Shooting on private property in MA

[bauer]

Did a google search and a scan of multiple pages of the MA laws sub forum and couldn’t come up with anything. I’m sure this has been discussed before so if this is a dupe I apologize and would happily accept a thread referral as an answer.

I have the opportunity to do some shooting on private property in MA and wanted to make sure I wasn’t running afoul of any regulations, etc that good jeopardize my license/suitability (yes, I get it, freedom and whatnot but as an inmate of MA better safe than sorry).

Is there anything I should be specifically concerned about (legally) before doing this other than the standard safety protocols?

I’m aware of the following:

No shooting within 500’ of a dwelling/structure of any kind in use (without the owners permission)

No shooting within 150’ of a road

No possession of a rifle/pistol in the field/woods during shotgun deer season

Ensure town doesn’t have any specific by-laws about firearms discharge


What else might I be missing?

Any info/references to other resources would be appreciated.

Thx!

Edit:
The original post contained a reference to “No shooting on Sunday’s” that has been removed pursuant to the conversation below

 

[headednorth]

No shooting on Sundays

Is this true?

 

[IPSC_DRL]

You seem to have the legal technicalities down (except the Sunday thing). How your neighbors/local PD react is anyone's guess.

Good luck and be safe.

 

[bauer]

Is this true?

I could of sworn I read this on Mass.gov last night but will be happily corrected if wrong

 

[bauer]

Is this true?

Found it (under the hunting regulations) but may be applying it incorrectly:

General hunting regulations

This page contains general Massachusetts hunting rules. Review these rules along with species-specific hunting regulations to prepare for the season.

www.mass.gov

 

[MisterHappy]

If you are on a "range" (which has no legal / statutory definition) then the setbacks are no longer technically applicable. The "never on Sundays" is for hunting (when the law was enacted, you were supposed to be in church).

The reason that the .gov post above exists, is so that you can't be hunting on Sunday, and tell the Fish Cop, "I wasn't hunting, I was just target shooting, and using that fresh deer carcass as a target stand."

If you have a backstop and firing line, that should count as a range.

As the Range Lawyer points out, John Law may have issues, but that depends on neighbors, town, and cop.

Also, as a detail, it's 500 feet from a dwelling or other building in use - a garden shed that's not abandoned, counts.

 

[amb]

You said it already but I'll emphasize looking at the town bylaws. Many of them have weird firearm regs that are hard to untangle as to what they actually mean, whether they're even legal, and whether the town cops give a rat's ass about them.

Massachusetts city and town ordinances and by-laws

A collection of city and town ordinances or by-laws available online, compiled by the Trial Court Law Libraries.

www.mass.gov

Also, maybe not relevant but it's "state or hard-surfaced roadway" if I remember right, dirt roads are OK.

 

[headednorth]

I could of sworn I read this on Mass.gov last night but will be happily corrected if wrong

I dont hunt and dont have land to shoot on so I dont know for sure either but its new to me.

 

[whacko]

The Sunday thing id say is wrong. I've shot at and know tons of gun clubs that are open on Sundays in mass.

 

[AHM]

The Sunday thing id say is wrong. I've shot at and know tons of gun clubs that are open on Sundays in mass.

Do they have recognized ranges,
or are the ranges incognito?

 

[MisterHappy]

Do they have recognized ranges,
or are the ranges incognito?

Someone should get a bunch of Guy Fawkes masks and have an Anonymous shoot.

 

[Wickedcoolname]

Pretty much everyone in my neck of the woods shoots in their yards. I'm about 1/4 of a mile from my nearest neighbors and I hear them shooting all the time, including Sundays.
I have a few target stands in my back yard as well as some steel plates and a spinner. I made a simple backstop out of a few 10' pine tree logs. I've been here about 21 years and it's a rare week that I'm not shooting.

 

[bauer]

I’ll amend the original post so as not to create confusion as it appears the Sunday thing is a nuanced rule pertaining to hunting only