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Ammunition Storage and Limits
By Jon Green Director of Education and Training
The staff has been receiving a high number of calls from citizens concerning ammunition "laws" in the Commonwealth. This give me a great opportunity to review, rewrite and share more information with our members concerning this sometimes confusing topic.
Citizens should be aware that Massachusetts law requires a person in possession of ammunition and or ammunition components to be "licensed". The FID card or LTC meet this requirement. We now look at our Codes of Massachusetts Regulations or CMR's to determine how much ammunition we can possess and also how we must store it.
We should be familiar with 527 CMR 13.00 as this section provides key definitions and protocols for people possessing ammunition and components. It falls under Fire Prevention Regulations. Most important is 527 CMR 13.04. This section conveys the types and amounts of cartridges/components we may possess/store with nothing more than our FID card or LTC:
13.04: Licenses, Registrations, Permits and Certificates
- Exemption: License, Registration, or Permit: In accordance with the provisions of M.G.L. c.148 § 13, the Board hereby prescribes the following quantities of explosive materials that shall be exempt from License, Registration, and Permit and may be kept, or stored in a building or other structure:
(a) Small Arms Ammunition
1. Not more than 10,000 rounds of rim fire ammunition.
2. Not more than 10,000 rounds of center fire ammunition.
3. Not more than 5,000 rounds of shotgun ammunition.
(b) Small Arms Ammunition Primers
1. Not more than 1,000 caps or other small arms primers.
(c) Smokeless Propellants
1. Not more than 16 pounds.
2. Persons under 18 years of age may not keep or store Smokeless Propellants.
3. Not more than two pounds of such propellant shall be stored in a multiple family dwelling or a building of public access.
(d) Black Powder
1. Not more than two pounds.
2. Persons under 18 years of age may not keep or store black powder.
(e) Exempt quantities of small arms ammunition, primers, smokeless propellants and black powder shall be stored in original containers and such containers shall be stored in a locked cabinet, closet or box when not in use.
Many shooters have found that reloading their fired cartridge cases to be a fun and economical way to shoot more. The major rub is that this group typically purchases primers in containers of 5,000. This now would require a permit from your local fire chief.
This permit allows the holder to store
Storage By Permit: In accordance with the provisions of M.G.L. c. 148 § 13, the Board hereby prescribes the following quantities of explosive materials that shall be exempt from license, and registration, and may be kept, or stored in a building or other structure provided a permit has been obtained from the head of the local fire department;
(a) Small Arms Ammunition: Private Use. Small arms ammunition in amounts over that specified in 527 CMR 13.04(1), that do not exceed 100,000 total rounds at any one time, may be kept for private use provided none of the individual limitations listed below are exceeded.
1. 10,001 to 30,000 rounds of rim fire ammunition.
2. 10,001 to 50,000 rounds of center fire ammunition not to include shotgun ammunition.
3. 10,001 to 50,000 rounds of shotgun ammunition not to include center fire
ammunition.
(c) Small Arms Ammunition Primers: Private Use
Not to exceed 10,000 Small Arms Ammunition Primers.
(e) Smokeless Propellants: Private Use
1. Not to exceed 48 pounds Smokeless Propellants.
2. Persons under 18 years of age may not keep or store Smokeless Propellants.
3. The head of the local fire department may limit the quantity of smokeless propellants stored by permit to as low as two pounds if such propellant shall be stored in a multiple family dwelling or a building of public access.
1. Not to exceed five pounds of black powder.
2. Persons under 18 years of age may not keep or store black powder.
3. The head of the local fire department may limit the quantity of black powder stored by permit to as low as two pounds if such black powder shall be stored in a multiple family dwelling or a building of public access.
Please note that I have removed sections containing commercial amounts to save space.
The cost and length that this permit is good for rests solely with your local fire chief.
527 CMR 13.11 shall apply to the transportation and storage of small arms ammunition,
primers and components, smokeless propellants and black powder. It states that we cannot transport more than 5,000 primers in a private vehicle. What really struck me was that the very next line states that no more than 5,000 primers shall be stored in a residence! It appears that 527 CMR 13.11 and 527 CMR 13.04 contradict one another regarding storage amounts, Thank you Mr. McDermott for bringing my attention to 13.11 and the regulations regarding transport.
Do remember the following important points:
- Jim Finnerty teaches a great NRA reloading course at GOAL
- Cartridges, primers, propellant and powder must be stored in a locked cabinet, closet or box when not in use.
- Apply for a permit to store more than the exempted amounts with your local fire chief
Visit http://www.lawlib.state.ma.us/source/mass/cmr/cmrtext/527CMR13.pdf to read the complete 527 CMR 13.00
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