1927
§ 1. When used in this act the following words and phrases shall be construed as follows: “Pistol” shall include any pistol or revolver, and any shot gun, rifle or similar weapon with overall less than twenty-six inches, but shall not include any pistol without a magazine or any pistol or revolver designed for the use of blank cartridges only. “machine gun” shall include any weapon which shoots automatically and any weapon which shoots more than twelve shots semi-automatically without reloading. “Firearm shall include any machine gun or pistol. . . “Crime of violence” shall mean and include any of the following crimes or any attempt to commit any of the same, viz.: murder, manslaughter, rape, mayhem, assault or battery involving grave bodily injury, robbery, burglary, and breaking and entering. “Sell” shall include let or hire, give, lend and transfer, and the word “purchase” shall include hire, accept and borrow, and the expression “purchasing” shall be construed accordingly. . .§ 4. No person shall, without a license therefor, issued as provided in section six hereof, carry a pistol in any vehicle or concealed on or about his person, except in his dwelling house or place of business or on land possessed by him, and no person shall manufacture, sell, purchase or possess a machine gun except as otherwise provided in this act. § 5. The provisions of section four shall not apply to sheriffs, deputy sheriffs, the superintendent and members of the state police, prison or jail wardens or their deputies, members of the city or town police force or other duly appointed law enforcement officers, nor to members of the army, navy or marine corps of the United States, or of the national guard, when on duty, or of organizations by law authorized to purchase or receive firearms from the United States or this state, nor to officers or employees of the United States authorized by law to carry a concealed firearm, nor to duly authorized military organizations when on duty, nor to members thereof when at or going to or from their customary places of assembly, nor to the regular and ordinary transportation of pistols as merchandise, nor to any person while carrying a pistol unloaded in a wrapper from the place of purchase to his home or place of business, or to a place of repair or back to his home or place of business, or in moving goods from one place or abode or business to another. § 6. The licensing authorities of any city or town shall upon application of any person having a bona fide residence or place of business within such city or town, or of any person having a bona fide residence or place of business within the United States and a license to carry a pistol concealed upon his person issued by the authorities of any other state or subdivision of the United States, issue a license to such person to carry concealed upon his person a pistol within this state for not more than one years from date of issue, if it appears the applicant has good reason to fear an injury to his person or property or has any other proper reason for carrying a pistol, and that he is a suitable person to be so licensed. The license shall be in triplicate, in form to be prescribed by the attorney-general and shall bear the fingerpring, name, address, description and signature of the licensee and the reason given for desiring a license. The original thereof shall be delivered to the licensee, the duplicate shall within seven days be sent to the attorney-general and the triplicate shall be preserved for six years by the licensing authorities issuing said license. A fee of two dollars may be charged and shall be paid for each license, to the officer issuing the same. Before issuing any such permit the applicant for the same shall be required to give bond to the city or town treasurer in the penal sum of three hundred dollars, with surety satisfactory to the authority issuing such permit, to keep the peace and be of good behavior. Every such permit shall be valid for one year from the date when issued unless sooner revoked. The fee charged for the issuing of such license or permit shall be applied in accordance with the provisions of section thirty-three of chapter 401 of the general laws.