I was having a discussion with someone from Mass. and he states that the way MA gun laws are, it is permissable and advisable to have "blanks" for your first two rounds and to fire them as warning shots.

This sounds nuts to me, but I am ignorant of MA gun laws.

What is your take?

I would say the person you were talking to is full of shit.  The laws may be insane in this state, but I've never read that in any of them.  

Quoted: I would say the person you were talking to is full of shit.  The laws may be insane in this state, but I've never read that in any of them.

If it matters, this is for home defense purposes.  Guy says he keep it in the nightstand, loaded w/ 2 blanks and then real ammo, no triggerlock.

Quoted: Quoted: I would say the person you were talking to is full of shit.  The laws may be insane in this state, but I've never read that in any of them.   If it matters, this is for home defense purposes.  Guy says he keep it in the nightstand, loaded w/ 2 blanks and then real ammo, no triggerlock.

You sure you weren't talking to John Kerry?  You and I both know two blanks will get you killed, and in MA if a gun isn't locked away it has to have a trigger lock on it..  You know we have to give the criminals a fighting chance in this state.  

Well, those first two shots (blanks) may have been needed to neutralize the threat. You may not get a chance for a third shot!

Secondly, blanks usually won't cycle the action on a semi-auto without special adapters (at least on rifles). Hell, CCI Stingers wouldn't cycle my HS Victor reliably. Just what you need is a jammed gun/malfunction drill when you need it to save your life! <NOT>

Thirdly, MGLs require ALL GUNS to be locked up or have trigger locks/other disabling device when not UNDER THE DIRECT CONTROL of a Licensed person! Leave it in a nightstand unlocked, leave the room or go to the basement for something and you could be facing serious jail time (5 yr felony IIRC).

Anyone that wants to fire warning shots (LEOs are no longer ALLOWED to do this in MA) or fire blanks, should save their money, get rid of the gun, buy a shiny SS whistle to scare the bad guys off (that is what the PDs do for the ladies when there is a rapist loose in a neighborhood) and dial 911 and die while waiting for a response!

Hmm maybe if the 2 blanks going off doesnt scare the bad guy you could rack the action on a pump shotgun and that will take care of him!

Any BG that waits for you to actualy shoot at them, will likely stay after you shoot and seeming miss twice.

Beside, a firearms is a deadly weapon, using it with blanks does not change that.  The only time you are allowed to dischatge it is if you life is threatened, so just use real bullets.

Quoted: Hmm maybe if the 2 blanks going off doesnt scare the bad guy you could rack the action on a pump shotgun and that will take care of him!

Hell, you don't even have to go that far. You could just have a tape recording of the shotgun being racked. If you have a remote control for your stereo, you wouldn't even have to get out of bed.

Quoted: I was having a discussion with someone from Mass. and he states that the way MA gun laws are, it is permissable and advisable to have "blanks" for your first two rounds and to fire them as warning shots. This sounds nuts to me, but I am ignorant of MA gun laws. What is your take?

It is nuts.  Masshole law is very strict in its interpretation by the courts, although it is written similarly to the self-defense laws in many states.  To use a deadly or dangerous weapon in seld-defense, you must be faced with what a reasonable man would conclude to be an imminent and credible threat of death or great bodily harm.

As a consequence, I can only conclude that if you draw a firearm in Massachusetts, you'd better fire it; otherwise, the threat was not that imminent or credible.  But, don't shoot anyone in the back.

The above statement is only half tongue-in-cheek.

Quoted: But, don't shoot anyone in the back.

I can think of several circumstances where it would be tactically necessary to shoot someone in the back.

Quoted: Quoted: But, don't shoot anyone in the back. I can think of several circumstances where it would be tactically necessary to shoot someone in the back.

+1
If you are walking down the hallway toward my daughters room expect a few through the back.