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Massachusetts Suppressor Laws

Suppressors are prohibited in Massachusetts. Civilian ownership is illegal under state law regardless of federal compliance.

Reviewed by Diego Lopez, Head of Enforcement · Last reviewed August 21, 2026

Prohibited
Ownership Status
Prohibited
Hunting Status
Felony
Possession Penalty
42
States Where Legal

August 5 NFA Ruling

Updated August 21, 2026

A federal court ruled that the government cannot enforce certain NFA registration requirements against the parties covered by that case. It is not a repeal of the NFA, it is not nationwide, and it does not change state law.

Massachusetts: the ruling changes nothing here. A federal court order limiting ATF enforcement does not create a right to possess an item this state bans.

Read how this may affect you →

Current Law

Start with a warning about the section heading. M.G.L. c. 269, § 10A is captioned “Selling, giving or using silencers,” which omits possession. Sources that read the heading and stop conclude that Massachusetts permits mere possession. The enacted text says otherwise.

The operative clause reaches any person who “sells or keeps for sale, or offers, or gives or disposes of by any means other than submitting to an authorized law enforcement agency, or uses or possesses” a silencer or “any combination of parts designed or redesigned and intended for use in assembling or fabricating” one.

Simple possession is prohibited. Surrendering one to an authorized law enforcement agency is carved out of “disposes of.”

The Penalty

“[I]mprisonment for not more than five years in state prison or for not more than two and one-half years in a jail or house of correction.” No fine is specified and there is no mandatory minimum, so probation is not statutorily barred.

On conviction the item is confiscated and forwarded by written court order to the colonel of the state police for destruction.

Who Is Exempt, and Who Is Not

Three categories, written into the operative clause itself: a federally licensed firearms manufacturer, an authorized agent of the municipal police training committee, and a duly authorized sworn law enforcement officer acting within the scope of official duties under direct authorization of the police chief or designee or the colonel of the state police.

The manufacturer exemption is narrower than it looks. The second sentence of the section permits a manufacturer to sell only “to authorized law enforcement agencies for law enforcement purposes or to the municipal police training committee for law enforcement training.”

There is no military or National Guard exemption, no dealer exemption, and no film exemption.

Alternatives

If you want to own and use suppressors, your options include:

  • Move to one of the 42 states where suppressors are legal
  • Use suppressors while visiting legal states (with proper arrangements)
  • Support legislative efforts to change Massachusetts law

Legislative Outlook

The ban got broader, not narrower. Chapter 135 of the Acts of 2024, the firearms modernization act, amended § 10A at §§ 128–129 to add the “combination of parts” language, extending the prohibition to parts and kits.

H.1700 in the 194th General Court would have replaced § 10A so that possession was punishable only where the possessor is a prohibited person, is committing a violent crime, or is dealing controlled substances. It was sent to a study order on March 26, 2026, which ends it for the session.

Key Takeaway

Massachusetts prohibits possession of a suppressor under M.G.L. c. 269 § 10A despite a section heading that omits the word, carrying up to five years in state prison. The 2024 firearms act extended the ban to parts and kits.