Slingshots are heavily restricted in Massachusetts. Under Chapter 269, Section 12, it is a crime to manufacture, sell, or offer a sling shot for sale, and a closely related weapon called a slung shot is separately prohibited to carry under Section 10, which carries mandatory prison time in many cases. So the honest answer to whether slingshots are illegal in Massachusetts is: making or selling one is a crime, carrying one can be charged as a dangerous weapon offense, and only a narrow sporting club exception sits inside the statute.
What Section 12 Prohibits
Section 12 of Chapter 269 makes it illegal to manufacture, sell, or offer for sale a sling shot, along with a list of other weapons that includes switchblades, blackjacks, and throwing stars. A conviction carries a fine of $50 to $1,000, imprisonment of up to six months, or both.1General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 269 Section 12 – Manufacturing and Selling Knives, Slung Shots, Swords, Bludgeons and Similar Weapons
The statute aims at the supply chain. A Massachusetts retailer stocking slingshots, or someone building them for commercial sale, is exposed under this section regardless of what any individual buyer plans to do with the finished product.
Sling Shot and Slung Shot Are Different Weapons
Two terms in the statutes look nearly identical and describe different things. A sling shot is the Y-shaped frame with an elastic band used to launch projectiles. A slung shot is a weighted striking weapon, typically a heavy ball or weight attached to a flexible cord, swung to strike at close range.
Section 12 lists both by name, so commercial restrictions reach both devices.1General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 269 Section 12 – Manufacturing and Selling Knives, Slung Shots, Swords, Bludgeons and Similar Weapons Section 10, which governs carrying dangerous weapons, names slung shot but does not separately list sling shot.2General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 269 Section 10 – Carrying Dangerous Weapons That gap matters. A prosecutor can still argue a Y-frame slingshot qualifies under the statute’s catch-all language for “other dangerous weapons,” but the Y-frame device is not specifically enumerated the way the weighted striking weapon is.
What Carrying Can Cost You
Section 10(b) prohibits carrying a slung shot on your person or under your control in a vehicle. A conviction carries a mandatory minimum of two and a half years in state prison, with a maximum of five years. The alternative is six months to two and a half years in a house of correction.2General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 269 Section 10 – Carrying Dangerous Weapons
First-time offenders catch a break. If the court finds the defendant has no prior felony conviction, the judge may instead impose a fine of up to $50 or imprisonment of up to two and a half years in a house of correction.2General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 269 Section 10 – Carrying Dangerous Weapons Prior record is doing a lot of work in these cases.
Section 10 also has a catch-all. A person arrested for a crime or while disturbing the peace who is found carrying “a billy or other dangerous weapon” beyond the enumerated items can face the same penalties. A Y-frame slingshot could fall into that language depending on circumstances, even though it isn’t specifically named.
The Sporting Club Exception
Section 12 contains one narrow exception. Sling shots may be manufactured and sold to clubs or associations that conduct sporting events where sling shots are used.1General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 269 Section 12 – Manufacturing and Selling Knives, Slung Shots, Swords, Bludgeons and Similar Weapons That is the only exception in the manufacturing and sale provisions. The statute does not carve out educational demonstrations, theatrical use, historical reenactments, or agricultural pest control, despite what some sources claim.
The exception is also limited in reach. It permits sale and manufacture to qualifying organizations. It does not address individual possession or carrying, so someone who obtains a slingshot through a sporting club still has to think about Section 10.
If a Slingshot Is Used Against a Person
Charges escalate quickly if a slingshot is used in an assault. Under Chapter 265, Section 15B, assault by means of a dangerous weapon carries up to five years in state prison, a fine of up to $1,000, or up to two and a half years in a jail or house of correction.3General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 265 Section 15B – Assault by Means of a Dangerous Weapon These charges stack on top of any weapon-carrying charge.
Firearm License Consequences
A conviction under Section 10 reaches past the sentence itself. Chapter 140, Section 131 disqualifies anyone convicted of a violation of any law regulating the possession or transportation of weapons where imprisonment is a possible penalty from obtaining a Massachusetts License to Carry or Firearms Identification Card.4Justia Law. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 140 Section 131 – Licenses to Carry Firearms Section 10 carries potential imprisonment, so a conviction there triggers the disqualifier. For a reader thinking about a future firearm license, a slingshot-related conviction is not a small blemish.
Juveniles
Weapon offenses by minors run through the Department of Youth Services rather than the adult criminal system. A juvenile between 14 and 17 who commits a felony weapon offense and meets additional criteria can be classified as a “youthful offender,” which opens the door to adult-level sentencing including DYS commitment to age 21, a combined DYS and adult sentence, or a full adult sentence.5Mass.gov. DYS Juvenile Justice Legal Issues Even where the youthful offender threshold isn’t met, weapon charges still produce DYS exposure, probation, and a juvenile record. A device a family might consider a toy can still generate a real case.
The Short Version
Making or selling slingshots in Massachusetts is a misdemeanor outside the sporting club exception. Carrying a slung shot triggers mandatory prison time for anyone with a prior felony, and a first offender still faces up to two and a half years. The Y-frame slingshot sits in a grayer place under the carrying statute than the weighted slung shot does, but the catch-all for “other dangerous weapons” leaves room for charges. Any conviction under these sections also closes off a Massachusetts firearm license. If you aren’t shooting through an organized sporting club, the safe assumption is that the law treats a slingshot as a regulated weapon.