Massachusetts has new gun law in effect. What does it do, and how do you get a firearm?
BOSTON — A new gun law banning untraceable "ghost guns" and enhancing the "Red Flag Law" went into effect earlier this month when Gov. Maura Healey signed an "emergency preamble" enacting it immediately, instead of its original start date of Oct. 23.
Opponents of the new law, concerned that it could infringe on Second Amendment rights, have been gathering signatures to put a veto ballot before voters in 2026.
By putting the law into effect immediately, it cannot be suspended before the 2026 ballot. It could otherwise have been suspended until the 2026 vote if enough verified signatures were gathered.
Healey initially signed the legislation in July.
Here's a breakdown of what the changes are to gun laws and how to buy a gun legally:
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What does Massachusetts' new gun law do?
According to the governor's office, An Act Modernizing Firearms Laws modernizes Massachusetts’ existing firearm laws to address homemade untraceable “ghost guns,” and 3-D printed guns.
It also enhances the “Red Flag Law,” allowing a court to take guns away from people judged to be a threat to themselves or others. It further protects safety in public spaces by banning people from carrying guns in schools, polling places and government buildings, and increases violence prevention programming by changing the education requirements for getting a gun license.
New Mass. gun rules concern some law-abiding gun owners
Jim Wallace, executive director of the Gun Owners' Action League, told WCVB that the law also includes provisions that are concerning to law-abiding gun owners, including changing what shotguns and rifles are allowed to be sold.
Wallace also told WCVB that the law adds new education requirements to get a gun license and lays out new requirements to add serial numbers to firearms.
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Could the new Mass. gun law be repealed?
According to Ballotpedia, verified voter signatures for a veto vote in 2026 are due before the Mass. Secretary of State on Oct. 23.
Ballotpedia said that the Gun Owners' Action League reported submitting 90,000 raw signatures, and that 37,287 verified signatures are needed to put it on the ballot.
Ballotpedia said that 49,716 verified signatures would have been enough to suspend it in the interim if Healey hadn't made the move to put the law into effect beforehand.
Mass. has lowest rate of gun deaths, but gun law proponents say update needed
Massachusetts has the lowest rate of gun deaths in the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In an average year, 257 people die by guns in this state.
But Healey has said that Massachusetts gun regulations needed updating in the wake of a U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2022 that she said weakened states’ ability to protect residents through state-level gun safety laws.
How do you get a gun license in Massachusetts?
Licenses to carry firearms and firearms identification cards, or LTCs and FIDs, are issued by the police department where you live or have a place of business, according to the state website.
If you want an LTC or FID, you need to apply at your local police department.
You will need to:
complete the Resident Firearms License Application and pay the $100 application fee;
take and pass a Massachusetts Basic Firearms Safety Course;
have a form of identification and additional documentation as required by your local licensing authority. You also may need to provide proof of residence.
The police department will also perform state and federal background checks, a fingerprint-based background check, and a check with the Department of Mental Health. It may take 60 days to obtain the license.
How do you buy a firearm from a gun dealer in Massachusetts?
Once you have obtained the state licenses through the police department, to buy a firearm you will need to undergo another background check through the gun dealer, which is processed by the FBI.
An LTC allows you to possess and carry a wider range of firearms, including handguns and large capacity weapons, according to the state website.
An FID only permits ownership of non-large capacity rifles and shotguns, according to the state website, which notes, "essentially, you need an LTC to carry a handgun, but only an FID to own certain types of long guns."
An LTC also allows for concealed-carry of firearms, and is required to possess large-capacity handguns, rifles and shotguns.
What does Massachusetts consider a large-capacity weapon?
In Massachusetts, according to state law, a large-capacity weapon is "any firearm, rifle or shotgun: that is semiautomatic with a fixed large capacity feeding device; that is semiautomatic and capable of accepting, or readily modifiable to accept, any detachable large capacity feeding device; that employs a rotating cylinder capable of accepting more than 10 rounds of ammunition in a rifle or firearm and more than five shotgun shells in the case of a shotgun or firearm; or that is an assault weapon."
An FID allows the holder to possess and carry rifles and shotguns that are not large capacity or semiautomatic. A Class A LTC authorizes the possession and carrying of large-capacity firearms, according to the state website.
This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: New Massachusetts gun law in effect: How to get a license or firearm
