Boston-specific LTC/Current Events n00b questions herein

[DivideByZero]

Hello; long-time lurker here. I've been considering applying for an LTC-A for a while now, though I haven't really been in a rush, because it looks like they just don't give out ALPs here in Charlestown (a protectorate of imperial Boston ). Never had any trouble with Jonny Law; no speeding tickets, parking tickets, restraining orders, etc. Anyway, it looks like I'll be living here a while due to a newfound sense of job security, so I should probably get going with this futile process. A few q's:
1) O'Toole- the Commish- is leaving this month; does that have any bearing on anything related to LTCs/FIDs? Who's in charge of licences in this district anyway? (the BPD's website is about as helpful as... well, any other government service in this town).
2) Would it be wise to just wait until after the election to begin the application process? Would that make any difference? Could it seriously be any worse?!
3) If I leave my house right this minute (~9pm) and spend a few hours walking to and from the Community College T Stop, the probability that I'll be beaten by 19-year-olds armed with bats & knives approaches the value of 1. Will a broken face or punctured lung help me get an unrestricted licence, or should I just stay in tonight and hide under a mattress like I do every other night after dark?
Thanks!

 

[JellyFish]

If you are going to apply in Boston you must do the following:

1. Go to the police headquarters in Roxbury and pick up the forms.

2. You must have a birth certificate or US passport, 2 utility bills, MA drivers license and you must provide two or three references (they will ask for these when you sit down to have your photo and fingerprints taken).

3. A letter from a gun club indicating that you are a current member.

4. $100 in cash.

You will NOT get an ALP from the city of Boston unless you have paid off the mayor or otherwise are part of the political elite or a celebrity, etc. You, as a peon, will be treated like dirt at the counter. Don't be shocked if they are rude or dismissive, they have been instructed to behave that way by the powers-that-be.

You must also provide a social security number or they won't process your application.

Assuming all your paperwork is in order, you will be allowed to pick a date/time to go to Moon Island to take the shooting test there. Do NOT be late! I got lucky my last time there and got a nice guy but that's not guaranteed. You may end up with an a**h*** for a test instructor.

GO TO THE RANGE AND PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE BEFORE YOU TAKE THE TEST! AND THEN PRACTICE SOME MORE. There is no point in going all the way to Moon Island then having to retake the stupid test cause you didn't practice.

Also, obey the test officer and always handle your firearm safely. They will give you a gun, you will not be allowed to use your own. Don't even ask. The gun is a .357 and you will shoot .38 rounds. The gun and ammo will be given to you in a coffee can, do NOT take them out of the can until the range officer tells you to when the test begins.

Take your time, shoot slowly. They do not rush you and the range people seem to be better than the a**h***s that infest the counter at the police station in roxbury.

Is going for your license pointless? It might feel that way because you won't get an ALP but hell no! It's not pointless at all. It's a first step toward claiming your rights so you might as well go for it.

Want a tip though? Get out of Boston. It's a hopelessly corrupt city and you'll never have your full rights living here. I am saving money now and when I leave I'd never move back here, ever.

Hope that helps.

Hello; long-time lurker here. I've been considering applying for an LTC-A for a while now, though I haven't really been in a rush, because it looks like they just don't give out ALPs here in Charlestown (a protectorate of imperial Boston ). Never had any trouble with Jonny Law; no speeding tickets, parking tickets, restraining orders, etc. Anyway, it looks like I'll be living here a while due to a newfound sense of job security, so I should probably get going with this futile process. A few q's:
1) O'Toole- the Commish- is leaving this month; does that have any bearing on anything related to LTCs/FIDs? Who's in charge of licences in this district anyway? (the BPD's website is about as helpful as... well, any other government service in this town).
2) Would it be wise to just wait until after the election to begin the application process? Would that make any difference? Could it seriously be any worse?!
3) If I leave my house right this minute (~9pm) and spend a few hours walking to and from the Community College T Stop, the probability that I'll be beaten by 19-year-olds armed with bats & knives approaches the value of 1. Will a broken face or punctured lung help me get an unrestricted licence, or should I just stay in tonight and hide under a mattress like I do every other night after dark?
Thanks!

 

[JellyFish]

Ha, ha. No, O'toole has zero to do with which licenses are issued. The fat bag of crap that sits on the mayor's throne (otherwise known as Tom the Hutt) is the one that sets policy and he won't give you an ALP unless you are part of the political elite (meaning you paid him off) or are a celebrity, etc.

You could try for a work related license but you'd only be able to carry to and from work and work related activities. When your employment ends you'd have to give the license back.

Isn't Boston great? Get out of here as fast as you can.

 

[JellyFish]

Also, the license that you will be issued will say the following on it:

Sport/Target - No Concealed Target

Sucks doesn't it? All that to get a crippled license because of a fat bag of corrupt shit like Tom the Hutt.

Did I tell you your best bet is to leave Boston? LOL

 

[Len-2A Training]

Demanding the SSN is a violation of the "Right to Privacy Act of 1974", a Fed Law 5 USC 552a. In fact the standard LTC application form (I'm sure that Boston doesn't use it, after all it is mandated as the only form by MGLs) "requests" it as Optional and is non-compliant with the Fed Law.

However, Boston is exempt from the need to obey any laws, so nothing applies to them.

Best suggestion would be to move out of the city.

 

[JellyFish]

Yup but they won't process your application unless you give it to them. Nor will they put a refusal in writing so you can take them to court. You wil have nothing with which to hold them accountable. Nothing.

Boston does whatever it wants to do. Period.

Move out. There's no alternative. This place is a lawless shithole governed by corrupt turds.

Demanding the SSN is a violation of the "Right to Privacy Act of 1974", a Fed Law 5 USC 552a. In fact the standard LTC application form (I'm sure that Boston doesn't use it, after all it is mandated as the only form by MGLs) "requests" it as Optional and is non-compliant with the Fed Law.

However, Boston is exempt from the need to obey any laws, so nothing applies to them.

Best suggestion would be to move out of the city.

 

[DivideByZero]

Thanks; that and Jeremiah's ginormous guide are proving extremely helpful.
I'll consider becoming a refugee to Medford or Somerville if the opportunity presents itself (not for a while, probably). Of course, then I'd have to wait for my LTC with illegally-imposed restrictions to expire before they'd issue me a new, Constitution-compatible one, so that complicates things even more. [sad2]

 

[JellyFish]

Check carefully before you move. Make sure that your information as to what kind of license will be issued is current. It changes sometimes when police chiefs change.

I think you can renew your license whenever you want. I don't believe you have to wait for it to expire.

Thanks; that and Jeremiah's ginormous guide are proving extremely helpful.
I'll consider becoming a refugee to Medford or Somerville if the opportunity presents itself (not for a while, probably). Of course, then I'd have to wait for my LTC with illegally-imposed restrictions to expire before they'd issue me a new, Constitution-compatible one, so that complicates things even more. [sad2]

 

[JellyFish]

BTW, you might want to carry pepper spray and/or some kind of pocket knife with you if you end up with a crippled gun license. No, it's not as good as carrying a pistol but it's better than being totally disarmed.

 

[DivideByZero]

I think you can renew your license whenever you want. I don't believe you have to wait for it to expire.

I recall reading something about one town's Chief not wanting to over-rule another's... if that's not the case, then that eases my mind.
Good suggestion- I'll definitely be getting some pepper spray on my crippled licence.

 

[JellyFish]

The stuff I use is the Sabre defense spray:

http://www.sabrered.com/

There's a good FAQ on pepper sprays, etc. here:

http://www.protectiondepot.com/pepper_spray_faq.htm

 

[JellyFish]

It probably depends on the chief. It doesn't hurt to try to get a new license from whatever town you move into.

I recall reading something about one town's Chief not wanting to over-rule another's... if that's not the case, then that eases my mind.
Good suggestion- I'll definitely be getting some pepper spray on my crippled licence.

 

[Jeremiah]

I suspect that the BPD desk-jockeys are like most petty bureaucrats: their primary motivation is to keep their own work load at a minimum.
1. If you go into headquarters acting like a sheep they'll give you the bare minimum of service--whatever they need to do to keep the cheif from yelling at them. As far as I can tell that is: a) you DO get a license, b) it's sport/target restricted.
2. I bet that if you go in with a legal representation and the promise to put them through the ringer on every legal violation they commit, they'll probably give you fair treatment. It's better for the desk jockey to get you through the system and out of their hair than to cause themselves extra work. So, hiring Cross-X, jcohen or Scrivener (names listed in alphabetical order--I have no grounds on which to make a recommendation) or any other knowledgable lawyer may go a long way towards getting you an unrestricted license.
3. (Promising to give the BPD hell WITHOUT having legal knowledge is not recommended--sounds like a recipe for disaster.)

Choice 2 is probably prohibitively expensive. It was for me. Moving away from Boston is a better choice IMHO.

Oh, and I think it's better to get the license sooner than to wait. You'll have more fun. Have a modicum of protection. God help us all if Reilly gets elected. All those considerations...

p.s. glad to hear the instructions helped. First time I've heard that.

 

[dwarven1]

Let me second the advice to talk to an attorney - From what I've read, Boston seems to like giving folks the runaround. It can't hurt to have someone in your corner who knows what to do.

I got lucky - Marlboro gives out ALPs. If I was still living in Hudson, however, and wanted to carry, I'd be hiring a lawyer myself. (Hudson is a RED town.)

 

[JellyFish]

How is an attorney going to help you unless you have an employment related reason for a license to carry concealed? Carrying large amounts of cash, etc.

For the average person, I don't think an attorney can do squat in dealing with the Boston PD. Are there any attorneys on the board? Am I wrong here? Have some attorneys gotten ALPs for average joes in Boston?

If I'm wrong somebody please correct me.

Let me second the advice to talk to an attorney - From what I've read, Boston seems to like giving folks the runaround. It can't hurt to have someone in your corner who knows what to do.

I got lucky - Marlboro gives out ALPs. If I was still living in Hudson, however, and wanted to carry, I'd be hiring a lawyer myself. (Hudson is a RED town.)

 

[Jeremiah]

JellyFish, have you read this? http://northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=1784
The state's licensing laws are flawed. By giving the BPD such a letter (again, actual atty. representation probably helps a lot) you are signalling that you KNOW the flaws and are willing to make the process very bothersome for them if they don't play nice. Most pretty bureaucrats in their state-sanctioned, union-protected fiefdoms will choose to give you what you want, rather than cause themselves any extra work.

Secondly, the BPD itself does things that are not required by law--like requiring proof of gun-club membership. Again, since THEY are breaking the law already, the last thing they want is a lawyer getting them in hot water over some random civilian's gun license. From their perspective, it's probably better to give the random guy what he wants and continue ruling over the rest of the sheep than to risk losing their jealously protected superiority.

Does all this guarantee success? I don't know--again, I've always been too cheap to hire a lawyer. But we do know that (because the BPD illegally uses the licensing regulations to restrict gun rights) just going in and asking nicely for a license gets you shafted. Since the BPD is willing to break the law just to keep you from getting a proper license, you might consider it worth your while to have someone on your side when dealing with them.

 

[KMaurer]

...

For the average person, I don't think an attorney can do squat in dealing with the Boston PD. Are there any attorneys on the board? Am I wrong here? Have some attorneys gotten ALPs for average joes in Boston?

...

While I've never had the misfortune to live in Boston, I've heard from a few residents/inmates who have managed to get unrestricted licenses with proper legal preparation and assistance.

Attorneys here? --- As mentioned previously, Cross-X, jcohen and Scrivener are all practicing attorneys in Massachusetts. It's possible there are others with whom I'm not familiar.

Ken

 

[JellyFish]

Okay, I guess I stand corrected. Maybe an attorney would help.

I'm still going to move though. It isn't worth the headache to live here.

 

[Chris]

Move to Arlington. Closest to Boston A/ALP issuer there is.

 

[SiameseRat]

I recall reading something about one town's Chief not wanting to over-rule another's... if that's not the case, then that eases my mind.
Good suggestion- I'll definitely be getting some pepper spray on my crippled licence.

That was me. Firstly, you mentioned Medford or Somerville. I'm in Somerville, you'll get a S&T restriction unless you're really, really connected or lucky. Medford only issues "Protection of Life" to business owners, otherwise it's S&T there too.
And yes, I moved to Melrose, a town that gives out ALP and re-applied early. I was told by the Lt. that the Chief would not want to over-rule the previous Chief since I wasn't actually due for renewal. Then he took my application and let it sit on his desk for 6 weeks before returning it to me untouched. I'm back in Somerville now so no deal on trying again. Oh well. Best of luck either way. And yes, get some pepper spray. At least it's something...

 

[DivideByZero]

Medford only issues "Protection of Life" to business owners, otherwise it's S&T there too.

Thanks for the info; Packing.org had them as Green, so I'm glad I asked.

I was told by the Lt. that the Chief would not want to over-rule the previous Chief since I wasn't actually due for renewal. Then he took my application and let it sit on his desk for 6 weeks before returning it to me untouched.

This is mind-bogglingly upsetting.

 

[Cross-X]

How is an attorney going to help you unless you have an employment related reason for a license to carry concealed? Carrying large amounts of cash, etc.

For the average person, I don't think an attorney can do squat in dealing with the Boston PD. Are there any attorneys on the board? Am I wrong here? Have some attorneys gotten ALPs for average joes in Boston?

If I'm wrong somebody please correct me.

Yes, I think you are mistaken. I have counseled a number of clients as to how to improve their chances for securing an ALP Class A LTC in Boston. While not every client has been successful, more than half of them have been.

Darius Arbabi
massgunlaw.com

 

[JellyFish]

Thank you for the clarification, it's good for people to know that.

Yes, I think you are mistaken. I have counseled a number of clients as to how to improve their chances for securing an ALP Class A LTC in Boston. While not every client has been successful, more than half of them have been.

Darius Arbabi
massgunlaw.com