Shooting an air rifle in MA

"No person shall fire or discharge any*firearmsor explosives of any kind within the limits of any highway, park or other public property, except with the possession of written permission of the Board of Selectmen, or on any private property, except with the possession of written consent of the owner or legal occupant thereof; provided, however, that this section shall not apply to the lawful defense of life or property nor to any law enforcement officer acting in the discharge of his or her duties. Any person violating this section shall be punished by a fine of not more than $50 for each offense."

Air rifle not a firearm as far as I can tell
 
<shrug>

They don't make any noise. Whose gonna know?

Not that I would advise not checking with any local law enforcement or anything first, of course. [rolleyes]
 
From MGL:

Section 12B. No minor under the age of eighteen shall have an air rifle or so-called BB gun in his possession while in any place to which the public has a right of access unless he is accompanied by an adult or unless he is the holder of a sporting or hunting license and has on his person a permit from the chief of police of the town in which he resides granting him the right of such possession. No person shall discharge a BB shot, pellet or other object from an air rifle or so-called BB gun into, from or across any street, alley, public way or railroad or railway right of way, and no minor under the age of eighteen shall discharge a BB shot, pellet or other object from an air rifle or BB gun unless he is accompanied by an adult or is the holder of a sporting or hunting license. Whoever violates this section shall be punished by a fine of not more than one hundred dollars, and the air rifle or BB gun or other weapon shall be confiscated. Upon a conviction of a violation of this section the air rifle or BB gun or other weapon shall, by the written authority of the court, be forwarded to the colonel of the state police, who may dispose of said article in the same manner as prescribed in section ten.
 
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Real loud empty, about like a 22 but not nearly as sharp a sound. Sounds like a balloon popping (a big one popping slow) with a pellet in it.sitting inside the dining room with the muzzle in the house I doubt the noise would penetrate 100' of woods let alone a house with the windows closed.
 
If you are out of view from the road, the question is do you have any neighbors with a view that would rat you out?
 
@gomerpile:
About the same idea as my post, but no issue since I have my LTC and we were (hypothetically) shooting inside-out into the back yard, nearest road hundreds of yards away.

Better info though since it does specifically address a minor and air rifle where mine did not.
 
Can't even shoot paintballs, legally in my town.

My town bylaw:

9.16.010 Discharge of firearms prohibited Exemptions.
Discharge of Firearms: Within the Town limits of Tewksbury, Massachusetts no person or persons shall discharge any
firearm, air or gas operated gun of any kind.

Except under the following conditions:
1) All law enforcement officers, whether federal, state or municipal in the lawful performance of their duties.
2) The discharge of firearms using blank ammunition in fulfilling but not limited to the needs of historical,
ceremonial, competitive and sporting activities.
3) Contractors using powder-fired charge tools at a construction site.
4) Person or persons at an authorized target range.
5) Citizens in the lawful defense of themselves or others. (Art. 4 (part), STM 1988: By-Laws Art. IX § 14
(part))
 
Be careful about ammo choice as well. I have a Gamo Silent Cat in .17 that is very quiet, but if you shoot the alloy (PBA?) pellets, they are supersonic and make a loud rifle crack. The regular lead Crossman pellets from Walmart are no problem.
 
An air rifle is not a firearm and a semi automatic rifle is not an assault rifle but definitions have been changed to suit the agency involved. I can't wait for one of the car companies to come out with a 4 cylinder V8.
 
<shrug>

They don't make any noise. Whose gonna know?

Not that I would advise not checking with any local law enforcement or anything first, of course. [rolleyes]

Depends on the gun. My air rifle slings pellets at 1300 fps. There IS a supersonic crack when it is fired, It's really not that much quieter than a 22.
 
"No person shall fire or discharge any*firearmsor explosives of any kind within the limits of any highway, park or other public property, except with the possession of written permission of the Board of Selectmen, or on any private property, except with the possession of written consent of the owner or legal occupant thereof; provided, however, that this section shall not apply to the lawful defense of life or property nor to any law enforcement officer acting in the discharge of his or her duties. Any person violating this section shall be punished by a fine of not more than $50 for each offense."

Air rifle not a firearm as far as I can tell

Under C. 140 it isn't a "firearm" since a "firearm" is a handgun. Under C. 269, you need to check very carefully (in some sections like S. 10 even an airgun/BBgun/Airsoft meets their definition of "firearm"). I am not certain of the correct answer here.


An air rifle is not a firearm and a semi automatic rifle is not an assault rifle but definitions have been changed to suit the agency involved. I can't wait for one of the car companies to come out with a 4 cylinder V8.

See my comment above.


<shrug>

They don't make any noise. Whose gonna know?

Not that I would advise not checking with any local law enforcement or anything first, of course. [rolleyes]

Depends on the gun. My air rifle slings pellets at 1300 fps. There IS a supersonic crack when it is fired, It's really not that much quieter than a 22.

My air rifles sling lead at 1100fps and are louder than my Ruger 10/22!
 
Real loud empty

If you have a spring piston air rifle (most break barrels, like a Gamo), don't shoot it without it a pellet loaded as that will damage the spring or seals. If it shoots loud, try using a heavier pellet (like the 10.5 grain Crosman Premier Heavy round nose, also sometimes labeled Ultra Magnum) to get the speed subsonic to quiet it down. The rifle will also probably shoot more accurately with these pellets especially when you stretch out your range a bit. The light 7 grain or less pellets are really better for CO2 pistols or low power 10 meter target rifles. The heavier pellet will also carry more energy farther if you are hunting critters.
 
My brother has looked into this and somehow concluded it was perfectly legal.

He shoots his Air Rifle on his 100yd backyard "range" from his deck all the time.
 
I shoot off the back deck
Air rifle, bb gun, pistol, AR

Not a care given as long as I don't over do it.

Sent from my C6530 using Tapatalk
 
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