Yahoo Autos Gun ownership in MA: The number of licenses to carry handguns, rifles & shotguns in the state
A ruling Thursday by the US Supreme Court said Americans have a right to carry guns in public, a major expansion of gun rights.
The court struck down a New York gun law in a ruling expected to directly impact half a dozen other populous states.
The justices’ 6-3 decision is expected to allow more people to legally carry guns on the streets of the nation’s largest cities. It’s the high court’s first major gun decision in more than a decade. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote for the majority that the Constitution protects “an individual’s right to carry a handgun for self-defense outside the home.”
Supreme Court decides ‘proper cause’ needed for concealed carry license is unconstitutional
In Massachusetts, state law allows licensed gun owners to carry or possess a gun anywhere, with several exceptions, according to the Gun Owners Action League. Those exceptions include:
-School grounds, without prior written permission from the board or officer in charge, not including guns that are properly stored prior to entering school grounds.
-Virtually all federally controlled buildings and post offices.
-Most areas of airports and some state buildings.
-Courtrooms, if so ordered by the judge
-Any area where the owner or lawful occupant asks you not to
-Casinos
According to the most recent statistics from the Massachusetts Firearms Record Bureau, there are 497,237 people with active licenses to carry in the state as of April 2022.
License to Carry (LTC)
An LTC allows the license holder to carry handguns, large-capacity rifles or shotguns,
-Boston has 11,484 LTCs issued (#1 of all communities)
-Worcester has 8,106 LTCs issued
-Lawrence has 2,482 LTCs issued
-Plymouth has 7,169 LTCs issued
