??Questions on move to Massachusetts??

J

jawper

New member
All,

Just found out today that I have a new job in Cambridge which I am very excited about. Although I'm not yet sure of exactly where we'll be living, I can say with certainty that we'll be heading out from our current digs in Hampton Roads Virginia to somewhere in the metro Boston area.

I am very concerned about fully complying with the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts re: my pistols and ammunition (say what you like about their correctness but they are the laws at the moment). My collection at the moment consists of 10 auto pistols and a pretty copious amount of 9mm ammunition (all factory). Five of my pistols will accept magazines with capacities greater than 10 rounds and I have some such magazines. I've also got combination trigger locks or key-operated cable locks for everything. I currently hold a Virginia CC permit and participate in my local IDPA club. It sounds to me that I will need to apply for a class A license in MA (both for carry as well as getting my stuff to the range). I need to know what else is involved in legally bringing my collection into MA. I'll send off an e-mail to the AG and State Police today with the same questions but I'd appreciate any feedback from knowledgeable folks around here.

Of particular interest/concern is the phasing of the necessary steps. I'd like to head north pretty expeditiously (i.e. around 30 days). Is this enough time to get all my paperwork processed so that I can bring the items in with me when I move (I have secure options to leave my stuff here for a while if I need to bring it in at a latter date)? How do I transport the stuff when I do bring it in? What pitfalls should I be concerned with which the AG and/or State Police will fail to warn me of? I know this is going to be pretty involved but I want to get a head start understanding exactly what is required in order to avoid any problems.

I'd be VERY grateful for any assistance. If you'd rather e-mail me privately please feel free, but I think the whole group would probably benefit from the discussion.

Thanks in advance.

PS - Also very interested in pistol ranges/clubs in the Boston area; particularly those with onsite firearms storage options. All input appreciated.


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Best,
- Jawper
 
My sincerest, deepest condolences.(from a resident of Kal!)
crankshaft
paranoia is a good thing to have when they are actually out to get You!
 
Take a peek at www.goal.org and check out the legal links. You have a 60 day grace period to get your permit. Since you are moving here you should probably join GOAL http://www.goal.org/application.html. The are THE gunowners organization for MA.

LTC - http://www.goal.org/ltc.html

You could also call them for advice. I did when I was planning for my permit interview with my local police chief who had been sued by GOAL for not issuing permits.

Calling the AGs office may be fruitless since they are not likely to represent the law correctly. I used to work there and the place has sunken into a political morass since 1990.

Also DO NOT LIVE IN CAMBRIDGE!!! It is the epicenter of radical left-wing disarmament, ant-freedom crap (and EXPENSIVE). The place is populated by over-educated pontificators who never want to learn about reality if it conflicts with their world-view. The People's Republic of Cambridge is a local perjorative which indicates how far left they are even for the rest of Massachusetts. I am fairly certain that they also have some pretty restrictive rules about what is allowable for firearms in the city.

I do love the city and the place there. I used to take the bus there in the 70's from my suburbian lair. It was a paradise of weirdness for a junior high school kid.

One town over and on the Red Line (public Transit - MBTA subway)is Arlington (where the revolutionaries spilled some blood on April 19th 1775 when the Redcoats were marching to confiscate arms in Lexington). This is the town I grew up in. A friend of mine in that town just did get a Class A permit last year so it is a possibility. You will need coaching before you go for a permit in any town, so you may want to check with a local firarms instructor first.

Sorry to run on so long, but there is a lot to be wary of in these parts. Good luck and let me know if you have any more questions.

[This message has been edited by Dark Avenger (edited August 31, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by Dark Avenger (edited August 31, 2000).]
 
You will need a Class A permit. Keep in mind that the new Chapter 180 laws for MA give the "issuing authority"-- usually the police chief or his designee the power to arbitrarily deny you a permit. That means if you are unlucky enough to move to a town that simply does not want to issue Class A LTCs, you are screwed. (Unless you have the money and time to fight them in court).
 
Jawper, please... say it ain't so! :(

Well, i have to look at the bright side, there'll be another pro-gun M@ssh*le around! :D

30 days will not be long enough for you to become legal. You will need about 90-120 days.

First of all, do consider Moving to New Hampshire instead. It will be an hour commute to Cambridge (each way), but it is a "Shall Issue" state, without all of the liberal trash. Much lower crime rates too. (Go figure?!)

Keep in mind that because Massachusetts is a "May Issue" state, and it is very anti-gun as a whole, you may be deniged a Class 'A' permit, for no reason at all. If this happens, your chances of getting one from another jurisdiction, or on appeal is very small, if not zero.

My suggestion to you is to call and speak with the people from GOAL and ask them to help you find a town that is going to let you have a Class 'A' permit. Moving into a town with a known gun friendly police cheif will save you much hardship. Sometimes it can be the differnce of only a few miles, so it's worth checking out.

Oh, by the way, you'll need to complete a basic handgun safety course, before applying.

If you are deniged a Class 'A' permit by a Police Cheif, do not think that you can simply appeal a denigal and have it overruled, as a general rule, this will not happen. Furthermore, THERE IS NO GRACE PERIOD. On the day you enter Massachusetts without a permit, or on the day you allow your permit to expire, you have committed a crime. So always make sure your paperwork is fully up to date. (NOTE: you need a permit to own any firearm or ammunition, even your single shot .22 squerrel gun.)

Because Massachusetts is so anal about the permitting system, i'd also recommend you get an Non-Resident Class 'A' permit as soon as possible. It will only be good for a year, but it will be a milestone towards getting your new police cheif to agree that you are a 'suitable person'. These are obtined directly from the State Police, and are pretty much (as i understand it) 'shall issue', or as close to that as you can get in Massachusetts. See Massachusetts State Police (or is this "Massachusetts Police State"???) for more information.

If you don't already have one, buy a safe. A good on at that. Massachusetts has "safe storage laws" that are completely rediculous. Make sure you store your ammo in a safe as well.

One last note... if any of your pistols were manufactured after October 1998, you'd better be really cautious about bringing them into Massachusetts. It is illegal for you to try to resell them in Massachusetts.

Lots of good info can be found at Packing.org.

Look up The Braintree Rifle and Pistol Club for a pretty good range in the metro boston area. They do not have onsite storage, and i don't know of any range in Massachusetts that does (too much liability.)

my email is listed, let me know if i can help any further.


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~USP

"[Even if there would be] few tears shed if and when the Second Amendment is held to guarantee nothing more than the state National Guard, this would simply show that the Founders were right when they feared that some future generation might wish to abandon liberties that they considered essential, and so sought to protect those liberties in a Bill of Rights. We may tolerate the abridgement of property rights and the elimination of a right to bear arms; but we should not pretend that these are not reductions of rights." -- Justice Scalia 1998

[This message has been edited by USP45 (edited August 31, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by USP45 (edited August 31, 2000).]
 
All,

This is some really good info/advice. I'm running around so much right now trying to get things closed down on this end and get things set on the Boston end, that I don't have the time to respond in much detail. Let me just say that I am reading and using the information you all are providing and am very grateful for all the support. Gotta love the feelings of trust and sharing which seem endemic to TFL.

I'll keep everyone advised as we get into it but please keep the info coming. It is GREATLY appreciated.

More to follow . . .

THANKS!


------------------
Best,
- Jawper
 
jawper,
Take USP45's advice and move to New Hampshire instead. Massachusetts is a lost cause as far as gun ownership is concerned. You'll still have to deal with transporting a firearm and concealed carry while going to work, BUT your home in New Hampshire will be vastly freer. See this link (lower grades = better) http://www.handguncontrol.org/stateleg/reportcard2k.asp
Massachusetts gets an A-, New Hampshire gets a D+ (right up there with Maine & Vermont)

In your New Hampshire home you will not have to worry as much about the gestapo's rules about all your old and non-pc weapons that you own. That is the essence of "home" is it not? When you drive across the border and pull into your driveway you are "home" in a state that cares about freedom. After all, their license plates still say "Live Free or Die". This is an "in-your-face" statment to Mass residents. The Massachusetts quarter with the Minuteman on it is a irony for a state that makes it incredibly hard for Minuteman re-enactments to actually use muzzleloaders and live powder/bullets! :mad:

Besides, your pro-gun vote will be more welcome in New Hampshire to prevent the increasing number of Massachusetts commuters from subverting that state too (though NH did vote for Clinton in 96 but by much less margin than their neighbors). In NH you can grab a hold of your state representative because they only answer to 3,000 people. In Mass you'd have to share that rep with 40,000!

Another thing to consider, since license plates brand you when you're traveling. If you go the the White Mountains or Vermont or Maine to get away from it all, you may still be regarded as one with those more rural New Englanders. A Massachusetts plate, OTOH, will mark you as a liberal city slicker. With Mass. plates I sure wouldn't want to park my vehicle on some rural road and go hunting, hiking, fishing or skiing. You could come back to find it trashed because Massachusetts cityfolk are not really welcome in such rural areas - especially city hunters! Just think about which you'd rather be: a New Hampshire resident hunting deer north of Gorham or be caught wearing Mass plates. Even if you were hunting moose in Maine, you'd be far more welcome than if your pocket had a Massachusetts driver's license.

I'd bet that the Berkshire folks in western Mass wish they could secede from Boston. I know that the rest of New England doesn't really consider Boston to be part of them any more. (I lived three years in Maine)

[This message has been edited by Dagny (edited September 03, 2000).]
 
re Silver lining time. RAE has a point. Maybe you should rent an apartment in Cambridge for a couple months to get the feel of the place and establish residency just long enough to vote against the liberals in Mass. THEN, before Thanksgiving, find a home in New Hampshire where your gun safe and its contents will be safe(r). Granted that New Hampshire is still subject to Reno's thugs but it is at least won't have the state thugs after your guns too.

Jawper, I'm coming across as quite passionate about New Hampshire rather than Massachusetts. But if you've always been a metro person, you may not understand the enmity that rural or more free-living and patriotic folk have for city folk from liberal bastions like Boston.

If you lived just across the border the commute may be less than an hour. If you still wish to be by the sea, then you could move to the OTHER Portsmouth. Though the commute would be a killer - coming home could be worth it. After all, you would only be in the People's Republic of Cambridge, Massachusetts for 50 to 60 hours a week. At least 100 hours per week would be amongst the free people of New Hampshire.
 
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