(WGGB/WSHM) – A major deadline is looming for gun owners and instructors across Massachusetts. Starting Thursday, new state regulations under Chapter 135 goes into effect, changing the requirements for getting a firearms license. The state did publish a list of approved courses on Wednesday afternoon. However, not every submitted course made the cut.

Instructors at Pioneer Valley Arms in East Longmeadow spent the afternoon refreshing their emails, waiting for the state to approve the new classes they are supposed to start teaching in less than twelve hours. The state published that list around 2 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon. Afterwards, we spoke with the owner of the gun shop who still had no answers. The course they submitted wasn’t on it.

For gun owners across Massachusetts, starting on Thursday, the rules change. But the people responsible for teaching those rules? They still don’t know if they’re allowed to. At Pioneer Valley Arms, the doors are open, but the answers are missing.

“With the new regulations, basically every existing class, unless it has been updated and approved, is no longer considered valid,” we spoke with Owner of Pioneer Valley Arms Michael Meunier just before two Wednesday afternoon.

He was still sitting by his computer, waiting for the state to approve the new curriculum. Without that stamp of approval, he can’t legally teach the classes people need to exercise their second amendment rights.

It’s not just the lesson plan, it’s the paperwork. A new digital portal for certificates isn’t expected to go live for another two weeks. The state did publish a list of approved courses around 2 p.m., but the course number submitted was not among them. He said he’ll lean on his NRA and USCCA certified instructors in the meantime but worried about other businesses that don’t have those options.

“We have a situation where we have all of these great firearms instructors and people wanting to lawfully exercise their Second Amendment civil rights in Massachusetts that don’t know if they’re going to be able to put forth a course or take a course, ” Jon Green directs education for GOAL — The Gun Owners’ Action League — one of the state’s largest firearms advocacy groups.

We spoke with him two hours before that list came out. He said the state is rolling this out without proper funding or communication to local police. That means more hurdles and higher costs. New rules will eventually require “live fire” training, meaning students must actually shoot a gun to get a permit. Instructors say that will likely double the price of classes.

“(I) spoke with an instructor this morning who had a student from this past weekend went to apply in Lowell and was turned away, said, no, we need the new certificate. Well, the new certificate isn’t going to be available for two weeks.”

If you already have your firearms license, these changes won’t affect you until it’s time to renew. But for new applicants, instructors advise you to check with your local police department before heading in as some departments are already turning people away until the new system is fully online.

You can find the state’s full list of approved courses here.

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