Are firearms legal in Massachusetts?

Q: Are firearms legal in Massachusetts?

Firearms in Massachusetts are restricted. A Massachusetts License to Carry (LTC) is required to carry a handgun in public. Residents must be 21 or older to get one. A visitor needs a Massachusetts non-resident LTC, which costs $100 and lasts one year, unless a travel-through exemption applies (see the transport rule). Massachusetts has no permitless carry.

Back

MASSACHUSETTS · FIREARMS

Firearms

Carrying across state lines?The free LawLert iPhone app alerts you at each state line with whether that state lists your permit as recognized. No account.Get the app

Restricted: A Massachusetts License to Carry (LTC) is required to carry a handgun in public.

Restricted

Summary

A Massachusetts License to Carry (LTC) is required to carry a handgun in public. Residents must be 21 or older to get one. A visitor needs a Massachusetts non-resident LTC, which costs $100 and lasts one year, unless a travel-through exemption applies (see the transport rule). Massachusetts has no permitless carry.

Source: mass.gov → · Updated October 12, 2026

Massachusetts Firearms topics

Concealed Carry in Massachusetts →Restricted
A Massachusetts License to Carry (LTC) is required to carry a handgun in public.
Open Carry in Massachusetts →Restricted
A Massachusetts License to Carry (LTC) is required to carry a handgun in public, whether openly or concealed.
Magazine Capacity in Massachusetts →Restricted
Massachusetts bans possessing, selling or importing any magazine or feed device that holds more than 10 rounds (or more than 5 shotgun shells).
Gun Possession in Massachusetts →Restricted
Massachusetts has a red-flag law (Extreme Risk Protection Orders, or ERPOs), an assault-weapon ban, and a ban on large-capacity devices.
Transporting Firearms in Massachusetts →Restricted
A visitor without a Massachusetts license may carry a firearm on their person in a vehicle only while lawfully traveling through the state, and it must stay in the vehicle.
Duty to Inform Police in Massachusetts →Info
Massachusetts's licensing law (Chapter 140, sections 129C and 131) has no rule requiring you to tell an officer you are armed or to show the license on demand.
Suppressors & Silencers in Massachusetts →Restricted
Firearm silencers are banned for civilians in Massachusetts.
Reciprocity — where is my Massachusetts permit honored? →
State-by-state map of which states honor a Massachusetts concealed-carry permit.

Other Massachusetts laws

Firearms in nearby states

Browse all state laws →

Don't get caught off guardCross into a state where this law is different and the free iPhone app tells you what changed, even with the app closed. It also alerts you when a law you track changes where you live. No account.Get the free app