Massachusetts has always been strict. My city and Salem, even more so. Years ago when I was applying for a job at the Coast Guard, I was trying to apply for a position with the security. They were reluctant to hire me because I'm from Peabody. A former employee was from Salem, MA and he was an excellent employee too so he was promoted. The promotion entailed carrying a firearm, but when he went to the police with the note from the employer and applied for the Class A (License to Carry), he was denied.
The security team looked further into this person thinking "maybe we missed something." They didn't; he had no criminal record, so they called Salem's police chief and asked why he was denied the Class A and the chief told them that he refuses to give anyone a Class A and that's all there was to that. I would have taken him to court, but this young man quit his job in frustration. The gun stores I frequent, and I've done business with them for years...do not allow customers without permits to handle firearms or make firearm related purchases unless they show the permit. I don't speak for every gun store in the state because I've only done business on the North Shore so I have no way of knowing what each and every city or town does.
I use to frequent a business named Magnum Sporting in Middleton, MA which was owned by a cop and he used to run the shop with his Dad. He was the person that created a bullet proof back pack which he had success with called "My Back Pack." He ended up going out of the gun business because our state just sucks rocks and makes life difficult for shop owners and he didn't want the hassle any more. He's still in business except he no longer sells guns. An example of the hassle we get: years ago, it was legal in MA to sell the Beretta Brigidier in Stainless, except you couldn't get the black gun of the same model because black is a dangerous color and we don't allow it here. This is all I can think of because why allow a model gun in one finish and not the other? We had Glocks for two months, then it was banned again because it wasn't hard enough to pull the trigger. Translation, a safe gun is one that won't work to save your life.
You don't have believe me about the permit thing, you can email The Four Seasons in Woburn, The Coin Collector's Gallery in Stoneham, Gun Sport North in Lawrence, and you can ask for Mike at Magnum Sporting in Middleton. Celebs like Hernandez seem to be able to get their hands on illegal guns as easy as ordering coffee at Dunkin Donuts....God only knows how he does it but I imagine money talks.