Yes. Under a 2024 change to Massachusetts gun law, a nonresident may now carry a firearm in a vehicle while driving through the state without a Massachusetts license. But the rule is narrow, and the details matter. The gun has to stay in the vehicle; you cannot step out of the car while armed, and the trip has to take you through Massachusetts to somewhere else — not into Massachusetts as your destination. Miss any of those conditions, and you can still face one of the toughest gun-possession penalties in the country.
If you regularly drive a gun through Massachusetts to reach another state, here is what the new rule says and where the traps are.
What Does The New Massachusetts Gun law Say About Nonresidents?
Massachusetts overhauled its firearms laws in 2024. Buried in that overhaul is a provision that, for the first time, gives nonresidents a clear path to carry a handgun through the state in their car.
What changed in the 2024 Massachusetts firearms law?
In plain terms, the law says a nonresident may keep a firearm on their person while in a vehicle that is lawfully passing through Massachusetts. If the gun is not within the person’s reach and control, it has to be secured inside the vehicle under the state’s vehicle-carry rules.
That is a real shift. Before this change, a nonresident driving through Massachusetts with a handgun was relying almost entirely on a federal protection — and that federal protection is far more restrictive about how the gun has to be stored. The new state rule lets you keep the firearm with you in the passenger compartment rather than locked away.
Where can a nonresident keep a firearm in the vehicle?
The firearm may be on your person while you are in the vehicle, or within your reach and control. If it is not within your reach and control, it must be secured inside the vehicle under Massachusetts vehicle-carry rules.
What is The Difference Between Driving "Through" and "Into" Massachusetts With a Gun?
This is the single most important point, and it is where people get tripped up.
What counts as traveling "through" Massachusetts?
The rule applies to passing through. Picture a New Hampshire resident driving south on the highway across Massachusetts to reach Connecticut, or cutting across the state to get from one part of New England to another. That is travel through the commonwealth.
Can nonresidents drive to a destination inside Massachusetts with a gun?
It does not cover driving into Massachusetts as your destination. If you are headed to a job, a relative’s house, a hotel, or a range inside Massachusetts, you are not “traveling through” — you are arriving. The new rule does not protect that trip.
What happens if you drive to a Massachusetts destination without a license?
Out-of-state residents have been arrested and prosecuted for exactly this situation: driving to a Massachusetts destination with a gun and no Massachusetts license. If Massachusetts is where you are going, you need a Massachusetts nonresident license, not this exemption.
Can You Get Out of The Car with a Gun While Driving Through Massachusetts?
The second trap is just as important. The firearm must remain in the vehicle the entire time you are in Massachusetts.
What are the rules for stepping out of the vehicle with a firearm?
You cannot get out of the car with it. That means no stepping into a rest stop, gas station, restaurant, or hotel with the gun on you. When you are inside the car and the firearm is on your person or within your reach, you are within the rule. The moment you carry it out of the car, you have stepped outside the protection entirely and back into Massachusetts’s strict possession laws.
How must the gun be stored if you leave it unattended in the vehicle?
The moment you leave the gun unattended, it has to be secured inside the vehicle. If you have to stop, leave the firearm secured in the vehicle and keep your travel through the state direct and uninterrupted.
How Does the Massachusetts Through-travel Rule Compare to Federal Safe Passage?
Many gun owners already know about the federal “safe passage” protection, which lets you transport a firearm through a state on the way from one place where you can legally have it to another.
What does federal safe passage require for firearm transport?
That federal rule is narrower in one key way: it generally requires the firearm to be unloaded and stored away from the passenger compartment, such as in a locked trunk, with the ammunition kept separate.
Is the Massachusetts rule more permissive than federal law?
The new Massachusetts rule is more forgiving on that point for through-travelers, because it lets you keep the handgun in the passenger area under your control rather than locked in the trunk. The two protections can overlap, but they are not identical.
Should nonresidents follow both state and federal firearm transport rules?
If you want the strongest position, the safest practice is to satisfy both — keep your trip a genuine pass-through, and store the firearm in a way that would hold up under the federal standard as well.
What are the risks of relying on the nonresident gun carry exemption?
A statute on the books and a smooth roadside stop are two different things.
Can a police officer still arrest you if you are following the law?
An officer who pulls you over may not be familiar with this exemption, and a misunderstanding on the side of the highway can still turn into an arrest that you then have to fight in court.
What is the penalty for unlicensed gun possession in Massachusetts?
The penalties for getting it wrong are severe — unlicensed firearm possession in Massachusetts carries a mandatory minimum jail sentence.
Does the through-travel rule apply to rifles and shotguns?
This rule is written around handguns; rifles and shotguns follow their own separate transport and storage requirements.
Does Massachusetts allow open carry for nonresidents?
The exemption also does not turn Massachusetts into an open-carry state for visitors — it is a narrow allowance for passing through, nothing more. When in doubt, treat Massachusetts as the strict-gun-law state it is and err on the side of caution.
Should you talk to a Massachusetts firearms attorney?
If you have been stopped, arrested, or charged with a firearm offense while traveling through Massachusetts, you should speak with an experienced Massachusetts gun attorney as soon as possible. Attorney Matthew Peterson represents people facing firearm charges across eastern Massachusetts and understands how these new rules apply at the roadside and in court. Call or text 617-295-7500, or send us a message below.
