Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 140, sec. 131P — MA Code / Part I / Title XX / Chapter 140 / Section 131P
Basic firearms safety certificate; instructors; public service announcements
Status: in_force

[Text of section effective until January 25, 2026. For text effective January 25, 2026, see below.]

[Text of section effective until January 25, 2026. For text effective January 25, 2026, see below.]

Section 131P. (a) Any person making application for the issuance of a firearms identification card under section 129B, a license to carry firearms under section 131 or 131F or a permit to purchase under section 131A who was not licensed under the provisions of this chapter on June 1, 1998 shall, in addition to the requirements set forth in said section 129B, 131, 131A or 131F, submit to the licensing authority a basic firearms safety certificate; provided, however, that a certificate issued by the division of law enforcement in the department of fisheries, wildlife and environmental law enforcement pursuant to the provisions of section 14 of chapter 131 evidencing satisfactory completion of a hunter education course shall serve as a valid substitute for a basic firearms safety certificate required under this section. Persons lawfully possessing a firearm identification card or license to carry firearms on June 1, 1998 shall be exempt from the provisions of this section upon expiration of such card or license and when applying for licensure as required under this chapter. No application for the issuance of a firearm identification card or license to carry shall be accepted or processed by the licensing authority without such certificate attached thereto; provided, however, that the provisions of this section shall not apply to (i) any officer, agent or employee of the commonwealth or any state of the United States; (ii) any member of the military or other service of any state or of the United States; (iii) any duly authorized law enforcement officer, agent or employee of any municipality of the commonwealth; provided, however, that any such person described in clauses (i) to (iii), inclusive, is authorized by a competent authority to carry or possess the weapon so carried or possessed and is acting within the scope of his duties.

A current member of the United States military or the Massachusetts National Guard who has not been prohibited under said section 129B from owning a firearm and has received adequate training while serving in the military shall be exempt from being required to submit a basic firearms safety certificate to the licensing authority upon submitting a copy of the member's most current military identification form.

(b) The colonel of state police shall promulgate rules and regulations governing the issuance and form of basic firearms safety certificates required by this section. Said colonel shall certify certain persons as firearms safety instructors and shall certify safety course curriculum. Such certification shall be for a period of ten years, unless sooner revoked by reason of unsuitability, in the discretion of said colonel. The department of state police may impose a fee of $50 for initial issuance of such certification to offset the cost of certifying instructors. The fee for certification renewal shall be $10. Firearms safety instructors shall be any person certified by a nationally recognized organization that fosters safety in firearms, or any other person in the discretion of said colonel, to be competent to give instruction in a basic firearms safety course. Applicants for certification as instructors under the provisions of this section shall not be exempt from the requirements of this chapter or any other law or regulation of the commonwealth or the United States. Upon application to the colonel of state police, said colonel may, in his discretion, certify as a firearms safety instructor any person who operates a firearms safety course or program which provides in its curriculum: (a) the safe use, handling and storage of firearms; (b) methods for securing and childproofing firearms; (c) the applicable laws relating to the possession, transportation and storage of firearms; and (d) knowledge of operation, potential dangers and basic competency in the ownership and usage of firearms.

(c) Any firearms safety instructor certified under the provisions of this section may, in his discretion, issue a basic firearms safety certificate to any person who successfully completes the requirements of a basic firearms safety course approved by the colonel. No firearms safety instructor shall issue or cause to be issued any basic firearms safety certificate to any person who fails to meet minimum requirements of the prescribed course of study including, but not limited to, demonstrated competency in the use of firearms. Instructors certified under the provisions of this section shall forward to the department of state police the names of those persons who have received basic firearms safety certificates. Local licensing authorities, as defined in section 121, shall, upon receipt of an application for a firearm identification card or a license to carry firearms, make inquiry to the department of state police to confirm the issuance to the applicant of a basic firearms safety certificate.

(d) Any person applying for licensure under the provisions of this chapter who knowingly files or submits a basic firearms safety certificate to a licensing authority which contains false information shall be punished by a fine of not less that $1,000 nor more than $5,000 or by imprisonment for not more than two years in a house of correction, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

(e) Any firearms safety instructor who knowingly issues a basic firearms safety certificate to a person who has not successfully completed a firearms safety course approved by the colonel shall be punished by a fine of not less than $5,000 nor more than $10,000 or by imprisonment for not more than two years in a house of correction, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

(f) The colonel of state police shall produce and distribute public service announcements to encourage and educate the general public about: (i) safe storage and transportation of weapons pursuant to sections 131C and 131L; and (ii) importance of firearms safety education and training, including information on places and classes that a person may attend to obtain firearms safety education and training.

[Text of section as amended by 2024, 135, Sec. 74 effective January 25, 2026. See 2024, 135, Sec. 159 as amended by 2024, 206, Sec. 51. For text effective until January 25, 2026, see above.]

Section 131P. (a) Any person applying for the issuance of a license or card under sections 129B, 131 or 131F shall, in addition to the requirements set forth in this chapter, submit to the licensing authority a basic firearms safety certificate; provided, however, that a certificate issued under section 14 of chapter 131 evidencing satisfactory completion of a hunter education course shall serve as a valid substitute for a basic firearms safety certificate required under this section for the issuance of a firearm identification card pursuant to section 129B. Persons lawfully possessing a firearm identification card or license to carry firearms on August 1, 2024, shall be exempt from this section upon expiration of such card or license and when applying for renewal of such licensure as required under this chapter; provided, however, that persons possessing a firearms identification card or license to carry firearms prior to the implementation of live firearms trainings as required in this section shall also be exempt from such requirement. No application for the issuance of a firearm identification card or license to carry shall be accepted or processed by the licensing authority without such certificate attached thereto; provided, however, that this section shall not apply to: (i) any officer, agent or employee of the commonwealth or any state of the United States; (ii) any member of the military or other service of any state or of the United States; or (iii) any duly authorized law enforcement officer, agent or employee of any municipality of the commonwealth; provided, however, that any such person described in clauses (i) to (iii), inclusive, shall be authorized by a competent authority to carry or possess the firearm so carried or possessed and shall be acting within the scope of their duties.

(b)(i) The colonel of state police, in consultation with the municipal police training committee, shall promulgate rules and regulations governing the issuance and form of basic firearms safety certificates required pursuant to this section, including minimum requirements for course curriculum and the contents of any written examination. The colonel shall create a written examination and establish minimum requirements to pass said examination that shall be used in all firearm safety courses or programs mandated under this section.

(ii) The colonel shall certify certain persons as firearms safety instructors, certify safety course curriculum and annually update and post on the department of state police's website a list of approved instructors. Certification as a firearm safety instructor shall be valid for a period of 10 years, unless sooner revoked by reason of unsuitability, in the discretion of said colonel. Firearms safety instructors shall be any person certified by a nationally recognized organization that fosters safety in firearms, or any other person in the discretion of said colonel, to be competent to give instruction in a basic firearms safety course. Applicants for certification as instructors under this section shall not be exempt from the requirements of this chapter or any other law or regulation of the commonwealth or the United States. Upon application to the colonel of state police, said colonel may, at their discretion, certify as a firearms safety instructor any person who operates a firearms safety course or program that provides in its curriculum: (A) the safe use, handling and storage of firearms; (B) methods for securing and childproofing firearms; (C) the applicable laws relating to the possession, transportation and storage of firearms; (D) knowledge of operation, potential dangers and basic competency in the ownership and use of firearms; (E) injury and suicide prevention and harm reduction education; (F) applicable laws relating to the use of force; (G) disengagement tactics; and (H) live firearms training.

(iii) The department of state police may impose a fee of $50 for initial issuance of such certification to offset the cost of certifying instructors. The fee for certification renewal shall be $10.

(c)(i) Any firearms safety instructor certified under this section may, in their discretion, issue a basic firearms safety certificate to any person who successfully completes the requirements of a basic firearms safety course approved by the colonel. No firearms safety instructor shall issue or cause to be issued any basic firearms safety certificate to any person who fails to meet minimum requirements of the prescribed course of study including, but not limited to, demonstrated competency in the use of firearms through class participation, satisfactory completion of the written examination as prescribed by the colonel and live firearms training.

(ii) Firearms safety instructors certified under this section shall forward to the department of criminal justice information services copies of basic firearms safety course certificates issued, which shall include a certification of each person's satisfactory completion of the basic firearms safety course and competency in the ownership and use of firearms. Upon receipt, the department of criminal justice information services shall forward a copy of such certificate to the applicant.

(iii) Licensing authorities shall require a copy of such certificate to be provided concurrently with an application for a license or permit and may make inquiry to the department of criminal justice information services to confirm the issuance to the applicant of a basic firearms safety certificate.

(d) Any person applying for issuance of a license or card under sections 129B, 131 or 131F, who knowingly files or submits a basic firearms safety certificate to a licensing authority which contains false information shall be punished by a fine of not less than $1,000 nor more than $5,000 or by imprisonment for not more than 2 years in a house of correction, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

(e) A firearms safety instructor who knowingly issues a basic firearms safety certificate to a person who has not successfully completed a firearms safety course approved by the colonel shall be punished by a fine of not less than $5,000 nor more than $10,000 or by imprisonment for not more than 2 years in a house of correction, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

(f) The colonel of state police shall produce and distribute public service announcements to encourage and educate the general public about: (i) safe storage and transportation of firearms as outlined in sections 131C and 131L; and (ii) the importance of firearms safety education and training, including information on places and classes that a person may attend to obtain firearms safety education and training.

(g) The executive office of public safety and security, in collaboration with the department of public health, shall develop educational materials on harm reduction that shall be discussed and distributed by the instructor to every participant in a firearms safety course pursuant to this section. The educational materials shall promote suicide prevention through safe practices by firearms' owners to reduce access to lethal means. The materials shall include, but not be limited to, information relative to: (i) the prevalence of suicide by firearm compared to other forms of firearms' violence, including demographic trends; (ii) the risks of injury and suicide that may be associated with household firearms, including the rate of survival for suicide attempts by firearms compared to other means of attempted suicide; (iii) best practices for identifying and reducing the risk of suicide involving household firearms; (iv) available resources to learn more about safe practices and suicide prevention; and (v) such additional information as determined by the commissioner of public safety and security to be relevant to this section.