- Joined
- Jul 18, 2014
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Hi all.
I've been meaning to post this somewhere for a while now, but just getting around to it. It's slightly old news, but hopefully relevant for some other poor souls out there.
tl;dr: If you were/are a MA resident and are mysteriously flagged as a fugitive from justice, it might be due to a missed/ignored Jury Duty summons! Also, be persistent!
Details, for posterity:
6/5/14 - Tried to buy my first gun as a ME resident, DENIED (!!)
Immediately initiated Voluntary Appeal process (fingerprints, etc.),
thinking that there was a mixup due to similar names or something.
6/13/14 - Got a letter back from FBI stating that my denial was based on a record
marking me as a fugitive from justice! This was big news to me, as
I've lived a pretty boring life. NO idea what was going on, had to be
some bizarre mistake. The only clue I had was information indicating
that the prohibiting record was from MA. I had lived in MA
for a couple of years after college, but hadn't lived there for over 10
years by this point. Tried to get info via CORI online, nothing. Made a
paper-based CORI request.
7/1/14 - After a comedy of errors in trying to get a paper-based CORI request
approved (missed the detail that personal checks are not accepted, so
had to send a money order for $25!), finally get a response that there is
officially nothing in the CORI system for me. I fax the information to
NICS, hoping that they will see that there is some mistake, and wait.
7/9/14 - Finally receive a response from NICS stating that my clean record
notwithstanding, there is still a prohibiting record in their system and
they do not have the authority to remove it. I'll have to figure that part
out myself. By this point, I am really at a loss. Officially, the state of MA
appears to have no problem with me. In fact, just a few weeks earlier I
got stopped on I-90 near Chicopee for passing a truck at 72 in a 55. The
nice state trooper writes me a ticket but doesn't invite me back to the
barracks in bracelets as one might expect him to do with a fugitive from
justice.
7/10/14 - After stewing for a bit, I spend most of a morning harassing various MA
bureaucrats in the MA DCJIS firearms division before I find someone
who will figure out what the problem is. FINALLY, some answers.
Apparently, a summons for Jury Duty was sent to my old address in MA
and was never forwarded or returned. In MA, failure to perform jury
service will result in an automatic bench warrant being issued for the
person's arrest. But not really? All that seemed to have happened was
that MA put a record in the federal NICS database. I wrote a letter to
the district court where the bench warrant had been issued, explaining
the situation and asking to please vacant the warrant. I didn't mention
NICS or trying to buy my first gun, though.
7/16/14 - After calling in and asking about status a few times, I'm advised that
my case will be heard, and later that day I'm told that the warrant has
been vacated. Woo!
7/18/14 - Got paper records of the warrant cancellation, faxed to NICS, also called
in to harass people in the MA DCJIS firearms division again. Stayed on it
until late on a Friday afternoon when I spoke with a lady who clearly
just wanted to clock out, and agreed with a sigh to update the computer
record right then while I was on the phone. A few clicks, and it was
done.
7/19/14 - Picked up my SA XD .40. NICS check passed without a hitch. The guys
at the gun shop said they'd never seen a "Deny" turn into a "Proceed" before.
Since then, I've acquired several other guns in ME and in MA (I'm back!), never a problem.
Other thoughts/observations:
If the guys at the gun shop offer to have "their buddy the city cop" come by to check your background to see what the problem is, FOR THE LOVE OF PETE, DON'T DO IT!! Being the naive, trusting soul that I am, I thought this was a great idea. It turned out "he wasn't available", but in hindsight I realized that this might have been a great way to meet new friends and have new experiences behind bars while the clerical error was sorted out. I think back on that and just shake my head in amazement at how stupid I was... I knew I hadn't done anything, but do you think the cop would have cared to hear my side of it? Nope!
I've been meaning to post this somewhere for a while now, but just getting around to it. It's slightly old news, but hopefully relevant for some other poor souls out there.
tl;dr: If you were/are a MA resident and are mysteriously flagged as a fugitive from justice, it might be due to a missed/ignored Jury Duty summons! Also, be persistent!
Details, for posterity:
6/5/14 - Tried to buy my first gun as a ME resident, DENIED (!!)
Immediately initiated Voluntary Appeal process (fingerprints, etc.),
thinking that there was a mixup due to similar names or something.
6/13/14 - Got a letter back from FBI stating that my denial was based on a record
marking me as a fugitive from justice! This was big news to me, as
I've lived a pretty boring life. NO idea what was going on, had to be
some bizarre mistake. The only clue I had was information indicating
that the prohibiting record was from MA. I had lived in MA
for a couple of years after college, but hadn't lived there for over 10
years by this point. Tried to get info via CORI online, nothing. Made a
paper-based CORI request.
7/1/14 - After a comedy of errors in trying to get a paper-based CORI request
approved (missed the detail that personal checks are not accepted, so
had to send a money order for $25!), finally get a response that there is
officially nothing in the CORI system for me. I fax the information to
NICS, hoping that they will see that there is some mistake, and wait.
7/9/14 - Finally receive a response from NICS stating that my clean record
notwithstanding, there is still a prohibiting record in their system and
they do not have the authority to remove it. I'll have to figure that part
out myself. By this point, I am really at a loss. Officially, the state of MA
appears to have no problem with me. In fact, just a few weeks earlier I
got stopped on I-90 near Chicopee for passing a truck at 72 in a 55. The
nice state trooper writes me a ticket but doesn't invite me back to the
barracks in bracelets as one might expect him to do with a fugitive from
justice.
7/10/14 - After stewing for a bit, I spend most of a morning harassing various MA
bureaucrats in the MA DCJIS firearms division before I find someone
who will figure out what the problem is. FINALLY, some answers.
Apparently, a summons for Jury Duty was sent to my old address in MA
and was never forwarded or returned. In MA, failure to perform jury
service will result in an automatic bench warrant being issued for the
person's arrest. But not really? All that seemed to have happened was
that MA put a record in the federal NICS database. I wrote a letter to
the district court where the bench warrant had been issued, explaining
the situation and asking to please vacant the warrant. I didn't mention
NICS or trying to buy my first gun, though.
7/16/14 - After calling in and asking about status a few times, I'm advised that
my case will be heard, and later that day I'm told that the warrant has
been vacated. Woo!
7/18/14 - Got paper records of the warrant cancellation, faxed to NICS, also called
in to harass people in the MA DCJIS firearms division again. Stayed on it
until late on a Friday afternoon when I spoke with a lady who clearly
just wanted to clock out, and agreed with a sigh to update the computer
record right then while I was on the phone. A few clicks, and it was
done.
7/19/14 - Picked up my SA XD .40. NICS check passed without a hitch. The guys
at the gun shop said they'd never seen a "Deny" turn into a "Proceed" before.
Since then, I've acquired several other guns in ME and in MA (I'm back!), never a problem.
Other thoughts/observations:
If the guys at the gun shop offer to have "their buddy the city cop" come by to check your background to see what the problem is, FOR THE LOVE OF PETE, DON'T DO IT!! Being the naive, trusting soul that I am, I thought this was a great idea. It turned out "he wasn't available", but in hindsight I realized that this might have been a great way to meet new friends and have new experiences behind bars while the clerical error was sorted out. I think back on that and just shake my head in amazement at how stupid I was... I knew I hadn't done anything, but do you think the cop would have cared to hear my side of it? Nope!
