Restoring Your Gun Rights in Massachusetts: How to Get Firearm Rights Back

If you have a past conviction in Massachusetts and want your firearm rights back, the single most important thing to understand is that you are dealing with two separate legal systems, not one. Massachusetts law and federal law each maintain their own list of who cannot possess a firearm, and each has its own — completely separate — process for lifting that ban. Fixing the state side does not automatically fix the federal side. Skipping this fact is the single most common way people end up committing an accidental federal felony.

Caution: Restoring your firearm rights under Massachusetts law does not automatically restore your right to possess a firearm under federal law, and restoring your federal rights (where possible at all) does not automatically restore your Massachusetts license eligibility. If you have any felony conviction — state or federal — or a misdemeanor domestic-violence conviction, confirm your status in writing with a Massachusetts firearms lawyer or the relevant licensing authority before you buy, receive, borrow, or possess a firearm or ammunition. Possessing a firearm while still barred under either system is a serious federal and/or state felony, even if you believed in good faith that you were clear.

Who loses firearm rights in Massachusetts

Massachusetts firearm licensing law is stricter and broader than federal law — more people are barred here than would be barred under the federal statute alone. Under Massachusetts General Laws chapter 140, a person is disqualified from holding a Firearm Identification Card (FID) or a License to Carry (LTC) if they have been convicted of, or adjudicated a youthful offender or delinquent for:

• Any felony
• A misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for more than two years
• A "violent crime" as Massachusetts law defines that term
• Any violation of a law regulating firearms, ammunition, or weapons for which imprisonment could be imposed
• Any violation of a law regulating controlled substances
• A misdemeanor crime of domestic violence — assault, battery, or a similar offense against a family or household member — even a first offense

Federal law, by contrast, mainly bars two categories: anyone convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year in prison (in practice, felonies) under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1), and anyone convicted of a qualifying misdemeanor crime of domestic violence under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(9) (the Lautenberg Amendment). Massachusetts adds categories federal law doesn't — notably certain lower-level misdemeanors and weapons or drug offenses that wouldn't trigger a federal bar at all. A person can be completely clean under federal law and still be a "prohibited person" here, or vice versa. Always check both.

The two locks: why fixing one side doesn't fix the other

This is the part people miss, and it's the part that puts people in federal prison by mistake.

Federal law only stops treating a conviction as disqualifying if the relief you received — expungement, set-aside, pardon, or restoration of civil rights — actually restores your civil rights and does not expressly continue to bar you from firearms. This standard comes from 18 U.S.C. § 921(a)(20). If a Massachusetts sealing, pardon, or other form of relief leaves any firearms restriction in place, or doesn't restore the civil rights the federal definition looks for, you are still considered "convicted" under federal law and still barred — regardless of what your Massachusetts paperwork says.

It gets more restrictive still if the disqualifying conviction was itself federal. Under the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Beecham v. United States, 511 U.S. 368 (1994), a person convicted in federal court generally cannot use any state restoration process — including anything Massachusetts offers — to lift a federal firearms disability. The only mechanism Congress created for that is an application for relief under 18 U.S.C. § 925(c). For decades Congress blocked ATF from spending any funds to process those applications, so the route was effectively dead; beginning in 2025, however, the U.S. Department of Justice moved this authority out of ATF and into the Office of the Pardon Attorney and began rebuilding a federal restoration process. As of early 2026 that revived process is new, still being stood up, and not yet broadly open to the general public, so if your disqualifying conviction was federal you should treat this as a fast-changing area and confirm the current status directly with the U.S. Department of Justice (justice.gov/pardon) and a federal firearms lawyer before relying on it. A Massachusetts firearms lawyer, the state police, or the FLRB can only ever speak to your state status. Someone can be perfectly legal to hold a Massachusetts FID or LTC and still be a federal felon in possession the moment they touch a firearm.

How Massachusetts restores firearm rights

Massachusetts does not have a single, unified "restore my gun rights" process. What exists depends on what you were convicted of:

• Petition to the Firearms Licensing Review Board (FLRB). Created under M.G.L. c. 140, § 130B, this state board can grant relief to people disqualified by certain lower-level offenses — specifically misdemeanors punishable by two and a half years or less. The board does not have authority over felony convictions, weapons-law convictions, drug-law convictions, or domestic-violence convictions; those are outside its jurisdiction entirely.
• Gubernatorial pardon. For a felony conviction, or a misdemeanor domestic-violence conviction, a pardon from the Governor of Massachusetts (with the Governor's Council's approval) is the only state-level path back. A pardon that results in the record being sealed under M.G.L. c. 127, § 152 removes the state firearms disability tied to that conviction.
• Ordinary record sealing does not restore firearm rights. This is a frequent and costly misunderstanding. Massachusetts courts have held that sealing a criminal record under the general sealing statute (M.G.L. c. 276, § 100A/100C) does not remove a firearms disqualification by itself — the conviction still counts for licensing purposes even after the record is sealed from public view.

Massachusetts does not offer a court-based "certificate of rehabilitation" comparable to what some other states use. If you've read about that mechanism elsewhere, it isn't currently available here — confirm current law before assuming otherwise.

Waiting period & eligibility

For the FLRB petition route, state law sets a five-year minimum wait, measured from whichever happens last: the date of conviction or adjudication, release from any confinement, or the end of probation or parole supervision. You cannot petition the board before that clock has run.

For a gubernatorial pardon, there is no waiting period fixed by statute, but the Governor's published clemency guidelines describe giving serious consideration to petitions only after roughly ten years without a new conviction or confinement for felony cases, and roughly five years for misdemeanor cases, plus a demonstrated record of stability since the offense. These are discretionary guidelines a sitting Governor can change, not a guaranteed formula — confirm the current guidelines before you apply, since clemency policy is reset by each administration.

Steps to restore your gun rights in Massachusetts

1. Identify exactly which conviction is disqualifying you — pull the certified court record and the exact statute of conviction. Whether it's a felony, a specific misdemeanor, or a domestic-violence offense determines which mechanism, if any, applies.
2. Determine state vs. federal exposure separately. Ask a Massachusetts firearms/criminal defense lawyer to assess your status under both M.G.L. c. 140 and 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) — they are not the same analysis, and you need both answers before going further.
3. If eligible (lower-level misdemeanor, five years elapsed): petition the Firearms Licensing Review Board, established under § 130B and administered through the Department of Criminal Justice Information Services. Check mass.gov for the current petition form and filing method, since the board has moved toward online submission. You carry the burden of proving suitability by clear and convincing evidence.
4. Expect a hearing. The board holds hearings on a regular schedule and issues written findings, sent to you and the local licensing authority. If it grants your petition, it removes that conviction as a disqualifier so you can apply (or re-apply) to your local licensing authority — it does not order a license to be issued. Confirm any current filing fee with the board when you file.
5. If your conviction is a felony, a violent crime, or a domestic-violence misdemeanor: pursue a gubernatorial pardon through the Governor's Office and Governor's Council, since the FLRB has no authority over these categories. This is discretionary clemency, not a routine license application — it typically takes many months or longer and is never guaranteed.
6. After any state relief is granted, get a written federal opinion before touching a firearm. Have your lawyer confirm whether the relief satisfies the federal restoration standard under 18 U.S.C. § 921(a)(20), or whether you remain federally prohibited regardless of your new Massachusetts paperwork.
7. If your conviction was federal, consult a federal criminal defense lawyer specifically. Under Beecham, Massachusetts relief generally cannot reach a federal conviction. The federal § 925(c) relief process was unfunded and non-operational for decades, but the U.S. Department of Justice began reviving it in 2025 under the Office of the Pardon Attorney; as of early 2026 it is new and not yet broadly open, so confirm its current status at justice.gov/pardon before relying on it.

Permanent and serious exclusions

Short of a pardon, Massachusetts effectively treats these as permanent bars from firearm licensing: any felony conviction, "violent crimes" as Massachusetts law defines them, serious firearms or weapons-law convictions, and misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence (including a first offense). Only a gubernatorial pardon reaches these categories at the state level — and even that does not automatically clear the federal bar. You still need to separately confirm the federal effect, and if the underlying conviction was itself federal, state relief generally cannot help at all.

Practical guidance

Get any restoration — an FLRB order or a gubernatorial pardon — in writing, and keep the original document somewhere safe. Before you buy, receive, borrow, or possess a firearm or ammunition, have a Massachusetts firearms lawyer confirm in writing that both your state and federal status are clear. Do not rely on what a records clerk, a gun shop clerk, or a background-check result implies — a Massachusetts license approval does not certify your federal status, and a background check passing does not make possession legal if you are in fact still barred. Firearms statutes, board procedures, and clemency guidelines change, so confirm current requirements directly with Massachusetts state police, the Firearms Licensing Review Board, or a Massachusetts firearms attorney before you act.

This article is general legal information, not legal advice for your specific situation.