On 10/28/2014 11:11 AM, F*O*A*D wrote:
On 10/28/14 11:09 AM, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 10/28/2014 10:42 AM, F*O*A*D wrote:
On 10/28/14 10:37 AM, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 10/28/2014 10:17 AM, F*O*A*D wrote:
On 10/28/14 10:09 AM, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 10/28/2014 8:59 AM, Tim wrote:

John. For years I've had a British .303 right by my shop door.
People
ask why I have a gun there, And my standard reply is" becaus the
U.S.
Constitution says I can" ...



Are you required to have a trigger lock or other locking device that
disables it?

We do in Massachusetts. By law, all firearms must be stored in a
safe
or have trigger or chamber locks installed. Ammo is supposed to be
stored elsewhere ... meaning not in the vicinity of the firearm.

My shotgun and Ruger 10/22 have locks on them. The handguns are
loaded
but kept in a safe.


I wouldn't leave a firearm out where it is easy to steal, or where a
passing neighborhood kid might grab it for a prank. Obviously, you
wouldn't, either.



No I wouldn't even if the laws governing their storage didn't exist.
I probably would if I lived in the wild west in 1840 but it doesn't
make any sense today.

Massachusetts maintains records on who owns what ... at least those
purchased since 1998. Having a firearm stolen without taking the
lawful
precautions regarding storage and/or failure to immediately report the
firearm as lost or stolen can make you share liability for any crime
that may be committed with it.

It also makes tracking easier for law enforcement. For example, a
restraining order against a gun owner can result in the owner having to
lose custody of his/her firearms.

There is no federal law that requires the reporting of a lost or stolen
firearm but several states have such laws. They include:

Mandatory Loss/Theft Reporting

Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Illinois
Maryland (handguns and assault weapons only)
Massachusetts
Michigan (thefts only)
New Jersey
New York
Ohio
Rhode Island


I wasn't aware of that law, but I did assume if a firearm were stolen,
you'd report that to the local police.



Part of the reasoning behind the mandatory Loss/Theft reporting is that
if a crime was committed with the firearm or the owner was ordered by a
court to turn his/her firearms over due to something like a restraining
order, the owner just declared it had been stolen or lost.

It makes sense to me. Car insurance is another thing. Most states
require proof of having at least liability insurance on your cars. I
remember living in Illinois back in the early 70's. Illinois didn't
have a mandatory insurance requirement and many people tried to save
money by not carrying insurance. The Navy didn't buy it though. You
had to have proof of insurance in order to be issued a base sticker and
drive your vehicle on any military installation.


I always get a "paper trail" when I sell a firearm. I'm more than happy
to pay an FFL $20 for the transaction.


MA allows self documentation of a sale on-line, using a printable, state
electronic form. Both seller's and buyer's gun license numbers are
required along with serial number. It's up to the seller to confirm
that the buyer is licensed appropriately.

Recent state legislation attempted to get rid of reporting transfers
on-line and included a requirement to use a FFL instead. I believe the
legislation was defeated.