• Background Check Required?
  • Private Sale: Yes, private sales and transfers generally must be completed through the Massachusetts Gun Transaction Portal.
  • Licensed Dealer: Yes, federally licensed dealers must conduct a background check before completing the transfer.
• Waiting Period: None.
• Registration Requirement: Limited. Massachusetts uses an electronic firearms registration system that keeps a record of sales and transfers.
• Permit Required (to purchase): Yes, Massachusetts generally requires either a Firearm Identification Card or a License to Carry, depending on the firearm.
• Concealed Carry Permit: Yes. A License to Carry is generally required to carry firearms, including large-capacity firearms.
• Magazine Capacity Limits: Yes, Massachusetts restricts large-capacity feeding devices and large-capacity firearms unless possession or transfer is otherwise permitted under state law.
• Assault Weapons Limits: Yes, Massachusetts restricts assault-style firearms under state law.

Source: M.G.L. ch. 140, §§ 121, 128A, 129B, 131, 131M, 18 U.S.C. § 922(t)

• Anyone convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year in prison.
• Anyone fleeing from justice.
• Anyone unlawfully using or addicted to controlled substances.
• Anyone legally determined to be mentally defective or committed to a mental institution.
• Anyone unlawfully present in the United States or in the country under a non-immigrant visa.
• Anyone discharged from the U.S. Armed Forces under dishonorable conditions.
• Anyone who has given up U.S. citizenship.
• Anyone restrained by a qualifying court order involving an intimate partner or child.
• Persons under 15 for a firearm identification card, and persons under 18 without parent or guardian permission.
• Anyone convicted of a misdemeanor domestic violence offense.

Source: Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 140, § 129B, 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)