MA gun lawsoes anyone have the foggiest idea what's going on?
Firstly, I'm very new to the world of gun ownership. A few years back I picked up a copy of "The Universe in a Nutshell" by the physicist Stephen Hawking. Let me tell you that this Einstein-like book about theoretical physics was a PIECE OF CAKE to understand compared to the MA gun laws. Honestly, what the hell is going on? More to the point WHO the hell knows what is going on and could I speak with him/her?
Here's a brief summary of what I've experienced as a new LTC holder trying to figure out what's up.
-Took the required firearms safety course: was told to check out the MA approved roster of firearms (most recent online copy seemed to be from April 09)
-Got my LTC and looked around online for the gun(s) I wanted
-Found some Glocks and HKs that caught my eye BUT no online dealers would transfer any handgun I wanted to a MA dealer (even if it was listed on the approved roster)
-Okay, fine, I find a local dealer stocking the firearms I was interested in. I bought an HK P2000sk
-Visited another local gun dealer - was told by the 2nd dealer that the first dealer had sold me an illegal gun and, further, that I couldn't follow the MA approved roster because NOT ALL GUNS APPROVED ARE ACTUALLY APPROVED??!!!
-Visited a 3rd dealer who contradicted most of what the 1st and 2nd dealer said and when discussing Glocks stated "You can't buy a Glock in MA unless you're a cop" Then went on to say "BUT JUST BECAUSE ANOTHER GUN ISN'T ON THE MA APPROVED ROSTER DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN'T OWN IT"
-Looked into a bit further and found that I COULD own the HK but not in my .40, only with the .357 barrel. Looked into it and couldn't find a .357 barrel for sale anywhere.
-Researched MA law a bit more and read some fine print which stated that "there are no specific restrictions on what a MA resident can OWN but only on what can be SOLD/PURCHASED in MA (what?)
- Finally, when my irritation had reached an all time high, I simply visited the chief of police in my town, who is a family friend. I brought my HK with me and had him look at it. He told me "It's fine. It's really the high cap mags that you have to worry about"
Now, I don't care if he's right or not. All I care about is that he gave me a thumbs up. but, in summary...
I CAN'T BUY MY HK BUT I CAN OWN IT. I CAN BUY A GLOCK BUT ONLY IF I'M A COP, NO WAIT, I CAN BUY IT BUT NOT IF IT'S ON THE APPROVED ROSTER, ER, WAIT, I CAN'T BUY A GLOCK EVEN IF IT'S ON THE APPROVED ROSTER BUT I CAN OWN IT IF I ALREADY BOUGHT IT. I CAN OWN WHATEVER I WANT IF I GO BACK IN TIME BEFORE 1998 AND HAVE IT MADE UP TO THE CURRENT SPECS AND THEN TRANSPORT BACK TO 2009. I CAN'T HAVE HIGH CAP MAGAZINES ALTHOUGH I CAN IF I, OR ANYONE ELSE, ALREADY HAD THEM.
AM I CLEAR?