More stupid MA gun law silliness

4971 Views 17 Replies 8 Participants Last post by Fuzz541, May 16, 2006

jamz

Discussion Starter · Apr 27, 2006

In light of Janq's ammo storage question being answered I though I'd post about something I learned regarding MA's riduculously convoluted gun laws.

Back in January I bought a new Glock 19. I know in MA, new Glocks aren't on "the list" so you can't buy one, you can only buy a pre-1998 one that has been refurbished by Glock, or trade ins.

No problem, I thought, you can posess one, you just can't buy one. So as a ME resident, I legally bought a new one, and often CCW'd it in MA. One thing I never gave a thought to is magazines. I knew MA had an assault weapons ban that prohibited standard 15 rd capacity magazines, but that there were still plenty of "pre-1994" magazines available for purchase.

I thought that you just were not allowed to buy them in MA, like the guns themselves, but you could otherwise legally possess them.

Not so!

Someone in a gun shop in Maine told me to watch out, new magazines were illegal in MA unless they were the neutered 10 rounders. So I look at the laws, and lo and behold he is right, they are illegal to possess at ALL. So for the last few months I had been unknowingly committing a FELONY due to some small print in MA laws.

Needless to say, I stopped CCWing that piece until I got some MA-legal pre-94 magazines.

1 - 18 of 18 Posts

Ducman

· #2 · Apr 27, 2006

I'm surprised those evil mags didn't make you kill school children and cute puppies

One of the bad things about the glock mags is that you can tell if they are preban or not, unlike some other mags with no marking

Also if you're going to Boston, they have a mag limit (10) whether pre or post ban mag

Janq

· #3 · Apr 27, 2006

Jamz,

There is a work arounud toward that.
Having a MA 'License To Carry - All Lawful Purposes' (LTC-A) overides that rule in regard to high capacity firearms and magazines.

Mass. General Laws Chapter 140 said:
...a) A Class A license shall entitle a holder thereof to purchase, rent, lease, borrow, possess and carry: (i) firearms, including large capacity firearms, and feeding devices and ammunition therefor, for all lawful purposes, subject to such restrictions relative to the possession, use or carrying of firearms as the licensing authority deems proper;

http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/mgl/140-131.htm

This item was covered in my CCW class and inside of MA finding a high capacity magazine via a dealer is rare to zero as reported by the instructor as per the general rule of law and the states active efforts to reduce ownership of what they deem to be high capcity capable firearms & magazines.

Possesion is okay as long as the posessor has a current MA LTC-A in their pocket.
As Ducman noted though Boston does not recognize the above as they have their own city wide rule toward this outlawing it.

- Janq

jamz

Discussion Starter · #4 · Apr 27, 2006

You guys got a MGL link to the 10-round Boston thing? I know you can't posess them if you are a Boston resident (at lesat for rifles and shotguns) but I thought handguns were a-ok with your LTC-A.

Janq

· #5 · Apr 27, 2006

jamz said:
You guys got a MGL link to the 10-round Boston thing? I know you can't posess them if you are a Boston resident (at lesat for rifles and shotguns) but I thought handguns were a-ok with your LTC-A.

It's not in the M.G.L. because Boston has instiuted it's own legalities supercedinig that of state law.
I came across it ages ago, let me get back at ya toward a source later tonight.

Other cities arouund the country are doing same developing via legal means their own city laws in definace of state law.
Examples include Philadelphia, NYC, San Francisco and some major city on Utah that was featured in an OT thread about 3 weeks ago.

Also IIRC Boston requires that a MA LTC-A holder register with the police chief prior to entering the city, if they plan to carry any CCW, to recieve a stamped (on their license) pre-approval of as much.

- Janq

Janq

· #6 · Apr 27, 2006

Jamz,

Of course I now cannot find the site where I learned the above from.
I hate when this happens.

Anyway inlieu of it I went to the cities website and ended up here;
http://www.ci.boston.ma.us/police/faq.asp

They make no mention of any rules or egs above and beyond that of the state. Now thats not to say they don't exist but as stated here they are not referenced.
$0.02
I'll keep looking though and as I find crap I'll update this post.

Edit:
As soon as I hit submit I then thought 'duh, go to the NRA-ILA.org site!'
They don't have what I was thinking/recalling but it is somewhat useful and relevant;

NRA-ILA.org said:
Caution--Massachusetts has enacted one of the most restrictive gun laws in the nation, imposing a mandatory one-year jail sentence for anyone illegally possessing a firearm, loaded or unloaded, "on his person or under his control in a vehicle." In all cases, all firearms must be transported as prescribed in the general rule.

BOSTON--Under a vague law, it is unlawful to possess, display, transfer or receive any shotgun with a capacity exceeding six rounds; a semi-automatic rifle with a magazine exceeding 10 rounds; any SKS, AK47, Uzi, AR-15, Steyr AUG, FN-FAL, or FN-FNC rifle; any semi-automatic pistol which is a modification of a proscribed rifle or shotgun; and any magazine or belt that holds more than 10 rounds. An "assault weapons roster board" may add additional firearms to the list of "assault weapons." For owners to continue possession of such firearms, a license/registration must have been obtained from the Boston Police Commissioner within 90 days of the effective date of the law (12/ 9/89) or within 90 days of the addition of a firearm to a roster of "assault weapons." Otherwise a license/registration cannot be obtained.

The provision does not apply to possession by nonresidents of Boston at a sporting or shooting club, by a person with a Massachusetts license to carry a pistol, or while taking part in competition or at a collectors` exhibit or meeting or traveling to or from such event or while in transit through Boston for the purpose of hunting by licensed hunters, provided that in all cases the "assault weapon" is unloaded and packaged and the person has a Massachusetts Firearm Identification Card or has a license or permit to carry or possess firearms issued by another state. Prospective travelers are urged to contact the Massachusetts Firearms Records Bureau at (617)660-4780 or the State Police at www.mass.gov/msp/firearms/ for further information.

http://www.nraila.org/GunLaws/FederalGunLaws.aspx?ID=59

- Janq

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jamz

Discussion Starter · #7 · Apr 27, 2006

Janq (and Ducman) have you checked out www.northeastshooters.com?

Bunch of people, mostly in MA, lots of pretty good legal MA resources there, including one or two bona-fide firearms lawyers. I'm registered there under the same username.

Ducman

· #8 · Apr 28, 2006

I'm Supermoto on that board, good bunch of people, I met some of the at the USPSA matches

brucelee

· #9 · May 1, 2006

Ducman said:
One of the bad things about the glock mags is that you can tell if they are preban or not, unlike some other mags with no marking

The G17 pre ban and post ban mags are identical... .no markinks what so ever.... Even the huge 33rnd mags dont have any markings. Perhaps they do inside, but I never took my mags apart.

The other glock models (non G17) have markings however. Weird.

So I guess you can carry a 33rnd mag that is post ban and say its a pre-ban because they look identical.

Ducman

· #10 · May 1, 2006

There is a thread about it here http://northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=4944

Good info, but it says that Glcok may not even be sure when the mag was made

Shad

· #11 · May 1, 2006

Janq said:
NRA-ILA.org said:

Caution--Massachusetts has enacted one of the most restrictive gun laws in the nation, imposing a mandatory one-year jail sentence for anyone illegally possessing a firearm, loaded or unloaded, "on his person or under his control in a vehicle." In all cases, all firearms must be transported as prescribed in the general rule.

BOSTON--Under a vague law, it is unlawful to possess, display, transfer or receive any shotgun with a capacity exceeding six rounds; a semi-automatic rifle with a magazine exceeding 10 rounds; any SKS, AK47, Uzi, AR-15, Steyr AUG, FN-FAL, or FN-FNC rifle; any semi-automatic pistol which is a modification of a proscribed rifle or shotgun; and any magazine or belt that holds more than 10 rounds. An "assault weapons roster board" may add additional firearms to the list of "assault weapons." For owners to continue possession of such firearms, a license/registration must have been obtained from the Boston Police Commissioner within 90 days of the effective date of the law (12/ 9/89) or within 90 days of the addition of a firearm to a roster of "assault weapons." Otherwise a license/registration cannot be obtained.

The provision does not apply to possession by nonresidents of Boston at a sporting or shooting club, by a person with a Massachusetts license to carry a pistol, or while taking part in competition or at a collectors` exhibit or meeting or traveling to or from such event or while in transit through Boston for the purpose of hunting by licensed hunters, provided that in all cases the "assault weapon" is unloaded and packaged and the person has a Massachusetts Firearm Identification Card or has a license or permit to carry or possess firearms issued by another state. Prospective travelers are urged to contact the Massachusetts Firearms Records Bureau at (617)660-4780 or the State Police at www.mass.gov/msp/firearms/ for further information.

http://www.nraila.org/GunLaws/FederalGunLaws.aspx?ID=59

Click to expand...

Dude, fuck Boston. That place is an evil pit of non-gunowning despair.

Janq

· #12 · May 1, 2006

Shad said:
Dude, fuck Boston. That place is an evil pit of non-gunowning despair.

Springfield, MA is the same way, they even have paintball markers outlawed as a 'firearm' only being allowed to be possesed by those 18 yrs. old minimum. The only city/town in MA that way.
Lots of cities around the country roll like this.

BTW this weekend I had a conversation with a LEO at S&W who is a weapons instructor toward police. We were talking about the new S&W MP40 which he was letting me check out from their display. It feels very natural and comforatble so I asked what it runs for. he responded it's not available to MA residents becuase it's not on the AG's crap ass approved list. I keep forgettign about that damn listing.
So I aksed whats his term, the AG, and he replied it's a job for life (!). This is just unbelievable how did MA residents in general and gun owners in specific allow these reidiculous laws to come to be?

- Janq

Shad

· #13 · May 1, 2006

Yeah, a lot of places roll like that, but that doesn't mean we have to like it. I think everyone should just move to WI. The only thing we don't have is CCP's. Other than that, you can own whatever the fuck you want. You don't even have to register firearms with local or state law enforcement, just the ATF when you buy it. You can own as much as you want of what you want, and the waiting period is only 48 hours on handguns. I love living in 'Sconny.

Bobula

· #14 · May 1, 2006

brucelee said:
Ducman said:

One of the bad things about the glock mags is that you can tell if they are preban or not, unlike some other mags with no marking

Click to expand...

The G17 pre ban and post ban mags are identical... .no markinks what so ever.... Even the huge 33rnd mags dont have any markings. Perhaps they do inside, but I never took my mags apart.

The other glock models (non G17) have markings however. Weird.

So I guess you can carry a 33rnd mag that is post ban and say its a pre-ban because they look identical.

We had a guy bring his own G-17 with 2 33 rounders to academy firearms..... our instructors ran into the same problem. Any G-17 preben hi-cap mag has 0 markings to give it away. The new ones are stamped LE/GOV USE ONLY.

Janq

· #15 · May 1, 2006

Hey here's a solution...just don't buy a Glock!

- Janq

jamz

Discussion Starter · #16 · May 2, 2006

Shut it, you!

I brought my 10-rounder into state this time just to make sure

Jeremy

· #17 · May 3, 2006

Shad said:
Yeah, a lot of places roll like that, but that doesn't mean we have to like it. I think everyone should just move to WI. The only thing we don't have is CCP's. Other than that, you can own whatever the fuck you want. You don't even have to register firearms with local or state law enforcement, just the ATF when you buy it. You can own as much as you want of what you want, and the waiting period is only 48 hours on handguns. I love living in 'Sconny.

Pa's cool also CCP is will issue so as long as you can legally own a handgun you fill out the forms and the county sherriff does background check and 3wks later you get CCP. You can own anything you want and they do instant check for all guns 2min phone call and your on your way home no wating period.

Fuzz541

· #18 · May 16, 2006

www.goal.org for MA holes.

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