Firearms Offenses

Massachusetts has some of the strictest and most technical firearms laws in the country, and they change often enough that even legal gun owners can find themselves facing serious criminal charges over a licensing lapse, a storage issue, or simply being present where a firearm was found. Many of these charges carry mandatory minimum prison sentences, meaning a judge has no discretion to give probation instead, even for a first offense.

Massachusetts Firearms Defense Attorney Kevin R. Collins has years of experience defending clients against firearms charges throughout the Commonwealth. As a former Assistant District Attorney, he understands both how these cases are built by the Commonwealth and how frequently the underlying law shifts, and he stays current so your defense doesn’t rely on outdated assumptions about what’s legal.

Firearms Charges Attorney Kevin R. Collins Defends

Massachusetts firearms law is dense and highly technical. Attorney Collins represents clients facing charges including:

• Unlawful Possession of a Firearm: Possessing a firearm without a valid License to Carry (“LTC”) or Firearm Identification Card (“FID”), including situations where a firearm is found in a shared car, home, or bag that isn’t clearly yours.
• Carrying a Firearm Without a License: A separate and more serious charge than simple possession, often carrying a mandatory minimum sentence under the Bartley-Fox Amendment.
• Improper Storage of a Firearm: Even lawful gun owners can be charged if a firearm isn’t secured as required under Massachusetts law, particularly when a minor could access it.
• Possession of a Large Capacity Feeding Device or Assault Weapon: Charges tied to specific categories of firearms or magazines that are separately regulated and carry enhanced penalties.
• Possession of Ammunition Without a License: Ammunition is regulated separately from firearms, and possessing it without the proper license is its own chargeable offense.
• Defaced Serial Numbers: Possessing a firearm with a removed, altered, or obliterated serial number.
• Firearm Used in the Commission of a Felony: An enhancement that adds mandatory additional prison time on top of the underlying felony charge.
• License Suspension or Revocation Issues: Including firearms surrender obligations tied to a restraining order, and disputes over the denial or revocation of an LTC or FID.
• Straw Purchases and Illegal Transfers: Charges related to purchasing or transferring a firearm on behalf of someone who isn’t legally permitted to own one.

Why Firearms Cases Are Different

Firearms cases carry risks that many other criminal charges don’t:

• Mandatory minimum sentences: Certain firearms offenses in Massachusetts carry mandatory minimum incarceration, removing the judge’s ability to impose probation instead, making early, aggressive defense critical.
• Constructive possession disputes: When a firearm is found in a car, apartment, or bag used by more than one person, the Commonwealth must prove you knew about the weapon and had both the ability and intent to control it. This is one of the most frequently litigated issues in firearms cases.
• A constantly shifting legal landscape: Massachusetts firearms statutes and licensing regulations are amended more often than most areas of criminal law. An outdated understanding of what’s legal, even a well-intentioned one, can lead to a charge.
• Collateral consequences: A conviction can permanently affect your right to possess firearms, your employment (especially in law enforcement, security, or the military), and, for non-citizens, immigration status.

How Attorney Kevin R. Collins Defends Firearms Cases

• Challenging unlawful searches and seizures which led to the discovery of the firearm
• Contesting constructive possession where a weapon wasn’t found on your person
• Reviewing your licensing status and whether you were, in fact, lawfully entitled to possess the firearm
• Evaluating whether storage requirements were actually violated under the specific facts of your case
• Identifying procedural or evidentiary weaknesses in the Commonwealth’s case before trial through motions to suppress or dismiss
• Negotiating for reduced charges where mandatory minimums can be avoided
• Representing you at trial when a fair resolution isn’t available

Contact Massachusetts Firearms Attorney Kevin R. Collins

If you or a loved one has been charged with a firearms offense anywhere in Massachusetts, including Middlesex, Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Bristol, Plymouth, Barnstable, or Worcester County, don’t wait to get experienced representation. Given how quickly firearms laws change and how severe the penalties can be, early involvement of an attorney matters. Contact the Law Office of Kevin R. Collins for a complimentary consultation at (781) 430-8525.