MA Knife carrying laws with LTC-A

[srmd22]

I was just doing some surfing and I read that an LTC-A holder (license to carry a handgun for non-MA guys), which I happen to be, can actually carry ANY type of knife, concealed.

In fact, it seems it is legal to purchase or own any knife - ballisong, auto, dagger, etc - or any non-gun weapon, but there are restrictions on carrying. Basically you can't carry any fancy martial arts type weapons, know doube edged blades, no auto's, and there is some sort of limit on certain knives with blades >1.5 inches. You can own, but not carry in public.

However, it seems if you have an LTC-A, you can carry any of those - is this info correct? If it is, I could see collecting a couple of auto's, which I always thought were completely illegal, even to own, in MA.

 

[glistam]

MA laws are hard to read due to the abundance of run-on sentences.

https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartIV/TitleI/Chapter269/Section10

Paragraph (b) is the one with all the various non-gun weapons, and it only affects carry. However, I cannot find anything in this statute that would suggest that having a class A license would allow you to carry any of these items. I also can't find anything to that effect under the licensing statute. Though it's entirely possible I'm missing something. These are the official links so anyone please have a look.

https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXX/Chapter140/Section129B
https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXX/Chapter140/Section129C

It should be noted that FIDs are no longer required for pepper spray now in MA as of last fall.

 

[srmd22]

I may be totally wrong on that -- I'll try to hunt down my internet source and link to it in the near future. Would be fun if it were true though!

 

[glistam]

If I'm reading Section 10, paragraph (b) right, it also has no exceptions for police officers. This might explain the lack of prohibition on "billies" (aka batons) unless one has warrants or is arrested during a breach of the peace, as well as the lack of prohibition against electric stun weapons or pepper spray. None of the remaining weapons would usually be carried by police. I just found that interesting because many other states with lots of weapon bans give cops a blank check.

 

[srmd22]

Okay, here is one argument from Northeast Shooters Forum:

The following is in MGL C. 269 S. 10

No person having in effect a license to carry firearms for any purpose, issued under section one hundred and thirty-one or section one hundred and thirty-one F of chapter one hundred and forty shall be deemed to be in violation of this section.

And the Knife restrictions are all under MGL C. 269 S. 10 b.

Since the LTC exemption applies to the Section and not just subsection (a)(6) I read this to state that the Knife restrictions do not apply to LTC holders, which actually makes sense. I understand that "makes sense" and MGLs are mutually exclusive, but I don't see any other way this law could be applied.

Has there ever been a case of a LTC holder being tried under this section?

Just for reference:



PART I ADMINISTRATION OF THE GOVERNMENTNEXT
TITLE XX PUBLIC SAFETY AND GOOD ORDER
CHAPTER 140 LICENSESPREV NEXT
Section 131 Licenses to carry firearms; Class A and B; conditions and restrictions




Previous thread about the subject from same forum:

There is no limit in the state of Massachusetts. Local town and cities may have a limit though, like Boston and Worcester (New) 2.5" limit on the blade.

There are restrictions on the type of knife you can carry though...

Mass MGL Chapter 269 § 10
(b) Whoever, except as provided by law, carries on his person, or carries on his person or under his control in a vehicle, any stiletto, dagger or a device or case which enables a knife with a locking blade to be drawn at a locked position, any ballistic knife, or any knife with a detachable blade capable of being propelled by any mechanism, dirk knife, any knife having a double-edged blade, or a switch knife, or any knife having an automatic spring release device by which the blade is released from the handle, having a blade of over one and one-half inches, or a slung shot, blowgun, blackjack, metallic knuckles or knuckles of any substance which could be put to the same use with the same or similar effect as metallic knuckles, nunchaku, zoobow, also known as klackers or kung fu sticks, or any similar weapon consisting of two sticks of wood, plastic or metal connected at one end by a length of rope, chain, wire or leather, a shuriken or any similar pointed starlike object intended to injure a person when thrown, or any armband, made with leather which has metallic spikes, points or studs or any similar device made from any other substance or a cestus or similar material weighted with metal or other substance and worn on the hand, or a manrikigusari or similar length of chain having weighted ends; or whoever, when arrested upon a warrant for an alleged crime, or when arrested while committing a breach or disturbance of the public peace, is armed with or has on his person, or has on his person or under his control in a vehicle, a billy or other dangerous weapon other than those herein mentioned and those mentioned in paragraph (a), shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than two and one-half years nor more than five years in the state prison, or for not less than six months nor more than two and one-half years in a jail or house of correction, except that, if the court finds that the defendant has not been previously convicted of a felony, he may be punished by a fine of not more than fifty dollars or by imprisonment for not more than two and one-half years in a jail or house of correction.

 

[srmd22]

Edit: I guess all this is sort of completely irrelevant as state law does not over-ride city and local ordinances.

However, at least on the state level, it looks like LTC holders are exempt.

I certainly don't plan on being the test case, but unless I am missing something (which happens all the time, so I probably am) it seems so.

PS: I paraphrased the forum, but all the language is there on the official Mass Legislature site.


From Knife Up - a website dedicated to U.S. knife laws:

No Limits on Class A Licenses
Section J of the law states that, if you have a class A license, you can carry any knife (and gun) you would like. The law here is very relaxed and says you can even carry loaded semi-automatic rifles if you have a Class A license.

 

[glistam]

That makes sense to me, but like you I wouldn't want to test it without at least discussing it with a licensed attorney. If I had a Class A license I would consider it worth the money to do this.

 

[lemonslush]

Edit: I guess all this is sort of completely irrelevant as state law does not over-ride city and local ordinances.

However, at least on the state level, it looks like LTC holders are exempt.

I certainly don't plan on being the test case, but unless I am missing something (which happens all the time, so I probably am) it seems so.

PS: I paraphrased the forum, but all the language is there on the official Mass Legislature site.


From Knife Up - a website dedicated to U.S. knife laws:

No Limits on Class A Licenses
Section J of the law states that, if you have a class A license, you can carry any knife (and gun) you would like. The law here is very relaxed and says you can even carry loaded semi-automatic rifles if you have a Class A license.

I read section J over ten times and still dont see how they construe having a class A LTC allows you to carry a switchblade. I think they pulled that out of no where.