Laws on Indoor "Range" in MA

Joined
Mar 3, 2009
Messages
543
Likes
165
Feedback: 6 / 0 / 0
Given the recent arrest in Manchester by the sea, I was wondering what exactly the laws in MA were on indoor "ranges". Assuming a private single-family residence with a below-ground basement, would it be legal for the owner to:

(1) Build a full-blown range with a backstop capable of stopping centerfire rifle rounds?

(2) Build a small "over-winter" range with a backstop or trap + backstop capable of stopping rimfire rounds?

(3) Build a small indoor air-rifle range with an appropriate backstop or trap?


Assume that these are only for private use of the owners/residents of the household.
 
INDOOR range on your own property? As in YOUR property; not a condo or apartment? Fine.

Make sure you have excellent ventilation and a safe backstop.
 
Interesting concept.
Would the owner of this range have to take into account the 500-foot rule or is that only for firing guns outside?
 
Interesting concept.
Would the owner of this range have to take into account the 500-foot rule or is that only for firing guns outside?

Another member had posted the law in the Manchester thread which stated that the 500 foot rule does not apply to indoor ranges, so you're in the clear. However, I'd sound proof the area you'd be using so that if you have neighbors nearby they don't call the local PD with a report of shots fired at your residence. I doubt a situation like that would turn out good!
 
Goofycj will be along shortly to post the MGL which specifically permits this. [grin] Note scriveners post for a significant detail, though the condo association can say yes too...
 
I am interested in this answer, because when I was growing up, my father used to shoot plastic bullets out of a revolver in the basement to teach safety and trigger control. There is no way they would go through a floor and I would like to do this too, if I could find plastic bullets. and it was legal.
 
I am interested in this answer, because when I was growing up, my father used to shoot plastic bullets out of a revolver in the basement to teach safety and trigger control. There is no way they would go through a floor and I would like to do this too, if I could find plastic bullets. and it was legal.

I remember seeing those in Colman's back in the late 1970s-early 1980s. Worked by primer ignition only IIRC.
 
Speer still sells 38 cases and bullets. They also do 44 and 45 cal bullets to be used in reg. cases.. Use caution tho cause they will do damage.....
 
Yes they did, And made a nice clean wad cutter of a hole in the target and were fairly accurate.

Yes they were primer only and accurate to about 20 feet or so. My father assembled them and taught us kids with those before going to the range. I sure would like to do that.
 
How about casting your own hot glue bullets?
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=17577

My biggest concern about shooting inside is toxic dust. I had my cabin corn cob blasted 2 years ago and still have bits of corn cob in places....I can only imagine where the lead dust would settle.

I would also like to see some of our resident legal experts comment on this. The way I read the law is that you can shoot within 500 ft of a dwelling if its done at a shooting range on your own property....no language about being indoors or not. I suspect that my reading is probably incorrect.

Section 12E. Whoever discharges a firearm as defined in section one hundred and twenty-one of chapter one hundred and forty, a rifle or shotgun within five hundred feet of a dwelling or other building in use, except with the consent of the owner or legal occupant thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not less than fifty nor more than one hundred dollars or by imprisonment in a jail or house of correction for not more than three months, or both. The provisions of this section shall not apply to (a) the lawful defense of life and property; (b) any law enforcement officer acting in the discharge of his duties; (c) persons using underground or indoor target or test ranges with the consent of the owner or legal occupant thereof; (d) persons using outdoor skeet, trap, target or test ranges with the consent of the owner or legal occupant of the land on which the range is established; (e) persons using shooting galleries, licensed and defined under the provisions of section fifty-six A of chapter one hundred and forty; and (f) the discharge of blank cartridges for theatrical, athletic, ceremonial, firing squad, or other purposes in accordance with section thirty-nine of chapter one hundred and forty-eight.
 
Last edited:
How about casting your own hot glue bullets?
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=17577

My biggest concern about shooting inside is toxic dust. I had my cabin corn cob blasted 2 years ago and still have bits of corn cob in places....I can only imagine where the lead dust would settle.

I would also like to see some of our resident legal experts comment on this. The way I read the law is that you can shoot within 500 ft of a dwelling if its done at a shooting range on your own property....no language about being indoors or not. I suspect that my reading is probably incorrect.

I called GOAL and asked about this very thing. It is at best ambiguous. They could not offer any real guidance.
 
I would also like to see some of our resident legal experts comment on this. The way I read the law is that you can shoot within 500 ft of a dwelling if its done at a shooting range on your own property....no language about being indoors or not. I suspect that my reading is probably incorrect.

Actually, it is specifically stated as an exemption...

Chapter 269: Section 12E. Discharge of a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling or other building in use; exceptions

Section 12E. Whoever discharges a firearm as defined in section one hundred and twenty-one of chapter one hundred and forty, a rifle or shotgun within five hundred feet of a dwelling or other building in use, except with the consent of the owner or legal occupant thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not less than fifty nor more than one hundred dollars or by imprisonment in a jail or house of correction for not more than three months, or both. The provisions of this section shall not apply to (a) the lawful defense of life and property; (b) any law enforcement officer acting in the discharge of his duties; (c) persons using underground or indoor target or test ranges with the consent of the owner or legal occupant thereof; (d) persons using outdoor skeet, trap, target or test ranges with the consent of the owner or legal occupant of the land on which the range is established; (e) persons using shooting galleries, licensed and defined under the provisions of section fifty-six A of chapter one hundred and forty; and (f) the discharge of blank cartridges for theatrical, athletic, ceremonial, firing squad, or other purposes in accordance with section thirty-nine of chapter one hundred and forty-eight.

ETA: YOU bolded it in your own post. [rolleyes] [wink]
 
Actually, it is specifically stated as an exemption...



ETA: YOU bolded it in your own post. [rolleyes] [wink]

Yes and exemption d seems to state that an outdoor range is ok....I meant to say that there is no language that allows an indoor range and prohibits an outdoor one. Both have exemptions.
 
Yes and exemption d seems to state that an outdoor range is ok....I meant to say that there is no language that allows an indoor range and prohibits an outdoor one. Both have exemptions.

Sorry, I misunderstood your statement. [grin]

Just an observation, but exemption (d) uses the verbiage "established" (where (c) does not). Maybe this exemption only applies to "established" gun clubs and the like?
 
I am interested in this answer, because when I was growing up, my father used to shoot plastic bullets out of a revolver in the basement to teach safety and trigger control. There is no way they would go through a floor and I would like to do this too, if I could find plastic bullets. and it was legal.

Somewhere in the last 6 months I saw a video on Youtube of someone using primer only .45's with glue sticks.
Youtube can be a wealth of information and stupidity.
 
Sorry, I misunderstood your statement. [grin]

Just an observation, but exemption (d) uses the verbiage "established" (where (c) does not). Maybe this exemption only applies to "established" gun clubs and the like?

ya possibly, maybe there are some regulations about getting a license/permit of some sort....
 
I'm going to step out on a limb here just a bit after learning a few things....one of the resident experts can shoot me down :)

Chapter 269: Section 12E does not apply to a homeowner shooting in their backyard providing they have built something that resembles a shooting range. You can be within 500ft of a neighbors house and within 500 ft of your house when shooting. I would expect that an established range would at a minimum consist of a backstop capable of handling what you are shooting at it....there is nothing in the law that spells out what an established range looks like but I think we all know. A target nailed to a tree would probably not pass, but a pile of dirt with timbers and target stand probably would pass (my guess).

There was a case in the Berkshires (dont know have any more info) where a homeowner had a ricochet from a backyard range (shooting within 500ft of a neighbors house). The police wanted to charge them criminally, but the court threw it out. I imagine that town bylaws come into play along with neighbor reaction.

Just passing along info hoping to get some discussion going...I really want to shoot in my backyard!
 
I remember seeing those in Colman's back in the late 1970s-early 1980s. Worked by primer ignition only IIRC.

My dad had them back then. They were red and black 2 pieces pressed together with primer only, no powder at all.
I think he bought em at Lew Hortons when they were in downtown Framingham or Herbies army, navy, police suppy that was around the corner. Herbies was an awesome store.
 
Last edited:
I am interested in this answer, because when I was growing up, my father used to shoot plastic bullets out of a revolver in the basement to teach safety and trigger control. There is no way they would go through a floor and I would like to do this too, if I could find plastic bullets. and it was legal.
I would suggest that anyone using plastic or glue bullets check their bore before loading regular ammo. Jack.
 
I would recommend against shooting centerfire or rimfire cartridges in your basement. You will end up with a lot of unburnt powder (fire hazard) and airborne lead. Instead, I suggest you use an air rifle or air pistol -- no powder and little (if any) airborne lead.
 
I would recommend against shooting centerfire or rimfire cartridges in your basement. You will end up with a lot of unburnt powder (fire hazard) and airborne lead. Instead, I suggest you use an air rifle or air pistol -- no powder and little (if any) airborne lead.

I agree. Also, you would need a proper back stop, ventilation, and riccochets off the concrete walls could turn the basement into a Vegematic. I must admit, however, that after rebuilding or cleaning a suppressor I have been known to fire a shot or two into a log in the basement. Jack.
 
I would recommend against shooting centerfire or rimfire cartridges in your basement. You will end up with a lot of unburnt powder (fire hazard) and airborne lead. Instead, I suggest you use an air rifle or air pistol -- no powder and little (if any) airborne lead.

Agreed. But realistically (and legally) any range I'd shoot air rifle on would also be safe for rimfire, so I'd wanted to be sure the rimfire case was legal even if inadvisable for other reasons.
 
persons using outdoor skeet, trap, target or test ranges with the consent of the owner or legal occupant of the land on which the range is established;

Even outdoors you can shoot within 500 feet of another house as long as it is a 'target or test range.'

The guy in northern MA did not break any laws with his indoor range and had no illegal weapons of any kind. A police baton is legal to own - you just cannot carry it on your person or under your control in an automobile. This is also true of double-edges knives. A pepper-ball grenade is not an infernal device as it does not destroy life or property by fire or explosion. I am not sure why he is in jail for 6 weeks without bail except for ignorance on the part of the police and judge.
 
ya possibly, maybe there are some regulations about getting a license/permit of some sort....

Yeah. I don't suspect deciding to call your backyard with some railroad ties stacked up would cut it as an established range. And I find the prospects of being granted a permit/license for an outdoor range in a typical Eastern MA backyard very unlikely. My backyard does have a valley line with a hill of approx. 75 ft high and the full length of the 2 acre property on the far side that would make the perfect backstop but I know better than to even consider the option. Besides my club is only a few miles away.
 
Yeah. I don't suspect deciding to call your backyard with some railroad ties stacked up would cut it as an established range. And I find the prospects of being granted a permit/license for an outdoor range in a typical Eastern MA backyard very unlikely. My backyard does have a valley line with a hill of approx. 75 ft high and the full length of the 2 acre property on the far side that would make the perfect backstop but I know better than to even consider the option. Besides my club is only a few miles away.

I've been doing a bit of research which I will post to get other more experienced folks opinion on. There is no standard for what constitutes a shooting range and a permit is not required. If you are more than 500ft from a house and 150ft from a road then its ok to shoot at anything with the understanding that hunting laws must be followed and you are responsible for where your round lands. If you are within 500ft of a house you must be shooting on a range which common sense says is a backstop capable of stopping the round you are shooting (of course you are responsible for where all rounds land). It does seem like you still need to be 150ft from a road even with a range, which makes no sense if you are shooting in the opposite direction (still looking into this).

Some towns have bylaws about shooting and noise and if there are moonbats around you may have political pressure on your COP. My source has told me that some folks when shooting large caliber firearms actually call in to the police station so that they won't dispatch an officer to investivate needlessly. My town is quite a bit more rural than most in eastern ma, and the folks are a lot more gun friendly than average YMMV.
 
Back
Top Bottom