When is a firearm not a firearm?

[wheelgun]

If I remove the slide on a semi-auto handgun, or separate the upper and lower of an AR, do I still have a "firearm" as defined by MGL?

For instance do the parts have to be locked in the trunk or a box while transporting? Can I leave them on lying around the house while I'm away or do they still have to be locked up, i.e. "under my control"?

Chapter 140 defines a firearm as a ".... pistol, revolver, or other weapon from which a bullet can be discharged." If it's not fully assembled and therefore not functional, how is it interpreted under MGL?

I'm curious because I've read that it's legal in Mass to buy a post-1998 Glock frame (through an FFL of course) because MGL only applies to functional firearms. That led me to thinking and the above question.

 

[wheelgun]

Never mind.... a search turned up some discussion of this. Guess it 's a gray area and the concensus is to avoid such situations.

 

[vellnueve]

Wheelgun, that is true, you can legally have a frame transferred to you by an FFL even if it isn't compliant. That said, most dealers won't do it, and most manufacturers, like Glock, won't ship said frames here.