Mail Order Ammunition Sales Issues

Have you tried to buy ammunition through the mail from an out of state vendor recently? GOAL members who attempted this have been repeatedly told that “It’s against the law to ship to Massachusetts” and “the law changed recently.”

            Several companies specializing in catalog sales have made a business decision not to sell to Massachusetts because they find it nearly impossible to understand our convoluted state laws OR because they did not have the software to keep up with such sales. These companies have concluded that they should verify that purchasers have a license to carry or FID card. But they don’t have the capability of accepting a phone order, putting that order on hold, and matching it up with a piece of mail that comes in a week later. It’s a logistical nightmare that larger companies just can’t handle.

            But what about this “the law changed recently” rumor that has surfaced? In fact, the “new” problem with internet and mail order sales has been created by the Massachusetts Attorney General, who is relying on his interpretation of certain sections of Chapter 180 of the Acts of 1998, a law that is five years old. Our Attorney General recently conducted sting operations on selected out of state dealers, purchasing ammunition from internet sales sites and then serving the vendors with “five day letters” asking for a $5000 fine per transaction for allegedly “breaking” our state’s laws.

            At issue are several questions such as whether an out of state vendor must be licensed to sell ammunition, where such sales are taking place, and what is the proper legal way for these sales to happen. Negotiations between lawyers, vendors and the AG’s office are ongoing.

            In the meantime, the Gun Control Advisory Board may be considering a regulation to clarify what the process should be. GOAL is working to ensure that both in-state and out-of-state vendors have input into this process.