Massachusetts Law Amends Untraceable Firearm Statute, Enhancing Penalties and Expanding Scope
Massachusetts has amended G.L. c. 269, § 11C, significantly altering the legal framework surrounding untraceable firearms, often referred to as 'ghost guns.' Effective October 2, 2024, the revised statute now criminalizes the knowing manufacturing, assembling, importing, selling, transferring, purchasing, or receiving of an untraceable firearm. Previously, the law primarily focused on defacing serial numbers or receiving firearms with defaced serial numbers. An untraceable firearm is defined as one lacking a serial number or having a serial number that has been removed, defaced, altered, obliterated, or mutilated. This includes firearms built from kits, 3D-printed guns, or factory guns with damaged serial numbers. Possession of an untraceable firearm is considered prima facie evidence of a violation, allowing a jury to infer guilt from possession alone, though defendants can present evidence to counter this inference. The new law also mandates that all firearms, including ghost guns, must bear a serial num...
