Massachusetts gun owners are required to report the loss or theft of a gun within 7 days to the licensing authority or the Department of State Police where the gun is registered and the Department of Criminal Justice Services.¹ In 2024, Massachusetts passed a law creating a real time electronic firearms registration system, which will be used to report the loss or theft of a firearm to the required agencies.² Gun dealers must report any loss or theft of a firearm immediately.³

Among other penalties, failure to report the lost or theft of the firearm results in the suspension or permanent revocation of such person’s Firearm Identification Card or license to carry firearms, or both.⁴

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1. Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 140, § 121B(c).[↩]
2. Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 140, §§ 121B(a), (c).[↩]
3. Id., Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 140, § 123.[↩]
4. Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 140, § 121B(e).[↩]