Massachusetts issues two everyday firearm credentials to residents: the License to Carry (LTC) under M.G.L. c. 140, Section 131, which is the carry...
Reviewed by Will Luker, Founder of CCW Hub. USCCA Training Counselor, USCCA Certified Instructor, NRA Certified Instructor, Law Enforcement.
Massachusetts issues two everyday firearm credentials to residents: the License to Carry (LTC) under M.G.L. c. 140, Section 131, which is the carry credential, and the Firearm Identification Card (FID) under Section 129B, which covers rifles and shotguns that are not large capacity or semi-automatic. Two narrower credentials sit alongside them, the permit to purchase under Section 131A and the temporary license to carry for nonresidents under Section 131F. Section 129C(a) names all four together, as "a license, permit or card under sections 129B, 131, 131A or 131F". DCJIS states the baseline plainly: possessing a gun at home takes a credential. At a minimum that is an FID for rifles and shotguns that are not large capacity, and an LTC for handguns and other large capacity weapons.
Chapter 135 of the Acts of 2024, approved July 25, 2024, struck out and replaced Sections 131 and 129B and inserted a new Section 121F. Section 121F(a) holds the issuance decision for "any firearm license, card or permit issued under sections 122, 122B, 122D, 129B, 131 or 131F". Section 131A is not on that list, and c. 29, Section 2LLL as amended still counts fees under Sections 121F, 131A and 131F separately. The act defers no effective date for Sections 121F, 129B or 131. Its deferral clause, SECTION 159, as enacted read "Sections 38 and 75 shall take effect 18 months after the effective date of this act", which reached the rewrites of Section 125 and Section 131Q. St. 2024, c. 206, SECTION 51 struck that sentence and inserted "Sections 38 and 74 shall take effect 18 months after the effective date of this act". SECTION 74 is the rewrite of Section 131P, the basic firearms safety certificate section, so the deferral moved onto the training requirement. The state has not published one consistent commencement date for it; see "Training certificate" below.
Section 121, as amended, defines "firearm" to cover a stun gun, pistol, revolver, rifle, shotgun, sawed-off shotgun, large capacity firearm, assault-style firearm and machine gun, plus frames, receivers and unfinished frames or receivers, but not antiques or permanently inoperable firearms. A stun gun is therefore a firearm, and sits outside the rifle-and-shotgun entitlement an FID confers.
Chapter 135 SECTION 49 struck Section 131 in full, and subsections (a) through (h) of the replacement carry no class designation and no split between concealed and open carry. There is one License to Carry, with no Class A or Class B subtype to apply for. Credentials issued under the old scheme still stand: SECTION 153 keeps valid licenses to carry, FIDs and licenses to sell in force until expiration, suspension or revocation, and entitles the holder to possess the firearms that credential authorized when it was last issued or renewed.
Section 131(a) entitles the holder to purchase, rent, lease, borrow, possess and carry firearms, including large capacity firearms and the ammunition for them. It does not reach large capacity feeding devices or assault-style firearms unless Section 131M permits it. Section 121, as amended, defines a large capacity feeding device as a magazine, belt, drum, feed strip or similar device holding, or readily convertible to accept, more than 10 rounds or more than 5 shotgun shells, or parts from which one can be assembled in a single person's hands. It excludes devices permanently altered so they cannot exceed those numbers, attached tubular devices that work only with .22 caliber rimfire ammunition, and tubular magazines in lever-action firearms or on pump shotguns. Section 131(f) bars a machine gun license except for a firearm instructor certified by the municipal police training committee, for the sole purpose of instructing police personnel, or a bona fide collector as defined in Section 121; neither exception applies to automatic devices or automatic parts.
Section 131(c) makes the LTC valid to own, possess, purchase and transfer rifles and shotguns that are not large capacity or semi-automatic, consistent with the entitlements an FID confers, so the two cards do not have to be held together.
Section 129B(c) entitles the card holder to purchase, transfer, possess and carry rifles and shotguns that are not large capacity or semi-automatic, plus their ammunition. It does not entitle the holder to transfer, possess or carry any other firearm, including any large capacity firearm and any large capacity or semiautomatic rifle or shotgun. The one exception: the holder may handle those firearms under the direct supervision of an LTC holder at an incorporated shooting club or a licensed shooting range. Otherwise an FID is not valid for the use, possession, ownership, transfer, purchase, sale, lease, rental or transportation of any large capacity firearm.
Chapter 135 amended Section 131A in place rather than replacing it, striking the words "rifle or shotgun," from line 10 (SECTION 52). It matters most to FID holders: under Section 128A(b)(iii) and (c)(ii) as rewritten, a transfer or purchase of a firearm outside the non-large-capacity, non-semi-automatic rifle and shotgun class requires the FID-holding transferee to also hold a valid Section 131A permit. Because Section 131A sits outside the Section 121F enumeration, the Section 121F timelines and standards set out elsewhere on this page are written for the other credentials, not for this permit.
Section 131A sets its own terms, and they are discretionary and short. A licensing authority under Section 131 may grant the permit to a person qualified to be granted a license by that authority, other than a minor, only if it appears that the purchase, rental or lease is for a proper purpose, and may revoke the permit at will. The permit is valid for not more than ten days after issue, and the authority may impose restrictions on the caliber and capacity of the firearm to be purchased, rented or leased. The fee is $100, payable to the licensing authority and not prorated or refunded in case of revocation or denial. Knowingly issuing a permit in violation of Section 131A draws a fine of not less than $500 and not more than $1,000 and imprisonment for not less than 6 months and not more than 2 years in a jail or house of correction. The colonel of the state police, or a person the colonel authorizes, grants the parallel permit to a Section 131F licensee, and that version also covers the purchase of ammunition.
EOPSS states the practical effect of the residency element in its November 13, 2025 Guidance #4: an applicant can apply for or renew a firearms license only in the city or town where they reside, and a nonresident goes through the Firearms Records Bureau.
Section 131(d) says the licensing authority shall issue the LTC as provided in Section 121F only if the applicant is neither a prohibited person nor determined to be unsuitable, and requires a personal interview on an initial LTC application. Section 129B(a) says the authority shall issue the FID pursuant to Section 121F on those same two findings. Neither conditions issuance on a stated purpose or a demonstrated need to carry.
Section 121F(j) requires denial to a prohibited person, meaning a person who:
Section 121F(k) permits a denial for unsuitability only on reliable, articulable and credible information that the applicant has exhibited or engaged in behavior suggesting they may create a risk to public safety or a risk of danger to themselves or others, with written reasons. Section 121F(l) takes that power away for the FID: the authority cannot deny an FID application on unsuitability grounds itself, and may instead file a petition asking the district court with jurisdiction to deny it on those grounds. The petition stays the application, and the court decides by a preponderance within 90 days, with suitability entered automatically if no judgment issues in that window.
Section 121F(a) gives the authority 40 days from a completed application to approve or deny in writing, and nothing issues until the colonel of the state police certifies that issuance would not violate state or federal law. Under Section 121F(f), knowingly filing an application containing false information, or knowingly issuing a credential in violation of c. 140, draws a fine of not less than $500 and not more than $1,000, imprisonment for not less than 6 months and not more than 2 years in a house of correction, or both.
Section 121F(u)(1) requires revocation or suspension of a credential under Sections 122, 122B, 122D, 129B, 131 or 131F on any event that makes the holder a prohibited person, and permits it on a later unsuitability determination under Section 121F(k) or on satisfactory proof that the holder violated or permitted a violation of c. 140. For an FID the authority files a district court petition; the petition itself effects the suspension or revocation pending a judicial determination of sufficient evidence of unsuitability, which the court must make within 15 days. Under Section 121F(u)(2) the action must be in writing with reasons, court proceedings do not stay it, and the credential is reinstated only on the termination of all disqualifying conditions.
Section 121F(o) sets the application or renewal fee for any license, card or permit at $100 unless stated otherwise. It drops to $25 for an LTC for active and retired law enforcement officials or government entities acting on their behalf, and to $25 for an FID for a person under 18 or a self-defense spray permit under Section 122D. Section 121F(p) waives the renewal fee for anyone over the age of 70 and for a law enforcement officer applying through their employing agency. Under Section 121F(n), fees go to the issuing licensing authority and are not prorated or refunded on revocation or denial.
Section 131(b) bars issuance of an LTC without a basic firearms safety certificate meeting Section 131P, and Section 129B(b) bars issuance of an FID without a basic firearms safety certificate or other certificate meeting that section. Section 131P as rewritten by Chapter 135 SECTION 74 requires a course curriculum certified by the colonel of state police, a written examination the colonel creates and sets the passing standard for, and live firearms training, and no instructor may issue a certificate to anyone who fails those requirements. The commencement date for that rewrite comes down differently depending on which source you read. The malegislature editor's note on Section 131P gives January 25, 2026, which is 18 months from the July 25, 2024 approval date, citing c. 135 SECTION 159 as amended by St. 2024, c. 206, SECTION 51. EOPSS Guidance #4, issued to licensing authorities on November 13, 2025, instead told them a licensing authority "may continue to" accept a basic firearms safety certificate meeting the prior law's requirements "until section 74 takes effect, on April 2, 2026." Both dates have passed, so the requirements stated above are the operative ones under either reading. A hunter education certificate under c. 131, Section 14 substitutes on an FID application. People lawfully holding an FID or LTC on August 1, 2024 are exempt on renewal, as are people who held a card or license before live firearms training was implemented. Section 131P(a) also exempts officers, agents and employees of the commonwealth or any state, members of the military or other service, and duly authorized municipal law enforcement, so long as a competent authority authorizes the firearm carried and the person acts within the scope of their duties.
Massachusetts does not recognize another state's carry license. A nonresident who wants to carry here needs a temporary license under Section 131F, apart from the narrow in-vehicle allowance in Section 129C(k) below. Chapter 135 amended that section rather than replacing it: SECTION 62 routed eligibility through Section 121F in place of Section 131, and SECTION 61 replaced "alien that resides outside the commonwealth" with "a citizen or national of the United States or a person who maintains legal permanent residency".
The temporary license issues from the colonel of the state police or persons the colonel authorizes, and it is valid for one year, though the colonel may renew it if renewal is necessary. Section 131F allows a term of up to two years for a nonresident whose employer endorses the application and who works for a bank, a public utility corporation, a money-transfer or similar firm, or a firm licensed as a private detective under c. 147, and for a member of the armed services stationed within Massachusetts who has the written consent of their commanding officer. The fee is $100, payable to the licensing authority and not prorated or refunded in case of revocation or denial. The license has to be marked "Temporary License to Carry Firearms" and cannot be used to purchase firearms in the commonwealth; EOPSS Guidance #4 states that a Section 131F holder may not purchase firearms or ammunition here. A large capacity firearm may be carried under it only if that entitlement is clearly indicated on the license. There is no cushion at the end: mass.gov states that nonresident firearms licenses expire one year from the date of issue and that there is no grace period for them, and Guidance #4 confirms the Section 121F(s) grace period does not reach temporary LTCs. Guidance #4 also states that nonresident business owners "are no longer eligible for a license to carry," and that no one may apply for or renew an LTC in a town where they only own a business. Guidance #4 attaches that answer to Section 131(a), which is the entitlement clause and says nothing about residency. The applicant requirement is in Section 131(d), which opens the application to "[a] lawful resident 21 years of age or older residing within the jurisdiction of the licensing authority" along with an officer employed by that authority and a person residing in an area of exclusive federal jurisdiction. Guidance #4 states the same rule directly elsewhere: "Applicants can only apply for or renew a firearms license in the city/town where they reside, or a non-resident of the Commonwealth through the Firearms Records Bureau."
Outside that license, Section 129C sets what a home-state credential is worth:
Section 129C(a) gives a returning resident absent 180 or more consecutive days, and a new resident, 60 days to possess firearms owned before the move, and an heir or devisee 60 days after transfer.
Section 121F(v)(2) lets anyone aggrieved by a denial, revocation or suspension petition the district court with jurisdiction over the city or town where the application was filed or the credential issued, within 90 days of notice or within 90 days after the authority's response deadline passes. That petition is unavailable if a hearing has already been held under Section 131S or 131T, chapter 209A or chapter 258E. Under Section 121F(v)(3), the court may order the credential issued or reinstated on a finding that there was no reasonable ground for the action and that the petitioner is not prohibited by law from holding it.
The rewritten Section 131 and Section 121F say nothing about stamping a purpose restriction on a credential, and DCJIS has answered what becomes of the restrictions printed on licenses issued earlier. In New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, decided June 23, 2022, the Supreme Court held that New York's "proper cause" requirement violated the Second and Fourteenth Amendments, and identified the "good reason" provision of the former M.G.L. c. 140, Section 131(d) as an analogue to it. DCJIS states that on the strength of that decision, any restriction appearing on a license holder's LTC limiting them to carrying only for activities such as hunting, target shooting or employment is no longer enforceable. A holder whose license carries one may contact their licensing authority for a new license before renewal; otherwise, DCJIS states, a future LTC will issue without such restrictions, provided the licensing authority does not deem the applicant a prohibited person or unsuitable under the law. One regulation still on the books runs behind the current statute: the definitions at 515 CMR 3.03 define an LTC as a License to Carry Firearms "which shall include both Class A and Class B licenses", a split the rewritten Section 131 no longer contains.
This page covers one part of our Massachusetts concealed carry guide.
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