No, I don't think it was appropriate. But MA law gives police chiefs a great deal of discretion in issuing or revoking LTCs. After several years and undoubtedly large legal fees, the gun owner as able to get a judge to order the chief to issue him an LTC.
I don't think most Chiefs would go as full retard as this chief did, but that is the risk with discretionary licensing. None of us like it, but we don't have the votes on Beacon Hill to get shall issue licensing.
Correction due here:
The affected person did post here after it was all over, so a search might (maybe) yield that explanation. I remember only his first name, Joe.
He lost all of the court cases.
His lawyer negotiated a deal when the chief retired that the next chief would issue, but only a restricted (no CCW) LTC. It was something like 5+ years from the incident and he was a gun collector. No idea what happened to his collection or how much the legal fees cost him.
He came out of a pizza joint in Dedham Square with a couple of pizza boxes and the wind caught his jacket. The PD is across the street and an officer spotted the gun, called him over, checked him out and let him continue on his way. However the report he wrote up caught the chief's eye (or perhaps he reported it verbally as well - unknown) and the chief revoked his LTC as "unsuitable".