The Auburn Police Department took to Facebook on Monday with a thank-you to Yarmouth and a heads-up for gun owners and would-be applicants, spelling out who will - and will not - have to take Massachusetts’ revamped basic firearms safety course that now includes a live‑fire component. The post lands just as the Commonwealth gets ready to roll out the revised safety curriculum early next week, and local licensing offices and instructors are already shuffling schedules and updating their guidance. For anyone planning to apply for a License to Carry or a Firearms Identification card, the timing and paperwork suddenly matter a lot more, according to the Auburn Police Department's Facebook post.
What the law requires
Next Thursday (April 2) the state’s revised basic firearms safety curriculum officially kicks in and will require additional classroom instruction plus a supervised live‑fire exercise, under Chapter 135 of the Acts of 2024. The Executive Office of Public Safety and Security has been told to produce implementation guidance and hold public sessions as it works with the State Police and the Municipal Police Training Committee to finalize the written exam and minimum course standards, according to EOPSS public materials.
Who needs the new training
As Auburn’s Facebook post lays out, anyone who files an initial application for an LTC or FID on or after next Thursday must include a certificate showing they completed the updated basic firearms safety course that features a live‑fire segment. The Auburn Police Department shared a plain‑language checklist that several towns have been circulating to walk residents through the deadlines.
Training providers and reference guides say that older basic firearms safety certificates completed before the cutoff will still be accepted for immediate applications, but in many cases holders will be required to complete the updated course before their next renewal, according to Urban Firearms Society.
Exemptions and renewals
The statute includes some carve‑outs. People who already possessed an LTC or FID on August 1, 2024, are generally exempt from having to repeat live‑fire training when they renew, according to the Massachusetts Legislature. Local police advisories and town coverage are now focused on the gray area for people who applied after August 1.
In one example, the Marblehead Independent reports that licensing authorities there are telling some applicants they will need the updated certificate before their next renewal cycle.
What applicants should do next
Prospective applicants are being urged to contact their city or town licensing office to confirm which course certificates will be accepted and to book a certified class now if a new certificate will be required for their paperwork. Training providers across Massachusetts have started listing courses that include on‑range time, and EOPSS has posted public‑hearing materials and draft recommendations to help instructors sync their classes with the new standards, per EOPSS public notices. Translation: waiting until the week before you apply is probably not a winning strategy.
Legal implications
The live‑fire mandate is one piece of a broader gun‑safety package signed into law in 2024 and has already drawn political and legal pushback that could affect how and when some parts of the statute roll out. As AP reported when the bill was signed, the law also tightened rules on untraceable “ghost guns” and expanded risk‑based surrender orders, changes that state officials say underscore the need for a standardized, competency‑based safety course.
