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Firearms Defense

Charged With a Gun Offense in Massachusetts? Mandatory Minimums, Your License, and Your Rights Are on the Line.

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Massachusetts has some of the strictest firearms laws in the country, and a single charge can mean a mandatory jail sentence, a permanent criminal record, and the loss of your right to ever own a firearm. At Lake Shore Legal, LLC, we defend clients throughout Webster, Oxford, Dudley, Southbridge, Charlton, Sturbridge, Douglas, and the rest of Worcester County against firearms charges, from licensing and storage violations to serious possession cases with mandatory minimums on the table.

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Call (508) 943-7800 for a confidential consultation.

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Why the First Call Matters

 

Firearms cases move quickly, and some of your most important rights come with deadlines. If your License to Carry (LTC) has been suspended, revoked, or denied, you generally have only 90 days to petition the District Court for review (G.L. c. 140, § 131). If a restraining order has been issued against you, you may be ordered to surrender your firearms and license immediately, and how that surrender is handled can affect both the civil case and any criminal exposure.

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The sooner we are involved, the sooner we can:

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  • Preserve body-cam, cruiser, and dispatch recordings before they are purged

  • Examine why you were stopped, questioned, or searched in the first place

  • Evaluate whether the item actually meets the statutory definition of a "firearm," including operability

  • Analyze whether the Commonwealth can prove you knew about and controlled the weapon

  • Review any license status or licensing records at issue in the case

  • Protect your ability to keep or regain your license and your Second Amendment rights

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What We Defend

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  • Unlawful Possession of a Firearm (G.L. c. 269, § 10)

  • Carrying a Loaded Firearm and Ammunition Offenses

  • Possession Without a License or FID Card

  • Large-Capacity Weapon and Feeding Device Charges

  • Improper Storage and Transportation of Firearms

  • Firearms Charges Arising From Motor Vehicle Stops

  • Armed Career Criminal Enhancements

  • License to Carry Suspensions, Revocations, and Denials

  • Ghost Gun and Unserialized Firearm Charges

  • Firearms Charges Combined With Drug or Other Offenses

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A Real Defense Starts With the Search

 

Most firearms cases are won or lost before trial, on the question of how police found the weapon. Article 14 of the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights and the Fourth Amendment limit when officers can stop you, frisk you, search your car, or enter your home. A hunch, an anonymous tip, or the mere presence of a firearm in a vehicle does not automatically justify what happened next.

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Our attorneys go through your case line by line: the basis for the stop, the scope of any patdown or search, the inventory of a towed vehicle, the statements you made, and who really had access to the gun. Where the evidence was obtained unlawfully, we file motions to suppress it, and without the firearm the Commonwealth often has no case.

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Firearms law is also changing. The U.S. Supreme Court's Bruen decision, recent Massachusetts appellate rulings, and the 2024 firearms reform law (Chapter 135 of the Acts of 2024) have reshaped how these cases are charged and defended. Constitutional challenges that did not exist a few years ago may be available in your case.

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Consequences You're Facing

 

A firearms conviction in Massachusetts is not just a fine. Depending on the charge and your history, penalties can include:

  • Mandatory minimum jail or prison sentences

  • A permanent criminal record and possible felony conviction

  • Loss of your License to Carry and FID card, and disqualification from future licensing

  • Federal firearms prohibitions that follow a conviction

  • Forfeiture of your firearms and ammunition

  • Probation supervision and court-ordered conditions

  • Immigration consequences for non-citizens

  • Professional licensing and employment consequences, including for law enforcement, security, and military personnel

 

You do not have to face these consequences alone, and in many cases the Commonwealth's case is weaker than the charge suggests.

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Serving Webster and All of Worcester County

 

Lake Shore Legal, LLC is based at 154 Thompson Road in Webster and regularly appears in courts throughout southern Worcester County,

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Call for a Confidential Consultation

 

If you or a loved one has been charged with a firearms offense, or your license has been suspended or revoked, do not wait. Time-sensitive deadlines may already be running.

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Lake Shore Legal, LLC
154 Thompson Road, Webster, MA 01570
Phone: (508) 943-7800

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