The Department of Criminal Justice Information Services answers this one directly in its firearms licensing FAQ. Asked whether Massachusetts recognizes...
Reviewed by Will Luker, Founder of CCW Hub. USCCA Training Counselor, USCCA Certified Instructor, NRA Certified Instructor, Law Enforcement.
The Department of Criminal Justice Information Services answers this one directly in its firearms licensing FAQ. Asked whether Massachusetts recognizes firearms licenses from other states, DCJIS answers: "No. Massachusetts does not have reciprocity with any other states."
The statute agrees, and it agrees by omission. There is no Massachusetts reciprocity provision: nothing makes another state's carry license valid here, nothing authorizes recognition agreements, and no state's license substitutes for a Massachusetts one. The permit in your wallet from Florida, New Hampshire, Utah, or anywhere else does not authorize you to carry a firearm in Massachusetts.
MGL c.140 s.131(d) sets who may apply: "A lawful resident 21 years of age or older residing within the jurisdiction of the licensing authority or any law enforcement officer employed by the licensing authority or any person residing in an area of exclusive federal jurisdiction located within a city or town may submit to the licensing authority an application for a license to carry firearms." Under s.121 the licensing authority is "the chief of police or the board or officer having control of the police in a city or town, or persons authorized by them," and where none exists, the colonel of the state police.
That is a residency-keyed grant, and a visitor is outside it. Section 131 says nothing about honoring a license issued elsewhere.
Chapter 135 of the Acts of 2024, approved July 25, 2024, rebuilt this part of the General Laws. Eligibility, denial, suitability, appeals, fees, and renewal moved out of s.131 into a new MGL c.140 s.121F, which now governs "any firearm license, card or permit issued under sections 122, 122B, 122D, 129B, 131 or 131F" (s.121F(a)). What remains of s.131 runs only from (a) to (h), with the six-year maximum term at (e) and the application provision at (d). If you are reading a guide that cites a Massachusetts s.131 subsection past (h), or that locates the suitability standard inside s.131, it predates the restructure.
MGL c.269 s.10(a) is where the absence of reciprocity becomes concrete, because the statute enumerates the routes out of it and an out-of-state license is not among them. It reaches whoever, "except as provided or exempted by statute, knowingly has in his possession; or knowingly has under his control in a vehicle; a firearm, loaded or unloaded, as defined in section one hundred and twenty-one of chapter one hundred and forty" without either:
A parallel list follows for rifles and shotguns, adding a s.129B firearm identification card and compliance with s.129C "upon ownership or possession of not semiautomatic rifles and shotguns." The same subsection then repeats the point from the other direction: "No person having in effect a license to carry firearms for any purpose, issued under section one hundred and thirty-one or section one hundred and thirty-one F of chapter one hundred and forty shall be deemed to be in violation of this section." Two Massachusetts licenses, plus the statutory exemptions s.10(a) preserves at clause (4). An out-of-state carry permit is not on either list.
The grading is severe. A violation of s.10(a) is punished "by imprisonment in the state prison for not less than two and one-half years nor more than five years, or for not less than 18 months nor more than two and one-half years in a jail or house of correction." The sentence "shall not be reduced to less than 18 months, nor suspended, nor shall any person convicted under this subsection be eligible for probation, parole, work release, or furlough or receive any deduction from his sentence for good conduct until he shall have served 18 months of such sentence." Prosecutions "shall neither be continued without a finding nor placed on file." Under s.10(n), a violation of (a) by means of a loaded firearm is "further punished by imprisonment in the house of correction for not more than 2 1/2 years," running from and after the s.10(a) sentence.
Section 121 now defines "firearm" broadly: "a stun gun, pistol, revolver, rifle, shotgun, sawed-off shotgun, large capacity firearm, assault-style firearm and machine gun, loaded or unloaded, which is designed to or may readily be converted to expel a shot or bullet..." The handgun-only reading of that word is out of date. The definition runs further in both directions. It reaches "the frame or receiver of any such firearm or the unfinished frame or receiver of any such firearm," and it closes with a proviso that "firearm" as defined "shall not include any antique firearm or permanently inoperable firearm."
Section 10(m) adds a separate offense for possessing, or having under control in a vehicle, "a large capacity firearm or large capacity feeding device therefor" without "a valid license to carry firearms issued under section 131 or 131F of chapter 140." That is "imprisonment in a state prison for not less than two and one-half years nor more than ten years," with the sentence not reduced below one year, not suspended, and no probation, parole, furlough, work release, or good conduct deduction until the minimum is served, and no continuance without a finding and no filing. A firearm identification card "shall not be a defense," though a holder of a valid one escapes the mandatory minimum. A large capacity feeding device is one holding, or readily convertible to accept, "more than 10 rounds of ammunition or more than 5 shotgun shells." Capacity is measured by the device, not by where you bought it, and the definition carves out only permanently altered devices, attached tubular devices designed to accept and capable of operating only with .22 caliber rimfire ammunition, and tubular magazines contained in lever-action firearms or on pump shotguns.
Massachusetts does issue a license to non-residents, and for an ordinary visitor it is the route to lawfully carrying a handgun here. The exceptions are narrow, and all three are covered below: the s.129C(k) in-vehicle transit rule; the s.129C(f) exemption, which lets "[a] person in the military or other service of any state or of the United States, and police officers and other peace officers of any jurisdiction" possess "non-large capacity firearms and ammunition therefor without holding a license or card under sections 129D, 131 or 131F," but only "while in the performance of their official duty or when duly authorized to possess them by their employing agency"; and the federal LEOSA routes at 18 U.S.C. 926B and 926C. Outside those, plan on the license.
The mechanism is MGL c.140 s.131F, whose catchline on the Legislature's site still reads "Nonresidents or aliens; temporary license to carry firearms or ammunition." That catchline predates the 2024 act; SECTION 61 struck "alien that resides outside the commonwealth" from the body and inserted "a citizen or national of the United States or a person who maintains legal permanent residency." Several provisions confirm it is live:
Section 121F governs the application. The licensing authority must act within 40 days of a completed application, and no license issues "unless the colonel of the state police has certified that the information available indicates that issuing the permit, card or license is not in violation of state or federal law" (s.121F(a)). The prohibited-person list at s.121F(j) and the unsuitability standard at s.121F(k) both apply, the latter turning on "reliable, articulable and credible information that the applicant has exhibited or engaged in behavior that suggests that, if issued a permit, card or license, the applicant may create a risk to public safety or a risk of danger to themselves or others." Denials are appealable in district court under s.121F(m) and (v). Under s.131P, an applicant "for the issuance of a license or card under sections 129B, 131 or 131F" must submit a basic firearms safety certificate, and no application "shall be accepted or processed by the licensing authority without such certificate attached thereto." See APPLICATION_PROCESS and TRAINING_REQUIREMENTS.
The term and the fee are set by s.131F itself. The license "shall be valid for a period of one year but the colonel may renew such license if such renewal is necessary." That is well short of the s.131(e) six-year maximum for a resident license, which fits s.121F(t) calling these "temporary licenses to carry." The fee "shall be $100, which shall be payable to the licensing authority and shall not be prorated or refunded in case of revocation or denial," split $25 to the licensing authority, $50 to the general fund, and $25 to the Firearms Fingerprint Identity Verification Trust Fund. Large capacity is not automatic: "[a] large capacity firearm may be carried if the person has been issued a license; provided, however, that this entitlement shall be clearly indicated on the license." See FEES_COSTS.
One group of applicants gets a longer term. Section 131F provides that a license issued to a non-resident "who is in the employ of a bank, public utility corporation, or a firm engaged in the business of transferring monies, or business of similar nature, or a firm licensed as a private detective under the provisions of chapter one hundred and forty-seven, and whose application is endorsed by his employer, or who is a member of the armed services and is stationed within the territorial boundaries of the commonwealth and has the written consent of his commanding officer, may be issued for any term not to exceed two years." The FRB packet carries the same rule under the heading "Applications Submitted for Employment Purposes, valid for two years," and spells out the proof: military personnel submit a photocopy of the military ID plus written consent from the commanding officer, a private detective agency must be licensed in the Commonwealth under MGL c.147 and attach a photocopy of that license, and bank, public utility, money transfer and private detective agency employees must submit an employer letter on company letterhead. A separate two-year track exists under s.131F for a non-resident employee of a federally licensed Massachusetts machine gun manufacturer, marked "temporary license to possess a machine gun."
The packet also states, twice, that "[a] LTC may ONLY be issued to a non-resident, non-citizen (alien) for the purpose of firearms competition," and requires permanent residents and those in the United States on a lawful temporary status to enclose a photocopy of the immigration card or visa and the passport. The statute's eligibility clause, as rewritten by St. 2024 c.135 s.61, reaches "a citizen or national of the United States or a person who maintains legal permanent residency for purposes of firearms competition." If you are not a United States citizen, treat competition as the operative purpose and confirm with the Bureau before you apply.
The rest is agency practice. DCJIS states that the Firearms Records Bureau "issues non-resident LTCs as the designee of the Colonel of the State Police." The FRB's non-resident application packet, footer-stamped "Non-Resident LTC application - Revised March 2024" and posted at mass.gov (retrieved August 13, 2026), states that "[e]very applicant is required to appear in-person at the Firearms Records Bureau (FRB) for the first non-resident license to carry (LTC) application," and tells renewal applicants to apply "a minimum of 90 days in advance." The Commonwealth's apply page (retrieved August 13, 2026) lists "[a]n in-person appointment" among what a non-resident applicant may need and adds one fact a visitor should build into the calendar: "There is no grace period for non-resident firearms licenses." The EOPSS guidance says the same thing from the statutory side. Asked whether "the grace period for an expired LTC under s.121F(s) of chapter 140" applies to temporary LTCs, it answers: "No." Practice items like the appointment and the mailing routine can change without a statutory amendment, so confirm them with the FRB before you travel.
One category that used to qualify no longer does. Asked whether nonresident business owners are eligible for an LTC, the DCJIS and EOPSS guidance on An Act Modernizing Firearm Laws answers that "nonresident business owners are no longer eligible for a license to carry." The guidance attaches that answer to section 131(a), which is the entitlement clause and says nothing about residency. The applicant requirement sits at s.131(d), which opens the application to "[a] lawful resident 21 years of age or older residing within the jurisdiction of the licensing authority," to an officer employed by that authority, and to a person residing in an area of exclusive federal jurisdiction. The same guidance states the rule directly in another answer: "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." Read the substance against s.131(d) rather than the subsection the guidance names. Guidance retrieved August 13, 2026.
A caution about Massachusetts state web pages. The DCJIS listing "Massachusetts Firearms Laws" at mass.gov (retrieved August 13, 2026) still gives Chapter 284 of the Acts of 2014 its own heading and describes it as the act that "amended the Massachusetts gun law and made changes to many of the law's provisions." The page never mentions Chapter 135 of the Acts of 2024 or the new s.121F, and its section-level links run to s.131, s.129B, s.131F, s.129C and s.131L, plus the chapter as a whole. That is a page built around the prior restructure. Where an agency page describes procedure, use it. Where it describes the structure of the licensing statute, check it against the statute.
MGL c.140 s.129C does contain non-resident provisions, and they are narrower than their reputation. A "nonresident" is defined at s.121 as "a person who is temporarily in the commonwealth but legally resides in another state or territory of the United States."
Subsection (a)(ii), for people moving here. Possession of a firearm or ammunition without a license is permitted, "for a particular purpose and limited time," by "a resident of the commonwealth returning after having been absent from the commonwealth for not less than 180 consecutive days or any new resident moving to the commonwealth, only with respect to any firearm or ammunition then in their possession prior to moving or return and only for 60 days after such return or entry into the commonwealth." Anyone relocating to Massachusetts holding an out-of-state permit is governed by this clause. It is a 60-day runway to get licensed here, not recognition of the permit, and it covers only what you already owned before the move.
Subsection (i). A non-resident at least 18 "may possess rifles and shotguns that are not large capacity or semi-automatic and ammunition therefor if the nonresident has a permit, card or license issued from their state of residence which has substantially similar requirements to those of the commonwealth for a firearm identification card as determined by the colonel of the state police pursuant to subsection (l)." This is the closest thing Massachusetts has to recognizing another state's credential, and it reaches long guns only.
State this flatly. The State Police publish a document under s.129C(l) titled "States with Substantially Similar Requirements for a Firearm Identification Card." It is not a carry reciprocity list. It is the s.129C(l) determination of which states have requirements substantially similar to a Massachusetts firearm identification card, and all it unlocks is what subsections (i) and (j) describe: possession of rifles and shotguns that are not large capacity and not semi-automatic. Your state's presence on that list has no bearing on carrying a handgun here. Subsection (i) says "rifles and shotguns," and nothing in s.129C makes an out-of-state license a substitute for the s.131 or s.131F license that MGL c.269 s.10(a) demands.
Subsection (j). The same class of long guns may be possessed by a non-resident 18 or older in four situations: "(i) to hunt during hunting season with a nonresident hunting license or a hunting license or permit lawfully issued from their state of residence, which has substantially similar requirements to those in section 11 of chapter 131, as determined by the colonel of the state police pursuant to subsection (l); (ii) while on a firing or shooting range; (iii) while traveling in or through the commonwealth; provided, that the rifles and shotguns that are not large capacity or semi-automatic shall be unloaded and in a locked container pursuant to sections 131C and 131L; or (iv) while at a firearm showing or display organized by a regularly existing gun collectors' club or association."
Subsection (k). The transit provision, and the only nonresident provision reaching a handgun outside official duty: "A nonresident may carry a firearm on their person while in a vehicle lawfully traveling through the commonwealth; provided, however, that the firearm shall remain in the vehicle and if the firearm is outside its owner's direct control it shall be stored in the vehicle in accordance with section 131C." Read those conditions as written. The firearm stays in the vehicle. Step out with it and the permission ends.
If you commute into Massachusetts, (k) does not cover you. The EOPSS and DCJIS guidance on An Act Modernizing Firearm Laws asks "Under s.129C(k) - what does 'traveling through the commonwealth' mean?" and answers first: "Going to your workplace would not be 'traveling through the commonwealth' under Commonwealth v. Marquis, 494 Mass. 434 (2025)." The same answer then quotes subsection (k) and closes with the permissive half: "Brief stops incidental to travel appear to be permissible provided the firearm is properly secured in the vehicle." Both sentences sit in the same answer, and the restrictive one is a court construction of the operative phrase rather than an agency reading of it. Read them together. A commute to a Massachusetts workplace is not covered by (k), and a s.131F license, not s.129C(k), is what reaches that trip. Note also that the guidance restates the subsection as requiring storage "in accordance with sections 131C and 131L," where the enacted text of (k) cross-references only section 131C.
Where (k) collides with c.269 s.10(m). This is the sharpest unresolved exposure facing a non-resident driving through, and it has no clean answer. Section 10(m) opens: "Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (a) or (h), any person not exempted by statute who knowingly has in his possession, or knowingly has under his control in a vehicle, a large capacity firearm or large capacity feeding device therefor who does not possess a valid license to carry firearms issued under section 131 or 131F of chapter 140, except as permitted or otherwise provided under this section or chapter 140." A non-resident driving through under s.129C(k) with a large capacity firearm, or with a magazine that meets that definition, holds no s.131 and no s.131F license. Whether the c.140 s.129C(k) permission is enough to be "permitted or otherwise provided under ... chapter 140" for s.10(m) purposes is not answered by either section, and s.10(m) does not name s.129C the way s.10(a)(4) does. The downside if it is not enough is the s.10(m) grading: "imprisonment in a state prison for not less than two and one-half years nor more than ten years," a sentence that "shall not be reduced to less than one year, nor suspended," with no probation, parole, furlough, work release, or good conduct deduction until the minimum is served, and prosecutions that "shall neither be continued without a finding nor placed on file." Plan around that gap, not through it. Leaving large capacity firearms and over-capacity magazines out of the trip removes the question entirely.
Subsection (l). The two "substantially similar" determinations are not self-executing. The colonel of the state police "shall determine those states with substantially similar requirements to those of the commonwealth for a firearm identification card under section 129C and a hunting license under section 11 of chapter 131 and shall annually publish a list of those states."
The publication in hand, retrieved August 13, 2026, states that "[n]onresidents who are lawfully licensed to possess firearms in any of the below listed states may possess rifles and shotguns that are not large capacity or semi-automatic and ammunition," and lists 19 jurisdictions under "States with Substantially Similar Requirements for a Firearm Identification Card": California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Washington. That is the s.129C(i) list. The same document carries a second and much longer list, "States with Hunter Education Course Requirement," which is the s.129C(j)(i) hunting determination and a different list with different states on it. Do not read one for the other. Because (l) directs annual publication, check the current posting before you rely on this one, and read it for what it does: appearing on the firearm identification card list unlocks non-large-capacity, non-semi-automatic rifles and shotguns plus ammunition, and nothing about carrying a handgun. Read the publication's summary line against the statute it implements. Section 129C(i) requires that the nonresident be at least 18 years of age and that the permit, card, or license be "issued from their state of residence." A permit issued by a listed state that is not your state of residence does not satisfy that condition.
Registration is one requirement the exemptions do not lift, and the agency has answered how it lands on a visitor. Section 129C(m) provides that "[n]othing in this section shall supersede the firearm registration and serialization requirements pursuant to sections 121B and 121C." Asked whether a non-resident must register a firearm "while traveling in or through Massachusetts, or while possessing a rifle or shotgun under one of the exemptions contained in section 129C," the EOPSS guidance answers: "No." The same guidance notes that individuals are not required to comply with the ss.121B and 121C registration and serialization requirements until October 28, 2026, under section 157 of the act.
Section 131C ties in expressly, reaching a person carrying "under a license issued pursuant to section 129B, 131 or 131F or through an exemption under section 129C." Under s.131C(a) a loaded firearm in a vehicle must be "under the direct control of the person," and a violation is "punished by a fine of $500." Under s.131C(b) a large capacity rifle or shotgun in a vehicle must be "unloaded and secured in a locked container as defined in section 121," and a violation is "punished by a fine of not less than $500 nor more than $5,000." A conviction is reported to the licensing authority, which "shall immediately revoke" the card or license, with no new one until "1 year after the date of revocation."
Falling outside s.129C has its own grading. MGL c.269 s.10(h)(1): "Whoever owns, possesses or transfers a firearm or ammunition without complying with the provisions of section 129C of chapter 140 shall be punished by imprisonment in a jail or house of correction for not more than 2 years or by a fine of not more than $500." A second or subsequent violation carries "imprisonment in a house of correction for not more than 2 years or by a fine of not more than $1,000, or both," and any officer authorized to make arrests may arrest without a warrant on probable cause.
One artifact worth knowing. MGL c.269 s.10(a)(4) still conditions its exemption on compliance with "sections one hundred and twenty-nine C and one hundred and thirty-one G," but St. 2024 c.135, s.64 repealed s.131G outright. The surviving operative route is s.129C.
Storage does not pause for visitors. MGL c.140 s.131L(a) requires any firearm not carried by or under the owner's control to be "secured in a locked container or equipped with a tamper-resistant mechanical lock or other safety device, properly engaged." Section 131L(b) grades a violation, for a firearm that is not a large capacity firearm or machine gun, at "a fine of not less than $1000 nor more than $7,500 or by imprisonment for not more than 1 1/2 years or by both," and for a large capacity or semiautomatic weapon or machine gun at "a fine of not less than $2,000 nor more than $15,000 or by imprisonment for not less than 1 1/2 years nor more than 12 years or by both." The hotel room is not an exception. See STORAGE.
18 U.S.C. 926A entitles a person not otherwise prohibited to transport a firearm "from any place where he may lawfully possess and carry such firearm to any other place where he may lawfully possess and carry such firearm," but only if it is unloaded and "neither the firearm nor any ammunition being transported is readily accessible or is directly accessible from the passenger compartment," and, in a vehicle without a separate compartment, only if contained "in a locked container other than the glove compartment or console." It protects transport, not carry, and not a stop that turns into a stay.
18 U.S.C. 926B and 926C authorize a qualified law enforcement officer and a qualified retired law enforcement officer, carrying the identification each section requires, to carry a concealed firearm "notwithstanding any other provision of the law of any State," subject to s.926B(b), which preserves state laws letting private property owners restrict carry and restricting firearms on state or local government property. Massachusetts names these federal categories in specific exemptions, including MGL c.269 s.10(j) and s.10(k)(5) and MGL c.140 s.131M(e), which is narrower than a general licensing exemption.
Everything above answers one question: which credentials Massachusetts honors. It does not answer the opposite question, which is where a Massachusetts license to carry is honored outside Massachusetts. The Massachusetts statutes and agency guidance quoted here do not speak to that, so do not read the analysis above backward. Before carrying a Massachusetts license elsewhere, confirm your status with that state's own licensing or attorney general authority, for every state you will pass through.
If you hold an out-of-state carry permit and you are coming to Massachusetts, plan on one of two things: apply for a s.131F non-resident license through the Firearms Records Bureau, or leave the handgun at home. DCJIS says there is no reciprocity with any state, and the licensing and penal statutes are built the same way. The s.129C(k) transit carve-out is real, but it is a driving-through rule with the firearm confined to the vehicle, not authority to carry once you arrive, and under Commonwealth v. Marquis, 494 Mass. 434 (2025), as the state's own guidance reports it, driving to your Massachusetts workplace is not travelling through the commonwealth at all. The s.129C(l) similar-requirements list is about rifles and shotguns, not carry. Section 131F sets the one-year term and the $100 fee; confirm the FRB appointment requirement and the current s.129C(l) posting with the Bureau before you travel. See PERMIT_BASICS, FEES_COSTS, TRANSPORT, and PROHIBITED_PLACES.
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