FtF transfer and moved to MA

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First time poster, but I used to find helpful info on these forums back in the late 2000s and was hoping I could get some thoughts from the community.

Up until 2015, I was a NH resident and held a resident CCW permit. Also owned a handful of firearms (rifles, pistols, shotguns) all bought through an FFL. When I learned we would have to move (for a better commute) to MA possibly temporarily, I decided to leave my guns with a longtime friend who is also a NH resident and gunowner / CCW holder. The plan was to move back to NH in a few years at which time I would take the guns back from him. The friend lives in a quiet, safe town and has a gun safe so that was my best option outside of selling them. Didn't take the guns to MA with me as we would be renting a small apt, I wouldn't have time to shoot, and some were not MA compliant anyway.

It's been 4 years now, and sadly, it doesn't look like we will ever move back to NH. So I need to decide what I want to do with the guns. My presumption is that while I didn't do any paperwork (bill of sale, etc.) back then, giving him the guns in 2015 was still effectively a "face to face transfer" and legally makes the guns his, and I now need to transfer them (at least the MA compliant ones) back to me in MA through an FFL. Am I correct?

As for the non-MA compliant ones, I may decide to let my NH-resident friend keep them permanently as a gift, in which case I don't need to do anything else since they were already "transferred" to him in 2015?

Before I did anything, I figured I'd get some opinions from the NES community.
Many thanks!
 
There is a search box that works great now. Use it before asking questions that have already been answered. If you don't find your answer, then come back and ask about your specific twist. Become a member.


Nice story though.
 
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You gave them to him to hold, that does not constitute a transfer

They were and still are yours. Nothing illegal or questionable about that

Where it goes south is that you did not bring them into MA when you moved.
There is IIRC a statutory grace period where you can bring them without using a FFL

You are long past that time, and may not be able to get some guns transferred into the Commie Rebiblik of MA

Easy way out?
Establish NH residency by renting a room somewhere, sleep there for a week, register to vote there, then "move" back to MA and bring it all with you

Do you have a MA permit?
If not that is a whole other chapter.

PS you can bring non MA compliant guns in when you move, just not the hi capacity magazines

IANAL YMMV, my opinion is not legal advice
 
Oppressed, thank you for your response and the suggestion to become a member. Took me a bit to figure out what that meant but I just signed up to become a "member".
I did use the search box and hope to get better at it.

Appraiser, thank you for your response as well. I'm afraid the NH residency option may be out (have a lot going on family-wise to be able to make time for the "move" to NH). Also, I don't have a MA LTC and was waiting until we buy a house and move to a more gun-friendly town from where we currently live which is not gun-friendly at all. That said, we are indeed moving in a couple of months to another town in MA, and I'll finally apply for and get my MA LTC. Since I'm past the grace period, I'll have to do an FFL transfer which is fine.

To recap,
1. moving to gun-friendly MA town from non-gun-friendly MA town by Spring 2019
2. Get LTC in Spring 2019
3. Post receiving LTC, transfer MA-compliant guns to me through FFL
4. Transfer non MA-compliant guns to NH-resident friend through FFL

Will I need a MA-based FFL for #3 above, and a NH-based FFL for #4 above?

Also applying for a NH non-resident permit tomorrow. I know I don't need one to carry/possess in NH but I'd still like to have one.

Thanks again for your time.
 
As much as people try to be helpful, they also provided bad info.

As one stated, asking someone to hold them for you does not constitute changing ownership. You still own the guns. That said, NO FFLs need to be involved.

Get your LTC, then drive up to NH and bring the guns back with you (caveat below). The "grace period" for moving in ONLY provides that you NEVER have to register them with the state. Since you are long past that, once you bring them in you must do an eFA-10 form for each one of them on the state's website to register them.

Caveat: Handguns that are "not approved" means nothing wrt ownership or transfer between 2 MA Residents with LTCs. MA does have an active AWB and large-capacity mag ban however, and this means that if your guns have too many "assault weapon" features, it must be "massified" to avoid being a felony to possess in MA. Mags must be NMT 10 rds (rifle/pistol) or NMT 5rds (shotgun) to be legal to possess in MA (unless the large capacity mags were mfd on/before 9/13/1994 and would then be "grandfathered").
 
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