The Massachusetts Roster and What You Can Actually Buy
People new to Massachusetts often ask why a common handgun is unavailable here when it is on every shelf one state north. The answer is that two separate filters sit between a manufacturer and a Massachusetts dealer's counter, and a firearm has to clear both. Neither is a simple ban list. This guide explains how they work, what the 2024 Firearms Act changed, and where the law is still unsettled, as of September 2026.
Filter one: the Attorney General's handgun regulations
In 1999 the Attorney General issued 940 CMR 16.00, Handgun Sales, under the consumer protection statute, Chapter 93A. The regulations apply to transfers of handguns by dealers, wholesalers and manufacturers to customers in Massachusetts, and they define certain sales practices as unfair or deceptive. They cover tamper-resistant serial numbers, handguns made from inferior materials, childproofing and safety devices, safety warnings and disclosures, and the transfer of used handguns. One requirement often surprises buyers: it is an unfair practice for a dealer to hand over a handgun without demonstrating how to load, unload and store it and how to engage every safety device.
Because these are consumer protection regulations rather than a criminal statute, they are enforced by the Attorney General's office, which has issued enforcement notices over the years, including guidance on copies and duplicates of restricted firearms. Practically, they are the reason some handguns lacking a load indicator or magazine safety disconnect are not offered new to Massachusetts consumers.
Filter two: the Approved Handgun Roster
Separately, Chapter 140 section 123 requires that handguns sold by licensed dealers pass independent laboratory testing for durability, safety and drop resistance, with accuracy disclosure for short-barrelled models. Test reports go to the Firearm Control Advisory Board, the board advises the Secretary of Public Safety and Security, and approved makes and models are published as the Approved Handgun Roster. The roster is administered under section 131 3/4 and the regulations at 501 CMR 7.00, and it is updated periodically, with recent editions published through 2025 and 2026.
The roster itself carries a warning worth repeating: a firearm appearing on it does not necessarily comply with 940 CMR 16.00. That is the crux of the two-filter system. A model can be laboratory-approved and still fall outside the Attorney General's regulations, or satisfy the regulations and never have been submitted for testing. Only the overlap is freely sold new in Massachusetts.
What the 2024 Act changed
Chapter 135 of the Acts of 2024 reorganised roster administration into section 131 3/4. Under that section the Secretary of Public Safety and Security, advised by the Firearm Control Advisory Board, compiles and publishes both a roster of firearms approved for sale and use in the Commonwealth and a roster of assault-style firearms banned under section 131M. The rosters are to be reviewed, updated and published online not less than three times a year and circulated to licensees. The board advanced a draft assault-style firearms roster to the Secretary in early 2026, and the process has continued through board meetings since.
The Act also rewrote the definition of an assault-style firearm. It combines an enumerated list of models, a copies-and-duplicates test keyed to interchangeable receivers and substantially similar internal components, and a feature test under which a semi-automatic rifle, pistol or shotgun with two or more listed features qualifies. Listed features include a folding or telescoping stock, a protruding grip for the non-trigger hand, a threaded barrel, a barrel shroud and the ability to accept a detachable feeding device. The grandfather date is 1 August 2024, and a lawfully retained firearm must be registered and serialised and held by someone with a valid LTC or dealer licence.
Where the law is unsettled
Two things are genuinely open, and any honest guide has to say so. First, the copies-and-duplicates language is being challenged in consolidated federal litigation in the District of Massachusetts. It remains enforceable while that proceeds, and the outcome could change what is lawful to hold. Second, the extension of testing and rostering to long guns has been slower than the timetable suggested, and the practical position has moved more than once. Add to that Question 9 on the 3 November 2026 ballot, a veto referendum on Chapter 135 itself, and the sensible approach is to confirm the current roster edition and current guidance before ordering anything near the line.
What this means when you order
- Handguns must be on the current Approved Handgun Roster and must satisfy 940 CMR 16.00 before a dealer here can transfer one to you. Check the roster edition, not a forum post.
- Magazines over ten rounds, and shotgun devices over five shells, cannot be sold or transferred in Massachusetts unless lawfully possessed on 13 September 1994.
- Anything that meets the assault-style firearm definition cannot be sold to a Massachusetts consumer.
- Bolt-action and lever-action rifles, pump and break-action shotguns, and rostered handguns in standard configuration make up most of what is realistically available here.
Browse what is available in the shop, pick a receiving dealer from our Massachusetts gun shop pages, and read the state law overview for the licensing side. If you are buying for the autumn, the first shotgun guide covers the long guns that are straightforward to own here.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Massachusetts firearm law changes often and parts of it are in litigation. Everything here is current as of September 2026; check the Massachusetts General Laws at malegislature.gov, the Firearms Records Bureau pages at mass.gov and your own local licensing authority before you act.
General information, not legal advice. Current as of September 2026. Laws change; check the official source before you act.
