of a firearm must keep all records of sales and report them to the criminal justice department.
To apply for the identification card or the state License to Carry, you must be at least twenty-one years old.
Yes, open carry in Massachusetts is legal with a Class B License to Carry issued for this purpose.
However, you cannot open carry in all locations of the state.
Massachusetts does not preempt gun laws, so you must be aware of local regulations for open carry.
Massachusetts is a licensed open carry state, and this means that you must meet the requirement to obtain a license that qualifies you for open carry in the state.
The state has a firearm roster for guns approved, according to the public safety department.
Dealers of firearms in the state cannot sell outside of this approved list.
The exceptions for firearms in this list are those owned before the twenty-first of October in 1998, and other guns manufactured for professional shooting sport in the Olympics.
| Law/Policy | Long Guns | Handguns | Comments |
| State permit for open carry. | Yes | Yes | If you do not have a class B license to carry, you cannot open carry in Massachusetts |
| Firearm registrations for open carry. | No | No | Although there are no firearm registrations in the state, all owners of firearms must be on the department of public safety record. Also, firearm dealers must keep records of sales and make it readily available to the department. |
| Assault weapon for open carry. | Yes | Yes | Assault weapons are not entirely prohibited in Massachusetts, but they must not be illegally possessed too. |
| Magazine limit | Yes | Yes | No magazine of more than ten rounds is allowed in the state |
| License for the owner of a firearm. | Yes | Yes | Yes, every firearm owner in Massachusetts must have a firearm identification. |
| Red flag law | Yes | Yes | Massachusetts has a red flag law for the prohibition of a firearm for anyone considered to be a threat. Only a law court can approve this petition. |
| Castle doctrine law | Yes | Yes | You have no duty to retreat an attack in your dwelling place, and you must defend yourself, protect your property, and the life of anybody staying with you in the dwelling place. |
| Background check for private dealers | Yes | Yes | The criminal record background check is compulsory for all dealers in the state. Private dealers can complete this check using the buyer’s firearm identification number. Also, all firearm transfers in the state must be completed via Massachusetts’s transfer portal. |
| Preemption | No | No | Massachusetts does not have any gun law preemption, therefore local areas can regulate gun laws in their territories |
| Concealed carry permit. | Yes | Yes | You can conceal carry in Massachusetts if you have a Class A permit. |
| Concealed carry in personal vehicle | Yes | Yes | With your Massachusetts license to carry, you can conceal carry in a personal vehicle. |
| Open carry in Schools | No | No | Massachusetts gun statute prohibits the possession of firearms and open carry in schools, colleges, universities, vocational institutions, and technical institutions. |
In Massachusetts you can open carry in the following places:
Massachusetts open carry is impossible in the following parts of the state.
Some of the most frequently asked questions about open carry in Massachusetts include the following:
Yes, you cannot open carry without a Massachusetts license to carry.
No. Massachusetts has two types of licenses issued in the state, Class A and Class B licenses.
Class A licenses are for a concealed carry permit in the state, while Class B licenses are for open carry.
If you are twenty-one years old or more, you can legally open carry in Massachusetts.
You must be at least twenty-one years old to conceal carry a firearm in Massachusetts.
You must be at least twenty-one years old to apply for any firearm-related permit in the state.
Yes, Massachusetts enforces a protection or restriction order for the sales, purchase, possession, and handling of firearms in the state.
Yes. Non-residents can apply for a Massachusetts license to carry, and the process to do so is the same as that of state residents.
No. Massachusetts prohibits constitutional carry.
There are no prohibitions for the possession of knives in Massachusetts.
However, the state forbids other weapons like daggers, stilettos, or additional devices for knives like locking blades, knuckle knives, ballistic knives, or automatic knives.
Massachusetts prohibits all of these weapons from concealed carry and open carry in the state.
Also, the location restrictions for firearms in the state apply to that of knives and other weapons.
Municipalities, counties, and districts may adopt more restrictions and regulations.
The state prohibits the illegal possession of assault weapons. To use machine guns and firearms, you must register with the department of police.
Yes, you must apply for Massachusetts firearm identification or have a license to carry before you buy a firearm in the state.
Yes. All firearm dealers in Massachusetts must run a criminal record background check before completing the sales of a firearm.
The license to carry is valid for six years, after which you have to apply for a renewal license.
No. There are no requirements to inform or notify a police officer if you are in possession of a firearm.
Yes. The state laws explain that there is only a duty to retreat outside one’s home of residence. But while in a dwelling place, a person can stand his or her grounds.
Yes. A person who makes use of deadly force to prevent severe bodily harm or an imminent death will get immunity from civil liability in the state because he or she is adjourned to be acting in self-defense.
Yes. To obtain Massachusetts firearm identification or a license to carry in the state, you must complete a firearm training conducted by a certified instructor and approved by the police department.
No, there are no firearm registrations in the state, but ownership of firearms must be on the department of public safety and security record.
Here are some of Massachusetts gun laws that you must know if you intend to open carry in the state.
Massachusetts gun law limits the number of rounds in a magazine to less than ten, with exceptions to firearms legally owned since September nineteen-ninety-four.
Also, tubular devices that can accept and operate ammunition that has twenty-two calibers are an exemption.
In Massachusetts, you cannot possess a machine gun or semiautomatic firearm without gaining permission from the state police department.
Massachusetts does not have preemption gun laws; therefore, state laws do not surpass local laws.
So, municipalities and counties can enact gun laws in their localities to regulate the use of firearms and other weapons.
Massachusetts has red flag laws that allow a family member or a law enforcement officer to file a petition suspending a person’s license to carry a firearm and restrict the person from owning, buying, and selling a gun in the state.
It is illegal to brandish a firearm unlawfully in Massachusetts.
Anybody that uses a gun or any other weapon in a dangerous manner, or in such a way that shows an attempt to attack or use excessive force against someone physically, is guilty of committing an assault.
It is a prohibition to have a firearm while under the influence of alcohol, drugs, stimulants, or any other intoxicating substance, according to section ninety-four C of the statute.
Section two hundred and seventy extends this to any fume or substance that releases vapors.
You can possess a firearm while hunting except if you are bow hunting.
Massachusetts prohibits the possession of firearms while hunting for deer in the state.
The state also has hunter harassment statutes to help protect hunting activities.
They include the following: