Massachusetts law criminalizes the knowing possession of a firearm, or the knowing control of a firearm in a vehicle, whether loaded or unloaded, unless the possessor is at his or her residence or place of business or possesses the proper card or license for the firearm possessed.1
A person possessing a license to carry may carry a loaded firearm in a vehicle only if the weapon is under his or her direct control.2 A person licensed to carry may possess a large capacity rifle or shotgun in a vehicle only if the weapon is unloaded and secured in a locked container.3 “Secured in a locked container” means that the firearm is “secured in a container that is capable of being unlocked only by means of a key, combination or similar means, including in an unoccupied moto vehicle, a locked trunk not accessible from the passenger compartment, a locked console or locked glovebox[.]”4
For more information about these licenses, see the Concealed Weapons Permitting section.
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