Military move to MA; some questions for you

We moved from the Empire of San Francisco to the PRC... people in the PRC are wackadoo compared to SF. Avoid living there if you can, your mind and pocketbook will thank you. On the other hand, we moved to Somerville, and ended up renting a rather large condo for a couple hundred per month less than what we were paying for a 500 sq foot apartment in the PRC.

Only problem here in Somerville is it and its residents are a little... dirty, loud, and packed in too tightly. It's a ton cheaper, and walking distance to some of the few good things that Cambridge has to offer, so that's a benefit. I'll update "soon" on my experience with my LTC application.

Only thing I can say is that nothing good comes out of living in Cambridge.
 
Only problem here in Somerville is it and its residents are a little... dirty, loud, and packed in too tightly.

Somerville is certainly dense and definitely has undergone many changes over the past few decades- some for the better, some for the worse. However there are many of us Somervillians that still have pride in our upbringing, community and city. As a new resident I hope you get to experience some positive traits of the residents and the city so that you think before negatively painting an entire population with a quick internet posting.

Sorry to hijack the thread

To the OP- Somerville PD will be far fairer to you than the City of Cambridge. I urge you to consider Somerville as an option if you really want to be close to where you will work.

Regards,
Paul
 
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Welcome to the Northeast. I came here on military orders to Lynn Ma. quite a while ago; late 80's. While stationed there I first Lived in Amesbury. My guns lived in NH while I tried to navigate the laws of mass which where perplexing even then. Within the year I gave it up and moved to Portsmouth NH. For three plus years I commuted down interstate 95 to Lynn and then attended school part of the day in Cambridge then went home late. Took my military retirement in late 91 and have lived happily in NH ever since. Establish and maintain you OK residence; get your OK drivers license and CC. Then I recommend you live in NH and do the commute. Go for the non-res in MA. It was a long time back for me but I do not believe things in MA have gotten any better.
Ken
 
I also work at Hanscom as a civilian and I`m a SFC. in the USAR. I live in Leominster, a green town. You can drive to Alewife T station and take the red line into Cambridge if you choose. Any town west of RT.495 will be much cheaper than any town near Cambridge. My daughter lives in Somerville. Full of green yuppies and 20 somethings. At least you`ll have killer BHA.

No kidding - Boston area BAH is $ 2508.00 for an E-6 with. Thinking I should transfer to the Boston area next year! (Not that I wasn't thinking that already, but good BAH+good COLA=why not?)
 
Somerville is certainly dense and definitely has undergone many changes over the past few decades- some for the better, some for the worse. However there are many of us Somervillians that still have pride in our upbringing, community and city. As a new resident I hope you get to experience some positive traits of the residents and the city so that you think before negatively painting an entire population with a quick internet posting.

Paul, don't get up in arms now about the statement you cherry picked. I happen to like Somerville and am damn lucky I found this place or I'd have ended up living in some less than palatable location such as Southie or JP. I'm not a new resident either, so I have a pretty decent read on my neighborhood - it's dirty, the population is grumpy, but I've met some pretty damn cool people. I wouldn't lie though and say it's a warm, inviting environment where people tell you, "Ya'll come back now, ya hear?"

All that said, I wouldn't trade it for any other place in MA, and while it's a little too monocultural for my tastes, I dig what we have available food wise, bar wise, barista wise, and it's a lot quieter than what I had to put up with in SF.

Edit: I also realize that I wasn't clear enough in my endorsement of Somerville. If you have to live near Cambridge, it's the only place to be, great access to a ton of things, but far enough away from Mass ave that you can check out and get out of the mess.
 
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Well just a little insight for you. I am also active duty army got stationed in mass last year. Unfortunately we are not exempt from anything. I am now a mass resident so things are good for me now. However my buddy who is active army remains a new york resident. So they only will issue him a non resident LTC A. With restrictions for target and hunting yet he is not allowed to buy ammo with it in mass. However they will allow different restrictions if you have an LTC from your home state. Feel free to contact me if you want to know what we went through.... And welcome to mass my friend... By the way we are both stationed in Boston


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Thanks again to everyone for the responses. I have read and considered every one of them, including following your linked references. As I thought about it more today, and talked to a friend who used to do the Salem (NH) to Boston commute, I decided to give NH another look. I know the traffic will be bad, but then again I'm "accustomed" to the DC commute (~1 hr, 23 miles on a good day--bad days can exceed 2 hrs) so I doubt there's anything about Salem-->Boston that could be much worse. And when I say accustomed, I mean as accustomed as an Oklahoma boy can get to miserable traffic. Maybe numb to it would be a better description.

And I read up a bit on the NH gun laws. Wow, what an incredible difference a border makes. The high-cap magazine thing just amazes and scares me--I could own as many 10-round mags as I want, but if I own a 17-round mag I'm a felon?

So bottom line I'm looking at NH as first choice now, somewhere in the Salem-Derry corridor. I'll get my OK license and permit secured and then see if I can get a MA non-res once I get to NH. Sure am glad I asked before I made any decisions. Thanks!
 
Commute to Boston isn't quite the same as Cambridge...

Route 3 was originally intended to continue past 128 towards Boston, but they couldn't build it - so there is a 2 lane road winding through Woburn, and Arlington to Mass Ave (aka 3A)...

Depending on where you start in NH, you are on route 1, 93 or 3 which all have some pretty bad jams... It's gonna be a hoof...
 
Sorry, I'm using Boston and Cambridge interchangeably. From here, they look the same [hmmm]. I will be commuting to Cambridge, right down on the river. I'm thinking I can do this, and however bad the commute is, it might be worth the freedom from regulations.

davemata--yes, I will be coming up there on some house-hunting leave in the next few months and will have a chance to test the water. That's a good idea.
 
I worked in Cambridge for 31 years at that school that starts with "H". Commuted from Tewksbury which is about a ten minute ride up RT. 93 to the NH border. Working 7AM to 3:30PM the commute wasn't to bad. I missed the heavy rush hour traffic by working those hours.
 
If you do decide to live in Cambridge, it's a little cheaper along the Red Line if you go toward Alewife from Kendall/MIT. For instance, living around Harvard may not be a bad idea.

Traffic here can get ridiculous at times (read: most of the time), especially if you can't adjust your day around it.
 
just for the record: there ARE people in MA on PCS with "Resident LTC's"

just like their dependents get "in-state" tuition, and having to pay taxes, to include excise tax if they buy or register a car... and property tax if they buy a house.

the best thing to do is see JAG to get ejumacted on the laws. do they still do those "SITE" packets? [laugh] -i'm dating myself... [rofl]

maybe a link to "newcomers" to wherever you are serving....

DON'T POST YOUR PCS location here!!!! DON'T POST YOUR ACTUAL HOR
 
Hello, I'm new. I know the "moving to MA" topic has been discussed a lot, and I did read most of the threads, but I have a kind of unique situation that I hope someone can shed some light on.

I'm active duty military with orders to MA next spring. Currently living in MD. I am from, and officially a resident of, OK.//
Welcome to MA, home of the self-hating gun owner!

I think a lot of the NH cheer squad are assuming your are going to Hanscom, but it could be Natick.

I'd suggest contacting GOAL (goal.org).

The military exemption in the current law is rather limited:

" a duly commissioned officer, noncommissioned officer or enlisted member of the United States Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force or Coast Guard, or the National Guard or military service of the commonwealth or reserve components thereof, while in the performance of his duty;"

So that may well apply only to issue arms. It appears you have 60 days to do anything you need to do.

Most chiefs don't give active duty military any kind of hard time at all.
 
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I would like to apply for a Class A permit when I arrive. I own a G17 (3X17 round mags), a couple of <10 capacity handguns, and I expect to have a couple more by the time I get there, as well as a pump shotgun.

Refer to this thread in regards to the shottie.

http://www.northeastshooters.com/vb...-Shotgun-Capacity-Questiions-in-Massachusetts

If I'm not mistaken, he'd still need a Non-Res if he wanted to bring his firearms into MA to go to the range and what not, correct?

Handguns yes, not non-large cap long guns.

I thought you needed an FFL to buy and sell guns for profit ?

You do. Buying guns to resell in MA for profit is asking for serious problems with ATF.

Sounds like I need to become a MA resident to have any hope of getting a Class A permit. That's OK I guess.

No, you don't.

http://www.malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXX/Chapter140/Section131

(d) Any person residing or having a place of business within the jurisdiction of the licensing authority or any law enforcement officer employed by the licensing authority or any person residing in an area of exclusive federal jurisdiction located within a city or town may submit to such licensing authority or the colonel of state police, an application for a Class A or Class B license to carry firearms...

By law soldiers can get a normal Class A, but as others have said, some towns will fight you on it. Those probably aren't towns you'd want to live in anyway as a gun owner though...

Aren't there some towns that will issue a Resident permit to AD military on orders to the town?

Yes, see the above.

One more thing int he nutshell - the non-resident permit does NOT allow the purchase of guns or ammo in MA

They also can't buy any magazines from an FFL with it, even non-large cap. Fornicating Massachusetts. [rolleyes]

maybe a link to "newcomers" to wherever you are serving....

DON'T POST YOUR PCS location here!!!! DON'T POST YOUR ACTUAL HOR

Ditto that. NES can be a microscope for anti-gun CLEOs.

The military exemption in the current law is rather limited:

" a duly commissioned officer, noncommissioned officer or enlisted member of the United States Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force or Coast Guard, or the National Guard or military service of the commonwealth or reserve components thereof, while in the performance of his duty;"

That's 140-129C and doesn't apply here, apples and oranges.
 
Don't forget NH has no income tax. (like florida) vs 5% in Mass . I live in NH but work in MA so I need to pay income tax to Mass. I believe as military you avoid this and can be a NHresident and pay no income taxes. (at least it worked that way when I was in the Army in the 80s). Also if you are married, your spouse , working in NH, would save the income tax too.

This can be a few bucks for the commute!
 
Welcome to MA, home of the self-hating gun owner!

I think a lot of the NH cheer squad are assuming your are going to Hanscom, but it could be Natick.

And yet you chose not to read the thread where he clearly said he was going to be stationed in Cambridge, along with the 87 posts discussing the commute, costs, and LTC possibilities in Cambridge. Why is that?
 
And yet you chose not to read the thread where he clearly said he was going to be stationed in Cambridge, along with the 87 posts discussing the commute, costs, and LTC possibilities in Cambridge. Why is that?
Lack of reading comprenson?[smile]


If you decide you don't want to spend 500 to 600 hours a year commuting....

Arlington is right next to Cambridge with easy access via car or public transportation, a good place to raise a family, and a Green town.

Next town "out" is Lexington - ditto.

Winchester [of course], Melrose and Stoneham - ditto.

Malden is a "green" town but not so stylish.....
 
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Hi all. First "real" post after my intro. I'm in a related but not identical situation. Been reading quite a bit but would still appreciate any input:

I'm a Florida resident, with a Florida pistol permit. I'm currently stationed in NY and do not own any real estate in neither NY nor FL, nor MA for that matter. I'm separating from active duty, joining the MA Air National Guard and going back to school full time in the Boston area, probably going to be living in Cambridge or Boston.

When I move I intend to retain my Florida residency if at all possible, as I will be a full time student. Looking at some of the law, it looks like my wife will have to change her residency to MA, but that's fine.

I'm going through the non-resident MA LTC permit paperwork, but I'm wondering if I could get away with just an FID--I currently do not own any handguns and I don't think a purchase of any is in my immediate future more for economic reasons than anything else. My ability to carry would also be limited by school policy to the point that actually getting the permit might be more trouble than it's worth. School is only two years, and if it turns out that I'll be making MA a more permanent home, then I'll do the LTC thing--maybe even while still a non-resident to deal direct with the state, then just renew as a resident.

I do however own a couple long guns (AWB compliant) and ammunition. I'll probably be buying more ammo before my move as it's looking like getting it in MA is going to be a chore.

My question really is, is there such a thing as a non-resident FID? All the talk on the boards is for LTC's, which as I described may not be the way to go for me.

Am I barking up the wrong tree here? Missing a nuance somewhere between LTC/FIB/res vs non-res?

Thanks!
 
There is no such thing as a NR FID, LTC only. The cost and hassle is the same (essentially), so anyone (>21 yo) going for an FID (as a resident) is paying $100 for a hotdog whereas they could get an LTC (lobster or fillet mignon) for the same money. It just doesn't make any sense to go for an FID.

Boston has a more extensive AWB, banning ALL AR15s (that weren't grandfathered in 1989) across the board plus a list of other guns. Just be aware of that.

If you are living in any university housing, you can't have guns on the property.

If you maintain your car registered elsewhere you will NOT be issued a parking permit in Boston or Cambridge. That will result in a huge expense (parking in Boston/Cambridge will cost you multiple $100s/month) and major headaches (you can't park on the streets or you will be tagged and towed).
 
So if I'm understanding you correctly, there's no way for a non-resident to legally own a long gun/ammo (again, AWB compliant) in MA without an LTC?

There is no such thing as a NR FID, LTC only. The cost and hassle is the same (essentially), so anyone (>21 yo) going for an FID (as a resident) is paying $100 for a hotdog whereas they could get an LTC (lobster or fillet mignon) for the same money. It just doesn't make any sense to go for an FID.

Boston has a more extensive AWB, banning ALL AR15s (that weren't grandfathered in 1989) across the board plus a list of other guns. Just be aware of that.

If you are living in any university housing, you can't have guns on the property.

If you maintain your car registered elsewhere you will NOT be issued a parking permit in Boston or Cambridge. That will result in a huge expense (parking in Boston/Cambridge will cost you multiple $100s/month) and major headaches (you can't park on the streets or you will be tagged and towed).
 
So if I'm understanding you correctly, there's no way for a non-resident to legally own a long gun/ammo (again, AWB compliant) in MA without an LTC?

True if you are living in MA for the school-year or other amount of time. And like I stated, Boston is MORE restrictive than other places in MA. IIRC they ban ALL >10 rd rifle mags too (no such thing as pre-ban for subjects of Boston).

The Boston laws are posted in a sticky here in the MA Gun Law forum, although I think it was modified (more restrictive) lately and not sure if their website reflects that or not.
 
True if you are living in MA for the school-year or other amount of time. And like I stated, Boston is MORE restrictive than other places in MA. IIRC they ban ALL >10 rd rifle mags too (no such thing as pre-ban for subjects of Boston).

The Boston laws are posted in a sticky here in the MA Gun Law forum, although I think it was modified (more restrictive) lately and not sure if their website reflects that or not.

Yeah, I was just reading the Boston laws again from the GOAL website after you brought it up. No magazines greater than ten rounds and no "bad" guns from the list. I guess the Saiga (even in its sporter configuration) is going to be living with family rather than making the trip to the Bay state.

This is rough :)
 
Hey everyone,

I'm a newb to the site but I had a couple questions I hope someone more experienced with the MA laws could clear up. I'm active duty in the Marines stationed at Devens, however my home of record is NH (NH license) which means I'm able to buy firearms in NH and leave them at my parents house. I recently moved back home a couple months ago to Cambridge and am about to put in my application for my LTC which they seemed very nice about with me being a Marine. The only "extra" I have to furnish them is a letter stating why I'm applying for my LTC. I have my CCW in NH, however I do not want to buy a firearm until I know exactly what kind of LTC I'll get. I'm interested in buying a Glock and I'm able to recieve the LEO discount, but I wanted to make sure that was legal since I know you can't buy from MA dealers post-98 Glocks. The gentlemen at GOAL said I could and it was perfectly legal, I just cant have any post ban hi cap mags. Can anyone confirm this? Thanks in advance!
 
also an FYI...I spoke with the lady at the records department in Cambridge and she said for active duty military that I just had to show my military ID with a utility bill in my name to prove I lived at the address. She said I did not have to apply for a non-resident LTC.
 
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