sdavid said:
You don't need to do a FA-10 for anything that you bring into the state, the FA-10 is only for the transfer of ownership of firearms.
Sorry you are wrong here. Take a look at the FA-10, there is a box for "Registration". Also the law is very clear that you MUST REGISTER anything you bring into MA even if you own it . . . unless you brought it in when you moved into MA as an unlicensed person.
MGL Ch. 140 S. 128B covers at least part of this, but I think (NOT 100% positive but Chief Glidden has implied that this section's interpretation has been extended to bringing in-state guns that you own but were stored elsewhere . . . it's probably in a CMR that EOPS has created) this is where the requirement for "Registration" comes from. If in doubt, contact Chief Glidden and I'm sure he'll be happy to point you to the source of this requirement. Chief Glidden has stated exactly what I said above at each of his seminars for a number of years now, and I have every reason to believe that he knows what he is talking about!
http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/mgl/140-128b.htm
" Section 128B. Any resident of the commonwealth who purchases
or obtains a firearm, rifle or shotgun or machine gun from any source within or without the commonwealth, other than from a licensee under section one hundred and twenty-two or a person authorized to sell firearms under section one hundred and twenty-eight A. . .and receives such firearm, rifle, shotgun or machine gun, within the commonwealth
shall within seven days after receiving such firearm, rifle, shotgun or machine gun, report, in writing, to the executive director of the criminal history systems board the name and address of the seller or donor and the buyer or donee, together with a complete description of the firearm, rifle, shotgun or machine gun, including the caliber, make and serial number. Whoever violates any provision of this section shall for the first offense be punished by a fine of not less than $500 nor more than $1,000 and for any subsequent offense by imprisonment in the state prison for not more than ten years."
The bolded sections above I BELIEVE are what has been interpreted to mean "even if you own it in NH" and require Registration when you bring ti over the border. CMRs are written to interpret and enforce the MGLs and I suspect that there is more on this located in one of the CMRs.
I believe that it is the "OR OBTAINS . . . " that leads to this interpretation. If you "obtain it" by bringing it back to MA . . .