Help from Boston Globe: Illegal Licensing!

Fsorrent

Fsorrent

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Matt Carroll from the Boston Globe is reviewing all of the paperwork GOAL sent to the Attorney General's office. If your local police department requires that any of the following accompany your application for an LTC or FID, please call Matt at 781.826.1053 or email him at [email protected]

Examples of Illegal Licensing Activities:
Requiring written references
Requiring you belong to a gun club
Requiring a note from your doctor for reasons other than described in the statute.
Charging more than the $100 fee
Using an application other than the one required by law. This includes any additional waivers or releases.
Requiring additional training for renewals
If renewing your LTC in a new town it is not procedure to require a letter from the previous town's Police Chief stating there were no problems that might indicate you are an unsuitable person for the renewal.

Got this in an email, as I'm sure most of you did!
 
It'll be intertesting to see their take on it. Because their actions are illegal, I have a feeling they will enjoy it. Imagine that, our Police departments performing illegal activities. Of course, they will have to appease the sheep and make sure to let them know that it's for their safety!
 
Globe readership is down 9%, perhaps they are trying to win back some lost readers?

Anyone sending them info? My buddy in Watertown is going to inform them of the horrible situation there....
 
Matt Carroll was the fellow who wrote the article about the declining license rate in MA last year in the Globe. While the article was reasonably unbiased, after some exchanges with MC, I felt it was based on very poor analysis of partial data sets, leading to some questionable conclusions. Granted he was given partial data and pressed by editors to wrap up the article, but that's not a great excuse. Comparing a full year of data in the past to 1/2 year of data in the future and concluding license rates were down is just not right. MC did not reply to my further inquiries, leading me to doubt his reliability.

I'd much rather see GOAL interacting with MC than direct interaction with GOAL members, just so there is a uniformity in reporting.
 
my towns application states:

LIST NAME AND ADDRESSES OF TWO REFERENCES (NOT REQUIRED IF APPLYING FOR A FIREARMS IDENTIFICATION
CARD):
1._____________________________________________________________________________________________________

but thats not a written reference. I swear they just use the standard form, can anyone confirm that this is standard??
 
hollewud7 said:
my towns application states:

LIST NAME AND ADDRESSES OF TWO REFERENCES (NOT REQUIRED IF APPLYING FOR A FIREARMS IDENTIFICATION
CARD):
1._____________________________________________________________________________________________________

but thats not a written reference. I swear they just use the standard form, can anyone confirm that this is standard??
Click to expand...

That is standard. THe wrriten reference means that they have to write a paragraph of BS about how your not going to magically become a criminal!
 
Fsorrent said:
It'll be intertesting to see their take on it. Because their actions are illegal, I have a feeling they will enjoy it. Imagine that, our Police departments performing illegal activities. Of course, they will have to appease the sheep and make sure to let them know that it's for their safety!
Click to expand...
The offending departments will be hailed as heroes because they broke the law in the name of making it more difficult to buy evil guns. I'm not joking either.
 
what about requiring a separate written letter to the chief describing your NEED for a LTC?

Applicants need to write a separate letter, addressed to the Chief of Police, explaining the want/need for the license applied for.
Click to expand...

Directly from the site... now, they must have come under some "fire" already because it used to say (as early as 6 months ago when my wife applied) "Need", the word "want" was not there.
 
a little more reading that i feel is a direct violation... but i'm sure (for some reason is not)

under the BPD FAQs

39. ARE THERE ANY CONDITIONS THAT I MUST SATISFY BEFORE BEING GRANTED A LTC (EITHER A OR B)?

Pursuant to c. 140§131, the licensing authority may issue a LTC (either A or B) if it appears that the applicant is a suitable person to be issued such license, and

a. that the applicant has good reason to fear injury to his person or property, or
b. for any other reason, including the carrying of firearms for use in sport or target practice only

NOTE: The above is subject to such restrictions expressed or authorized under this section. Therefore, if it appears to the licensing authority that the applicant is unsuitable, he or she will deny your application. It is this clause in the law that empowers the licensing authority to deny an applicant, even though the applicant might not have been convicted of a crime.
Click to expand...

So... how is that legal?
 
Gabe said:
The offending departments will be hailed as heroes because they broke the law in the name of making it more difficult to buy evil guns. I'm not joking either.
Click to expand...

you're absolutely right. They'll use it to praise the system that allows such broad discretion for each issuing authority.
 
I sent a note to the reporter about my experience, which was that in addition to the required two letters of reference, the licensing officer told me "we WILL resrict you", even though I asked for an ALP. He did not give a reason, and it has become pretty obvious that in Newton the policy is to always give restricted licenses. This seems like an abuse of the "discretion" granted to the police chief, because there is no discrimination being used, every applicant is being restricted by default. It seems like a pint-sized version of the Washington DC situation; there is a permit required but they are never issued, so effectively there is no right to carry.
 
Brockton is also an automatic restriction for first time apply... they "say" that you would be unrestricted after you renew...

I'll believe it when i see it... Although i have been told that this is true... just find it stupid that I need to wait 6 years to ensure my safety...
 
I manage commercial rental properties in Littleton and Concord Mass. I continually get requests from the PD's in these and other local towns for donations for whatever causes. My response is that I will donate when I have assurance that the PD issues ALP LTC's with no restrictions. I save some money that way and get the message across. What a shitty way to have to operate. Jack.
 
This is the reply I just got.

Thanks for responding so quickly. I have to admit, I have been a little
overwhelmed with responses, so it may take a week or so before I have a
chance to get back to you, but I will get back to you.

Matt Carroll
 
Why would anyone respond to a Globe reporter fishing for this stuff? All this will do is to
lay out the guidelines for towns that currently have few, if any, add-ons to the licensing
requirement a roadmap to add on illegal requirements with State sanctioned impunity. What
am I missing here?
 
The Boston Patriot said:
Why would anyone respond to a Globe reporter fishing for this stuff? All this will do is to
lay out the guidelines for towns that currently have few, if any, add-ons to the licensing
requirement a roadmap to add on illegal requirements with State sanctioned impunity. What
am I missing here?
Click to expand...

Maybe being a member of Goal and getting an email requesting we try and forward along our problems to this reporter.
 
Changing the gun laws is entirely a public relations effort.
Anything we can do to help is essential. As everyone knows, the news media usually mess up some critical point in a story and end up making black look like white, freedom look like slavery, etc, but that is all the more reason to try and engage the reporters early and explain the issues in a coherent and persuasive way as possible.
 
Dirtypacman said:
Maybe being a member of Goal and getting an email requesting we try and forward along our problems to this reporter.
Click to expand...

I have been a member of GOAL for over twenty years and as much of a supporter of the
organization as I am, I don't do everything they tell me to do if I think that it is a wrong
thing to do. Maybe GOAL is less wary of the dark side than I am? I see nothing good
coming out of participating in this. Think Emily Rooney...
 
Last edited:
The Boston Patriot said:
I have been a member of GOAL for over twenty years and as much of a supporter of the
organization as I am, I don't do everything they tell me to do if I think that it is a wrong
thing to do. Maybe GOAL is less wary of the dark side than I am? I see nothing good
coming out of participating in this. Think Emily Rooney...
Click to expand...

Well you have many years over me in the participation with GOAL.. for that I thank you.

I too have picked which things I felt strongly enough to try and persue. Let's just say I am hoping for the best and I tried to do my part to help.
 
I sent the information about Watertown and Easton to the Globe and copied GOAL. (Watertown is ridiculous, Easton "just" asks for two letters of reference.)

I'm not expecting a newspaper story to change the law but maybe we'll be pleasantly surprised by a pro-gun story some day [rolleyes]
 
I emailed such info regarding my red town to GOAL when I read their request in The Outdoor Message (great rag, look forward to it every month). Unless otherwise informed I will presume they sent it on to Mr. Carroll.
 

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