Moved to MA years ago. Firearms not here yet. What hoops do I jump through?

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[thinking] I moved to Massachusetts several years ago.

For various reasons, mostly the lack of a dwelling in which I could fit or place a responsible gun safe and personal inertia, I've not yet obtained a license. Now that I've started on the road to a license, I need to address the poorly defined regulations on moving already owned firearms into the state.

There are, of course, gotchas. Ignoring the high-capacity issue that will require an LTC-A, there's another gloriously unclear issue.

Nearly every handgun involved is from a design that predates the MA AG safety feature requirements, but all were purchased in another state after the EOPS approved roster law. None can be purchased new in MA now. It is my understanding that this legislation and regulatory policy are restrictions on retail sale. I am unclear if that also means that they regulate FFL sales of used weapons.

Here's the puzzle. The collection is on the west coast. I would rather not drive these 2700 miles. That means I would like to ship them. It is my belief, though this may be incorrect, that an interstate shipment of a firearm must go to a recipient who is an FFL. It may be that this is just a shipper requiremenet to cover their liability, and that the legal regulations are on interestate transfers of ownership, not a person shipping their own property to themselves.

Am I legally required to ship it to an FFL in MA?
Will that FFL be legally required to treat that as a transfer?
Will that FFL believe me when I say it isn't a transfer?
FA-10 forms are described as being for transfers. This technically isn't a transfer. Should I file one anyway?
Will an FFL refuse to do this for me since the firearms are not on the EOPS approved handgun roster and do not have the magazine disconnect safety or loaded chamber indicator the AG requires?
I also have a during-Brady complete Bushmaster lower. It has never been part of a complete rifle. It is my understanding that it can be constructed into a legal post-ban MA rifle if it is matched with a post-ban upper and I don't change the stock - but what do I have to do to get it here?
 
Fed Law is in play here:

Fed Law ALLOWS the gun owner ONLY to ship guns to themselves, NO FFL required.

That would mean that you have to go out there, pack them and ship them to yourself via UPS/FedEx (overnight are carrier rules for handguns, ground is OK for long guns).

Legally you can NOT have a family member ship them to you. Again, that is Fed Law and nothing to do with MA Laws.

Handguns that weren't in MA and aren't on the EOPS List can NOT legally be transferred to you by an FFL (the law violation is on the dealer not you however), so you can't have anyone out West ship them to a MA FFL for you to pick up. You literally lose the right to possess these guns if you try this. Once an FFL touches it, it is a "transfer" under both Fed and MA Laws, regardless of who owned it or the fact that no money changed hands.

Once the guns are in MA, FA-10s MUST be filed out for each gun as "registration" within 7 days.

After the fact, I know . . . but anyone moving into MA with their guns simply ships them to himself or brings them in with no FFL or FA-10 required at the time of the move. Much simpler.

Welcome to the forum. Sorry you chose MA to move to and this is just part of the problems here.
 
Alrighty then

Since I don't have a safe yet and my safety class isn't for another month, looks like I'll have to wait (as I expected) until spring (when I would travel to California again) to ship them.

Even though I'm visiting for thanksgiving and could in theory ship them the day I fly back, that's probably not within the spirit of the new resident loophole and even if I ignore that, given that my class isn't for another month, I might not make the 60 day clock before getting my LTC.

Well. Mom will be happy to see me again in March.

+1 LenS.
 
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Let me simplify this for you.

Get license.
Get safe.
Either ship or go personally bring your firearms to MA. It is legal for you to have your own firearms shipped to you but you must go back and ship them yourself. As long as you're doing that, you might as well fly as many as the airline lets you pack.
File FA-10 form for each firearm.
That's it.
 
I signed up for one of the AMS Basic classes in december.

Now I just need to make it over to Eastern Security to get a safe.

What's a good airline for travelling with hand guns in checked luggage.
 
Welcome to the forum. Sorry you chose MA to move to and this is just part of the problems here.

Well this is actually an improvement, as I was previously in California. California had an assault weapons ban (2 evil) since 1989 (Patrick Purdy schoolyard shooting spree) and increased it (to 1 evil) in 2000 along with the drop safety test (1999) ban to go after Lorcin, Raven, and similar inexpensive hand guns. It was actually the third attempt, but the only one that passed or didn't hit a veto.

So I actually moved to a less restrictive environment. About the same amount of paper work.
 
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WRONG.

If you bring the firearms when you move into the state, then you do not need to file an FA-10. Firearms brought in after you initially move and acquire a license must be registered on an FA-10 as they are considered "acquisitions."
 
Glad I stumbled on this thread.

Here is my situation. Lived in NY for 20 years and left NY in 1997, then lived in NH for 8 years and now Mass for almost 3. Got my LTC-A in October.

I have rifles in NY I own and would like to bring them to Mass. They are mine and I want to shoot them.[smile] None are EBRs

Reading this thread I think if I go to NY and fly back with them, all I need to do is fill out the FA-10 within 7 days for each gun.

Is this correct?

Is there a difference in the law between shipping and flying (ignore the FAA requirements for flight)to bring them in the state?
 
No difference at this end wrt flying vs. shipping. Not sure about NY laws however. Otherwise you are reading it correctly, just do FA-10s as "registration" when the guns land in the PRM.
 
WRONG.

If you bring the firearms when you move into the state, then you do not need to file an FA-10. Firearms brought in after you initially move and acquire a license must be registered on an FA-10 as they are considered "acquisitions."

so, how are you supposed to bring the guns directly here if you dont have a MA license? is there a grace period?

ETA: how would they EVER prove anything? seems like another classic MA case of making a law for the sake of making a law!
 
so, how are you supposed to bring the guns directly here if you dont have a MA license? is there a grace period?

ETA: how would they EVER prove anything? seems like another classic MA case of making a law for the sake of making a law!

The grace period is 60 days for new residents, time enough to get an FID for long guns and/or a class and LTC-B for ownership of handguns. I've lived here for 6 years so that's probably outside the spirit of the law.

Sure I could drive 'em here, fly with 'em in properly declared checked baggage, or even do something crazy like lock 'em in a car and ship the car.

My issue was determining the correct procedure under the law because I couldn't figure out if I had to do an FFL brokered transaction if I shipped them.

Now I understand that UPS is an option.
 
so, how are you supposed to bring the guns directly here if you dont have a MA license? is there a grace period?

ETA: how would they EVER prove anything? seems like another classic MA case of making a law for the sake of making a law!

Yes, there is a 60 day grace period.

As for proving anything, they probably can't. At the same time, you can't in good conscience call yourself a law-abiding gun owner if you break the law because you know you can't get caught.
 
Yes, there is a 60 day grace period.

As for proving anything, they probably can't. At the same time, you can't in good conscience call yourself a law-abiding gun owner if you break the law because you know you can't get caught.

I just dont see how the law makes any sense. If you move here and bring the guns with you as you initially move, no FA-10 is needed. If you keep your guns stored in your old state, and bring them here even ONE day after your initial move, you need to do FA-10s for all of them?
 
YES.

#1, the laws aren't supposed to make sense.

#2, the idea is that while guns brought with you are "yours," guns brought later are "acquisitions" and because LTC holders are required to report acquisitions from any out of state source, you have to file the FA-10. You don't need to file when you bring them because there is a grace period and because you're not a licensee at that time and thus not bound by the MGLs concerning LTC holders.
 
what to use for airline luggage?

From the 2008 NES Shirley Pumpkin Shoot thread, there's a photo of a shooter with what I believe are Pelican cases:
(photo courtesy Hanwei)
IMG_9295.jpg


Shopping I've found this:
Pelican M9 - 12 Pack
m9-12pack-IMG_8208-a.jpg


Anyone have any opinions on this case (or the 10pack version), particularily the accomodations for occupants other than the M9 Beretta 92FS?
 
I would rather buy one of the Pelican cases with the 1" foam layers and cut to fit what I want. I've used the "pick & pluck" style foam and while it is easy and requires no tools, I don't like the results when the foam blocks start to separate later on. I would think the M9 case would work well for most semi-autos, but might not have the width for revolvers. A semi smaller than an M9 might also be difficult to remove from it's slot if it's down an inch or so.

The case from the shoot looks like it has no foam in the first couple inches, and then cutouts for the grips. I'd rather go in that direction, and give up a little protection for ease of use - the worst my cases see is the back of my truck.

You can get replacement foam sets for Pelican cases, so you could set up different foam fillers for different load outs in the same outer case.
 
Sorry all,

I'm a little confused about the necessity for filing an FA-10 in this particular case. My understanding is that FA-10's need to be filed upon a transfer in ownership. As long as these individuals already own the firearms in question they should *NOT* have to file an FA-10 when taking them into this state?

There is no law specifying that you must report to the state or the local
licensing authority what firearms you already possess, i.e. filling out
an FA-10 for your current collection or submitting a list to the local
police.
(http://www.goal.org/PDF/newres.pdf)

Also, in regards to the need to file an FA-10 if the grace period has expired: After looking around a bit and reading through most of the MGL's, I can't find any reference that the grace period has any bearing on firearms that are owned and stored out-of-state. From what I've been able to find the grace period only pertains the ability of an individual to posess a firearm in this state. Is there something that says that if the firearms, that the individual already owns, aren't moved into this state within 60 days an FA-10 must be filed?
 
You're wrong. MA doesn't care that you owned them before you moved into the state. If you move with the firearms, you do not have to file because you are not yet a licensee and thus not bound by the reporting requirements of LTC holders. If you bring them after you get the license after the initial move, then it is considered an out of state acquisition and must be reported on an FA-10.
 
Sorry all,

I'm a little confused about the necessity for filing an FA-10 in this particular case. My understanding is that FA-10's need to be filed upon a transfer in ownership. As long as these individuals already own the firearms in question they should *NOT* have to file an FA-10 when taking them into this state?

There is no law specifying that you must report to the state or the local
licensing authority what firearms you already possess, i.e. filling out
an FA-10 for your current collection or submitting a list to the local
police.
(http://www.goal.org/PDF/newres.pdf)

Also, in regards to the need to file an FA-10 if the grace period has expired: After looking around a bit and reading through most of the MGL's, I can't find any reference that the grace period has any bearing on firearms that are owned and stored out-of-state. From what I've been able to find the grace period only pertains the ability of an individual to posess a firearm in this state. Is there something that says that if the firearms, that the individual already owns, aren't moved into this state within 60 days an FA-10 must be filed?
M.G.L Chapter 140 Section 129c:
A seller shall, within seven days, report all such transfers to the executive director of the criminal history systems board according to the provisions set forth in section one hundred and twenty-eight A...The provisions of this section shall not apply to the following exempted persons and uses...
(j) Any new resident moving into the commonwealth, any resident of the commonwealth returning after having been absent from the commonwealth for not less than 180 consecutive days or any resident of the commonwealth upon being released from active service with any of the armed services of the United States with respect to any firearm, rifle or shotgun and any ammunition therefor then in his possession, for 60 days after such release, return or entry into the commonwealth;​
It's pretty clear to me that this exemption means that bring a rifle or shotgun in-state more than 60 days after moving or returning is considered a transfer subject to reporting. It's as if the legal change from being a non-resident to a resident is considered to have caused a transfer of that person's guns from a non-resident to a resident, which are then exempted from reporting per paragraph j. if the actual relocation takes place within 60 days. Convoluted, yes, but it is MA.
 
What's a good airline for travelling with hand guns in checked luggage.

American is OK. Just keep in mind that 99% of all of the ticket counter people who work for any airline have never seen a gun before and go into a mini panic attack as soon as you declare a firearm. Just keep your cool and tell them what they should do according to the TSA procedures you printed out and brought with you.
 
American is OK. Just keep in mind that 99% of all of the ticket counter people who work for any airline have never seen a gun before and go into a mini panic attack as soon as you declare a firearm. Just keep your cool and tell them what they should do according to the TSA procedures you printed out and brought with you.

I would actually disagree with that. Probably half the agents I've had to deal with on flying didn't even blink. One of them was really bad and I got a free ticket out of the resulting furor, but the rest were fine.
 
So what if the firearm you previously owned in another state legally is on the list of firearms you can not legally buy new in MA? Is it still OK to bring it back into MA and file and FA-10?
 
So what if the firearm you previously owned in another state legally is on the list of firearms you can not legally buy new in MA? Is it still OK to bring it back into MA and file and FA-10?

Yes, as long as you previously owned it before you moved to MA, you can bring it in without trouble. It's only if you didn't previously own it, and therefore by federal law have to transfer it into the state via an FFL that you will get caught up in the dealer sales restrictions (dual residency being a big gray area, however).
 
Great thanks for the info! I have received more helpful information here than from my local police, they either wont call you back or don't know the answer.
 
had my class today

Had my safety class today. Did ok at the range test.

range-test.jpg


Not bad for a rental Ruger .22 at 5 yards having not been to the range in 6 years.
49 rounds (1 misfire) of what judging from the pile of boxes in the trash bin was Remington.
 
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