-
If you enjoy the forum please consider supporting it by signing up for a NES Membership The benefits pay for the membership many times over.
-
Be sure to enter the NES/MFS May Giveaway ***Canik METE SFX***
Detailed steps on how to apply for a license in Boston
- Thread starter Jeremiah
- Start date
Legally, if it was taken post ~October 1998 it is still "good". HOWEVER, under "suitability" chiefs can demand that the cert be no more than x months old, and many do. Boston is not one of the easiest places to deal with, so I seriously doubt that they would ever accept a cert that is 10 years old, even from a MCJTC (back then) academy!
ETA: If you want the definitive word, give their Licensing Dept a call and ask.
ETA: If you want the definitive word, give their Licensing Dept a call and ask.
Wow how things have changed since 2007 I guess. I got mine in 2007 and not only did they give me the hardest time and were unprofessional, it took forever to get it. First when I applied I put all lawful purposes for the reason and the guy doing it basically laughed in my face and restricted me however he chose. Then I had to have my fingerprints taken 4 times! They "lost them" twice, and they claimed the state couldn't read them after the 3rd time. When I went down for the 4th time I called ahead to make sure someone was there that could do them, the woman I spoke with said yes anytime between 9-3pm. I got there around 11am. The same woman I talked to on the phone stated the person who did them was at lunch. She then tried to deny talking to me on the phone and telling me to come down! When I called her BS she eventually did them herself.
Then it came to Moon Island, I took the day off from work to go down and we all got down there on the date/time they gave us, but when we got there that day they said too bad, the Academy class is using the range and it never should have been scheduled, and that we would just have to reschedule. So I had to do that twice.
After all this I finally received my license in the mail 4 months after I first applied! It was the worst experience having to deal with them.
Glad to see though for other's sake that things appear to have change.
i wrote "all lawful purposes" and when we were going through all the materials i'd brought - license, birth cert., utility bills, safety class cert., gun club membership letter - they got down to the reason for issue section and just said they needed business documentation or something. After that i said "I don't have that" and they just changed it to target/sport or whatever. they didn't give me any crap or anything. I probably should have gone through the process of writing a letter outlining reasons i need to carry but i figure i wouldn't carry much anyway - most of the time when i'm out late in the city it's 'cause i've been drinking and you can't legally carry then anyway, also, the "duty to flee" law in MA when you're not in your home makes me second guess using a gun outside anyway - wanting to carry concealed was just an easy way of transporting from Boston to NH I guess (after i'd applied for the NH CCW permit).
can't wait to target shoot at MRA!
I figured 11 years was a bit more then they might be willing to accept. I just looked up schedule with GOAL and the NRA Basic Pistol class is already full through July. I better sign up quick....
try this course:
http://www.firearmsafetyacademy.com/
there's no range component but it's the class i used to apply for my LTC and he's got a ton of classes. It was held on mystic ave in Medford which is really close to Charlestown. I rode my bike there in about 10 or 15 minutes. I'm not sure if he's all full now but as a comparison when i called the MRA to take a class they were full until early May (i asked at the beginning of April) and Paul at firearm safety academy was open for the following week. I'd check that one out if you haven't already.
although you might want to make the call to the BPD licensing dept. and maybe save yourself some money... 617-343-4425 is the number.
http://www.firearmsafetyacademy.com/
there's no range component but it's the class i used to apply for my LTC and he's got a ton of classes. It was held on mystic ave in Medford which is really close to Charlestown. I rode my bike there in about 10 or 15 minutes. I'm not sure if he's all full now but as a comparison when i called the MRA to take a class they were full until early May (i asked at the beginning of April) and Paul at firearm safety academy was open for the following week. I'd check that one out if you haven't already.
although you might want to make the call to the BPD licensing dept. and maybe save yourself some money... 617-343-4425 is the number.
Last edited:
It really is still kind of a mixed bag. My wife and I have both been through it a couple of times and most of my Basic Pistol students apply in Boston, so get feedback from them.
The range has never been an issue for any of us. I did once get scheduled during an in service day, but they took care of me. They actually are pretty cool out there and were as annoyed as I was that I got scheduled on the wrong day.
[STRIKE]Franz Kafka[/STRIKE] (I mean) Schroeder Plaza is hit or miss. They were great about doing my prints for an out-of-state permit, but never took prints from one of my student when he went in to apply. It was eight weeks before he figured it out and went back. They told him it would be another eight weeks after that, but it was more like two.
The range has never been an issue for any of us. I did once get scheduled during an in service day, but they took care of me. They actually are pretty cool out there and were as annoyed as I was that I got scheduled on the wrong day.
[STRIKE]Franz Kafka[/STRIKE] (I mean) Schroeder Plaza is hit or miss. They were great about doing my prints for an out-of-state permit, but never took prints from one of my student when he went in to apply. It was eight weeks before he figured it out and went back. They told him it would be another eight weeks after that, but it was more like two.
Hi All,
New to the forum and new to the experience of applying for a Class A LTC in Boston (restricted of course) and was hoping for some advice...
Went to Schroeder Plaza to get the application and they provided me with a checklist of required documents. On the application it asks whether you are a 'Naturalized Citizen' - I am a US citizen (have passport) but was not born in the US and derived my citizenship as a child (under 18 yrs of age) through my parents when they were naturalized. Technically speaking, I am not a 'Naturlized Citizen'. I explained my situation to the officer in the Licensing department and asked what documentation/proof I should provide to show that I am a US citizen. She was trying to be helpful but did not know what to do...
Anybody ever face this scenario and what did you do to satisfy the requirement?
Thanks in advance,
Ed
New to the forum and new to the experience of applying for a Class A LTC in Boston (restricted of course) and was hoping for some advice...
Went to Schroeder Plaza to get the application and they provided me with a checklist of required documents. On the application it asks whether you are a 'Naturalized Citizen' - I am a US citizen (have passport) but was not born in the US and derived my citizenship as a child (under 18 yrs of age) through my parents when they were naturalized. Technically speaking, I am not a 'Naturlized Citizen'. I explained my situation to the officer in the Licensing department and asked what documentation/proof I should provide to show that I am a US citizen. She was trying to be helpful but did not know what to do...
Anybody ever face this scenario and what did you do to satisfy the requirement?
Thanks in advance,
Ed
Do you have a US Passport?
AFAIK we don't issue US passports to too many non-citizens.
I didn't have my birth cert. on hand the day i wanted to go apply so i called the licensing department and asked if they accept passports and the person on the phone said they only accept a birth certificate.
Anyone of you guys that applied recently get your license yet. Im looking at 2 weeks right now. I know the original post says 2-6 months but my friend got his in January and it only took 2.5 weeks to get it.
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2007
- Messages
- 11,135
- Likes
- 1,600
be patient, grasshopper
I took my Moon Island test on Friday and at the range they told me 6-8 weeks. If I have not seen anything after week 6 call the licensing department.
FYI the instructor I had made me shoot double action at 7yds. I was given the option of 2 handed but not single or double at the 7 yard mark. At 14yds it was my choice.
FYI the instructor I had made me shoot double action at 7yds. I was given the option of 2 handed but not single or double at the 7 yard mark. At 14yds it was my choice.
Also wanted to mention BPD does not require any references or letters of reference when applying. I was told a lot of applicants fingerprints had been coming back as illegible and that I may be required to come back down and get reprinted. I sure hope I don't getting there is a royal pain.
any thoughts on the amount of time that elapses before they need the fingerprints? Is that the first thing they have to deal with or are prints used later in the process?
I'm just hoping that they don't call me after a month and say they need me to redo the fingerprints...
So they call you if your prints need to be redone? Wow I just thought you'd call eventually and theyd let you know. I'm over 3 weeks now and havent heard anything. I'll call If I get passed 30 days with nothing I guess.
sucks to be me! i applied for mine 4 weeks ago tomorrow (took the moon island test the next day though) and still haven't got it in the mail...
congratulations though! happy gun buying!
Question for all you Bostonians...
I have everything I need to apply for my LTC, except only one utility bill (cable) is in my name. The rest (gas, electric...) are in my wife's name.
As a former city worker, I think I know the answer to this, but here goes... when they say you need to show 2 utility bills, do they mean exactly that, period? Would they accept a cable bill and a mortgage statement? Anybody here gotten away with this?
I had my wife add my name to the NStar bill today, but it won't take effect until next billing cycle. Frustrating.
I have everything I need to apply for my LTC, except only one utility bill (cable) is in my name. The rest (gas, electric...) are in my wife's name.
As a former city worker, I think I know the answer to this, but here goes... when they say you need to show 2 utility bills, do they mean exactly that, period? Would they accept a cable bill and a mortgage statement? Anybody here gotten away with this?
I had my wife add my name to the NStar bill today, but it won't take effect until next billing cycle. Frustrating.
Thanks! I'll give it a try tomorrow, then. I live close by, so it wouldn't be the end of the world if they tell me to come back.
I tried calling them just now with no answer. Anybody happen to know what time the public service counter opens in the morning?
I tried calling them just now with no answer. Anybody happen to know what time the public service counter opens in the morning?
I don't remember which two i gave them but in the interest of not getting turned away i brought 3... Reason being I didn't know if they wanted bills from two different utilities, or, two sequential bills from the same utility company to prove you've been there for a bit. Because of this i brought two of the same type of utility one month apart, and another bill from a different type of utility.
Like i said I don't know which two I gave them but I do remember the guy at the counter didn't really care which two I gave him. He sort of looked at me cross-eyed when i asked which two he wanted.
