New guy here! I know this question probably has been asked a dozen times but my situation is a bit different then most. Recently I decided to go through the process of getting my LTC in Billerica due to the loss of a family member. On October 2nd my sister in law was killed during the Las Vegas Shooting. After all of this I would like to get a handgun in order to better protect my family, self and property. I’m considering writing about this in my request letter but also don’t want the chief to think I am making this decision based on emotions. I have been around guns most of my life and frequently target shoot with a friend who shoots IDPA. I am requesting a unrestricted license. Thank you in advance.
-
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.
LTC Reason For Request Billerica
- Thread starter KayakGuy
- Start date
bigpick
NES Member
First of all sorry for your loss my condolences to you and your family. You already answered a good part of your question with "After all of this I would like to get a handgun in order to better protect my family, self and property." Minus the property part. Good luck
CRSIII
NES Member
Get educated.
Merely having the means to protect you and your loved ones doesn’t gauranty anything.
Training takes dedication.
I understand where your coming from, and I’m sorry for your loss.
But without the proper training and mindset, having a firearm could just make things worse.
Merely having the means to protect you and your loved ones doesn’t gauranty anything.
Training takes dedication.
I understand where your coming from, and I’m sorry for your loss.
But without the proper training and mindset, having a firearm could just make things worse.
CRSIII, Im with you on training. I come from a background of sea kayaking, as my name implies. I have spent the past four years training myself and others on handling open water incidents. Me getting into firearms will be no different. Training is on the forefront of my list.
In God We Trust
NES Member
If I remember correctly, some towns don't accept that anymore. I think my town was one of those, but I wrote it anyway and got my LTC.
Unless your town specifically says otherwise, "all lawful purposes " is what you should write.
MachineHead
NES Member
Sorry to hear about your sister. Good luck getting your LTC and keep training.
napoleon1815
NES Member
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2013
- Messages
- 2,313
- Likes
- 851
napoleon1815
NES Member
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2013
- Messages
- 2,313
- Likes
- 851
In my town you can’t get unrestricted unless you have a job where you can prove you carry large sums of money OR (my favorite) you can prove you may be a victim of a future crime.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Mesatchornug
NES Member
Looks like Billerica's green
I wouldn't sweat it too much. Use the most pragmatic wording you can, and get trained. Meanwhile, disabuse yourself of the idea that defending property is justifiable in MA. If you want to really ice the cake, throw in a little bit about your dedication to responsibility and training.
I wouldn't sweat it too much. Use the most pragmatic wording you can, and get trained. Meanwhile, disabuse yourself of the idea that defending property is justifiable in MA. If you want to really ice the cake, throw in a little bit about your dedication to responsibility and training.
Billerica is green, don't stress too much. We moved there a year ago.
If you're a 21 year old man with neck tatoos they'll look at you hard and the reason has to be really good.
If you're a 40 year old woman who dresses like a grownup they just chat with you for a bit while typing up the application (and then give you an unrestricted LTC-A)
I'm guessing you're neither, but probably closer to 40 than 21.
I'd put something like, "for personal protection inside and outside the home, for hunting, for collecting, for recreation, and organized competition"
Basically put all the things you might want to do, and let them figure out that "restrictions: NONE" is the right answer.
If you're a 21 year old man with neck tatoos they'll look at you hard and the reason has to be really good.
If you're a 40 year old woman who dresses like a grownup they just chat with you for a bit while typing up the application (and then give you an unrestricted LTC-A)
I'm guessing you're neither, but probably closer to 40 than 21.
I'd put something like, "for personal protection inside and outside the home, for hunting, for collecting, for recreation, and organized competition"
Basically put all the things you might want to do, and let them figure out that "restrictions: NONE" is the right answer.
JimO
NES Member
I agree with milktree. I also live in Billerica. I forget exactly what I put on the application. Something along the lines of I'd like to be able to protect myself and family, if the need arose. My feeling is that if everything looks reasonable, you'll get unrestricted. Since you have to take the required safety course first, you could ask the instructor about what you should put. Most of them seem pretty decent about supplying reasons that look good.
I think that might be a generalization. The SGT I interviewed with asked me to remove my peacoat (the only semblance of class that I had), and didn't care that I was a 23 year old in a raggedy white shirt, covered in tattoos. I spoke politely, stated I wanted the license unrestricted for "All lawful purposes," and received it a while later with no issues.
OP, I'm truly sorry for your loss. You should have no issues getting an LTC, especially if you highlight your dedication to training and proper use of a firearm.
First - Don't overthink this. In 2016, Billerica restricted 48 out of the 489 LTCs that they issued. For them, that's higher that what they've don't traditionally, and it's a high rate of restrictions than the state as a whole. All but one of the restricted licenses issued by BPD in 2016 were new applications. They almost NEVER issue restricted renewal licenses.
I thinking about personal safety, we need to stick to the facts. One (of the many things) I really hate about the 2A-gun control debate is the fear-mongering by both side. The antis want people to be believe that we live in a dangerous society and that gun owners are especially dangerous people. Far too many pro-2A groups want us to believe that the world we live in is much more dangerous to the average person than it actually is. The truth is that violent crime is at or near historic lows - even though you would not be expected to understand that from the current public discourse. This is inspite of the fact that levels of gun ownership and the carrying for firearms is increasing markedly year-over-year.
Like anything else, having and carrying a firearm for self defense has its limits. A handgun is no more effective against a guy shooting at you from 300 yards away and 32 floors up than my little kitchen fire extinguisher is at putting down a boiler fire.
Get educated; apply for the license and specify 'for all lawful purposes - restrictions 'none'', know your limits and the limits of whatever firearms you chose to carry.
I thinking about personal safety, we need to stick to the facts. One (of the many things) I really hate about the 2A-gun control debate is the fear-mongering by both side. The antis want people to be believe that we live in a dangerous society and that gun owners are especially dangerous people. Far too many pro-2A groups want us to believe that the world we live in is much more dangerous to the average person than it actually is. The truth is that violent crime is at or near historic lows - even though you would not be expected to understand that from the current public discourse. This is inspite of the fact that levels of gun ownership and the carrying for firearms is increasing markedly year-over-year.
Like anything else, having and carrying a firearm for self defense has its limits. A handgun is no more effective against a guy shooting at you from 300 yards away and 32 floors up than my little kitchen fire extinguisher is at putting down a boiler fire.
Get educated; apply for the license and specify 'for all lawful purposes - restrictions 'none'', know your limits and the limits of whatever firearms you chose to carry.
JayMcB
NES Member
- Joined
- Aug 8, 2011
- Messages
- 22,312
- Likes
- 108,706
Tell them that based on previous events you're concerned about your rights being raped by Maura. We're all victims of that crime.
Sorry for your loss.
Good luck with the licensing. I suggest reading https://www.amazon.com/Law-Self-Defense-Indispensable-Citizen/dp/0988867702, it's a good summary and has state-specific tables for all the concepts he talks about. Your training course will give you some guidelines, the license packet will probably have a one-sheet summary, but this book opened my eyes to how different it can be depending on the state. Massachusetts is frequently held up as the one with the most restrictions for the different concepts. Eye-opening reading.
Also training, that comes after the license and gun, however.
Good luck with the licensing. I suggest reading https://www.amazon.com/Law-Self-Defense-Indispensable-Citizen/dp/0988867702, it's a good summary and has state-specific tables for all the concepts he talks about. Your training course will give you some guidelines, the license packet will probably have a one-sheet summary, but this book opened my eyes to how different it can be depending on the state. Massachusetts is frequently held up as the one with the most restrictions for the different concepts. Eye-opening reading.
Also training, that comes after the license and gun, however.
Lank
NES Member
Sorry on both accounts. Not to soapbox pontificate but you should never need a reason to exercise fundamental human rights.
That's what I put on mine 6 years ago and they issued the license, no questions asked. My fiancee applied in 2016 and put that on hers. Had an unrestricted LTC in hand less than a month later.
Condolences on your sister in law. I would keep it short and sweet and simple. Just say what you said above: "I would like to get a handgun in order to better protect my family, self, and property; and maybe for other uses such as target practice or maybe even a competition some day.", and leave it at that. Anything more about "the why" just causes them to put you under a magnifying glass, which is not going to help you.
Good luck.
Last edited:
This.
Sorry for your loss. Hope your family is holding up as well as they can.
Last edited:
I'm a Billerica resident. Here's the deal - you will get unrestricted if you are over 25. If you are under 25, such as I was, you will get Target & Hunting until you turn 25, at which point you can bump up to unrestricted by just making a call (no need to renew or anything, Diane at the PD just lets you know when your new LTC arrives).
Chief Rosa will not issue MG licenses.
Chief Rosa will not issue MG licenses.
Good, I'm glad to be wrong about that. I'm reporting what my wife reported from her conversation with the woman who did the paperwork.
The difference might be that they didn't ask her *anything*, it was entirely just filling in paperwork and playing with the fingerprint machine and chatting, whereas you just had to not be a jerk.
amm5061
NES Member
My condolences to you and your family. That was such a tragic event, and I can't imagine losing a family member that way.
As many others have said, avoid mentioning protecting property. That's a no-no in this state. Other than that, you can absolutely mention your loss and it won't be considered an emotional decision.
Also I have to echo the sentiment about training, and it seems like you have the dedication to make that commitment. Take some classes if you can. Len's mass firearms law seminar is a good place to start. Refuse to be a victim is another. Once you get your license and find your carry gun, train with it. There are lots of concealed carry classes offered around the state. Practice, practice, practice. Practice at the range, and practice dry fire techniques at home (always follow the basic safety rules and triple check your firearm is unloaded when doing this, obviously). Practice draw and fire from your holster. Practice just shooting with it in general. Know how to clear failure to fire, failure to eject, and other common malfunctions.
Otherwise, welcome to the club. If you have a question and can't find the answer, do ask. There are lots of people here willing to help you.
As many others have said, avoid mentioning protecting property. That's a no-no in this state. Other than that, you can absolutely mention your loss and it won't be considered an emotional decision.
Also I have to echo the sentiment about training, and it seems like you have the dedication to make that commitment. Take some classes if you can. Len's mass firearms law seminar is a good place to start. Refuse to be a victim is another. Once you get your license and find your carry gun, train with it. There are lots of concealed carry classes offered around the state. Practice, practice, practice. Practice at the range, and practice dry fire techniques at home (always follow the basic safety rules and triple check your firearm is unloaded when doing this, obviously). Practice draw and fire from your holster. Practice just shooting with it in general. Know how to clear failure to fire, failure to eject, and other common malfunctions.
Otherwise, welcome to the club. If you have a question and can't find the answer, do ask. There are lots of people here willing to help you.
Similar threads
- Locked
