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Comment by ryeights | Hacker News Reader

>Non-residents with a valid Massachusetts non-resident hunting license do not need a firearm license to possess or carry rifles and shotguns and ammunition during the hunting season.

>Non-residents do not need a firearms license to transport their firearms in or through the Commonwealth, provided the firearms are unloaded and enclosed in a case while traveling.

Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer.

This seems to indicate that a MA firearms license is required if

a. You are staying in MA

b. You don’t have a MA hunting license and/or it is not hunting season.

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It's worth looking up the law in question, instead of their description.

https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXX/Cha...

Here the exemption is for:

> (h) Possession of rifles and shotguns and ammunition therefor by nonresidents traveling in or through the commonwealth, providing that any rifles or shotguns are unloaded and enclosed in a case;

I'd think that it would be hard to argue that "traveling in or through" doesn't include staying in some sort of accommodations during your trip.

> Possession of rifles and shotguns

This specifically does not mention handguns. Handguns have much narrower exemptions: https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXX/Cha...

IANAL but a starter pistol with no ammo is probably ok, but hey, it is only 2 1/2 years in jail if you are convicted.

(edit - fixed typo)

Ah, you’re absolutely right.

Interesting, though, that their FAQ page says “firearms” are allowed while the code only provides an exception for rifles and shotguns (excluding handguns). Seems dangerously misleading considering the penalties for violations

Yes... I might switch to using a Remington 870 action with barrel and magazine removed. Still reasonably compact!

Yes, there is a federal preemption law (FOPA) that permits travel through a restrictive/prohibitive state if the origin and destination permit the carrier to lawfully posses the firearm. However, meeting the FOPA criteria may be treated as an affirmative defense in some states. IANAL so YMMV.

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