THE MILFORD DAILY NEWS
By Alison Bosma
[email protected]
By Jeannette Hinkle
[email protected]
Posted at 6:18 PMUpdated at 6:33 PM
Anyone interested in having a license fills out an application, takes a safety course, pays the $100 fee, and meets with the licensing officer. Police take the person’s photo and fingerprints, then do a series of background checks – in-state and nationwide – including with the Department of Mental Health to see if the person has been committed. Fingerprints head to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
When Jamey Manning took up competitive pistol shooting, it brought him the same joy he had felt with other sports most of his life.
“I love to shoot. I take it as sort of a one-on-one challenge,” said Manning, who is president of the Southborough Rod and Gun Club, but was careful to point out that he speaks only as a gun owner, and not on behalf of the club. “I like the competition, I like the challenge of target shooting. It’s no different than other sports, I think.”
Massachusetts is home to some of the most restrictive gun laws in the country, but the desire to have the legal permission to possess or use a firearm remains high.
Between 2008 and 2018, more than 700,000 people applied for gun licenses statewide. Tens of thousands of people applied each year, and, despite a couple dips, the number of applications has grown overall.
“There’s a collectors’ aspect to firearms as well,” Manning said, noting collectors rarely shoot their guns, which can be custom-made and therefore unique, or have historical significance. “It’s like owning a piece of art.”
Like many gun owners, Manning also hunts, and he pointed out the value of a firearm for personal protection.
Back in the sporting world of shooting, Manning said, there are plenty of different disciplines, with leagues and regional competitions for all levels of skill. Despite the dramatic gender divide in who applies for licenses – over our 10-year period of data, 147,196 women applied for licenses, compared to 580,213 men – gender doesn’t really give anyone an edge, Manning said.
“Shooting (isn’t) necessarily a sport of strength, it’s more a sport of accuracy - obviously - skill level, determination,” Manning said. Though high-level professionals – such as Olympic athletes – compete based on gender, he added that, locally, “It’s pretty much an equal sport where everyone competes together.”
But to be part of that world, particularly in Massachusetts, is difficult, time-consuming and expensive.
“The gun laws here are quite a problem,” said James Wallace, executive director of the statewide Gun Owners Action League. “Massachusetts has a very immature attitude toward firearms.”
In addition to being restrictive, he said, the laws are also incredibly complicated. The Gun Owners Action League holds a three- to four-hour course on Massachusetts law, he said, and that barely covers the basics.
“I think people who don’t like firearms think that they’re dirty, nasty things, and all they’re meant to do is kill people,” Manning said. “The people I see are some of the nicest people in the world and enjoy their firearms sport, whatever aspect they’re involved in it, quite a bit.”
Local police departments are the gatekeepers of who can hold a firearms license, but they abide by state and federal rules.
“I think, in comparison to other states, I think it’s a lot tougher to get a firearm license in Massachusetts than in, say, some of the southern states,” said police Sgt. Richard Oldroyd, Marlborough’s firearms licensing officer.
Anyone interested in having a license fills out an application, takes a safety course, pays the $100 fee, and meets with the licensing officer. Police take the person’s photo and fingerprints, then do a series of background checks – in-state and nationwide – including with the Department of Mental Health to see if the person has been committed. Fingerprints head to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Violent convictions are disqualifying, and a few misdemeanors, such as driving under the influence, are as well. Police also look at what they know of the person locally for anything worrying, such as being the subject of multiple police calls over the years, or threats of suicide.
Then, it can come down to a judgment call. Some departments will offer applicants a conditional license first, such as one restricted to hunting and target shooting.
By the end of it all, a prospective gun owner can wait as long as two months for all the paperwork to go through, and spend hundreds of dollars without yet dropping a penny on the gun.
“Massachusetts is, if not the (most restrictive), one of the most restrictive gun licensing (entities) in the country,” Franklin police Sgt. Brian Johnson said.
Some anti-gun violence activists worry about the lack of waiting periods between getting a license and buying a gun, Johnson said, but that doesn’t take into account the several weeks it can take to get the license in the first place.
“They think somehow that makes Massachusetts less stringent,” he said. “When in reality, we’ve already made you wait. You already waited, why wait again?”
John Rosenthal, co-owner of Stop Handgun Violence, said Massachusetts’ gun laws have saved lives, and could save more nationwide if other states followed suit.
“No, it’s not restrictive,” said Rosenthal, who noted he is a gun owner himself. “All we do with guns, is we treat them like automobiles, which are also inherently dangerous products.”
Regulating gun manufacturers, like Springfield-based Smith & Wesson, would be a good next step for Massachusetts, he said.
Wallace said tough regulations hurt the image of gun owners, largely because most people who don’t have a license are unlikely to see a firearm or know if they are meeting someone who has a license.
Several gun owners that the Daily News reached out to for this story declined comment, with some citing a stigma against people who own and use firearms. Gun owners said they were concerned about backlash for being associated with their guns.
“It’s had its effect, because they haven’t seen us in 40 years, so when they see a gun, they panic,” Wallace said, of the general public in Massachusetts. “It’s because they don’t know who we are.”
Once a licensed individual gets to the store, guns themselves can cost as much as tens of thousands of dollars. That’s if the gun you want to buy is allowed in the state, Manning pointed out.
“There are some in the pistol, target shooting world that I cannot buy in the state,” he said. “Think of the nicest car you’d like to buy, maybe a Porsche, something like that. It’s kind of similar. The state says, ’Well, you can’t buy that Porsche because it ... goes too fast. But you want to buy it because it’s the best-made car.”
Despite the long application process, local police department licensing officers say they generally approve an application if all the paperwork and background checks go smoothly. In the Milford and MetroWest area, rejection rates for firearms license applications are low, under 3%.
“As a general rule for Franklin, we follow the constitutional guidelines, which is if there’s no statutory disqualifier (and no concerns locally), we will issue a license,” Johnson said. “It’s their constitutional right to have one.”
Anyone whose application is rejected can also appeal the decision to the state. Locally, police say the process is tough, but strikes a good balance between Second Amendment rights and the public’s safety.
“The process is fair,” Johnson said. “It’s got the checks and balances in it, and allows people that, without a reason not to give a license, to get one without jumping through a lot of hoops.”
Some local police departments are trying to make the process less difficult. Several allow people to fill out an application online, then request an appointment with the licensing officer.
In Franklin, the in-station part can take as little as 10 minutes if it’s just a renewal. First-time applicants typically spend more time in the station across the board, in part because they need to be fingerprinted.
Franklin is looking at allowing people to pay online, as well.
Alison Bosma can be reached at 508-634-7582 or [email protected]. Find her on Twitter at @AlisonBosma.
By Alison Bosma
[email protected]
By Jeannette Hinkle
[email protected]
Posted at 6:18 PMUpdated at 6:33 PM
Anyone interested in having a license fills out an application, takes a safety course, pays the $100 fee, and meets with the licensing officer. Police take the person’s photo and fingerprints, then do a series of background checks – in-state and nationwide – including with the Department of Mental Health to see if the person has been committed. Fingerprints head to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
When Jamey Manning took up competitive pistol shooting, it brought him the same joy he had felt with other sports most of his life.
“I love to shoot. I take it as sort of a one-on-one challenge,” said Manning, who is president of the Southborough Rod and Gun Club, but was careful to point out that he speaks only as a gun owner, and not on behalf of the club. “I like the competition, I like the challenge of target shooting. It’s no different than other sports, I think.”
Massachusetts is home to some of the most restrictive gun laws in the country, but the desire to have the legal permission to possess or use a firearm remains high.
Between 2008 and 2018, more than 700,000 people applied for gun licenses statewide. Tens of thousands of people applied each year, and, despite a couple dips, the number of applications has grown overall.
“There’s a collectors’ aspect to firearms as well,” Manning said, noting collectors rarely shoot their guns, which can be custom-made and therefore unique, or have historical significance. “It’s like owning a piece of art.”
Like many gun owners, Manning also hunts, and he pointed out the value of a firearm for personal protection.
Back in the sporting world of shooting, Manning said, there are plenty of different disciplines, with leagues and regional competitions for all levels of skill. Despite the dramatic gender divide in who applies for licenses – over our 10-year period of data, 147,196 women applied for licenses, compared to 580,213 men – gender doesn’t really give anyone an edge, Manning said.
“Shooting (isn’t) necessarily a sport of strength, it’s more a sport of accuracy - obviously - skill level, determination,” Manning said. Though high-level professionals – such as Olympic athletes – compete based on gender, he added that, locally, “It’s pretty much an equal sport where everyone competes together.”
But to be part of that world, particularly in Massachusetts, is difficult, time-consuming and expensive.
“The gun laws here are quite a problem,” said James Wallace, executive director of the statewide Gun Owners Action League. “Massachusetts has a very immature attitude toward firearms.”
In addition to being restrictive, he said, the laws are also incredibly complicated. The Gun Owners Action League holds a three- to four-hour course on Massachusetts law, he said, and that barely covers the basics.
“I think people who don’t like firearms think that they’re dirty, nasty things, and all they’re meant to do is kill people,” Manning said. “The people I see are some of the nicest people in the world and enjoy their firearms sport, whatever aspect they’re involved in it, quite a bit.”
Local police departments are the gatekeepers of who can hold a firearms license, but they abide by state and federal rules.
“I think, in comparison to other states, I think it’s a lot tougher to get a firearm license in Massachusetts than in, say, some of the southern states,” said police Sgt. Richard Oldroyd, Marlborough’s firearms licensing officer.
Anyone interested in having a license fills out an application, takes a safety course, pays the $100 fee, and meets with the licensing officer. Police take the person’s photo and fingerprints, then do a series of background checks – in-state and nationwide – including with the Department of Mental Health to see if the person has been committed. Fingerprints head to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Violent convictions are disqualifying, and a few misdemeanors, such as driving under the influence, are as well. Police also look at what they know of the person locally for anything worrying, such as being the subject of multiple police calls over the years, or threats of suicide.
Then, it can come down to a judgment call. Some departments will offer applicants a conditional license first, such as one restricted to hunting and target shooting.
By the end of it all, a prospective gun owner can wait as long as two months for all the paperwork to go through, and spend hundreds of dollars without yet dropping a penny on the gun.
“Massachusetts is, if not the (most restrictive), one of the most restrictive gun licensing (entities) in the country,” Franklin police Sgt. Brian Johnson said.
Some anti-gun violence activists worry about the lack of waiting periods between getting a license and buying a gun, Johnson said, but that doesn’t take into account the several weeks it can take to get the license in the first place.
“They think somehow that makes Massachusetts less stringent,” he said. “When in reality, we’ve already made you wait. You already waited, why wait again?”
John Rosenthal, co-owner of Stop Handgun Violence, said Massachusetts’ gun laws have saved lives, and could save more nationwide if other states followed suit.
“No, it’s not restrictive,” said Rosenthal, who noted he is a gun owner himself. “All we do with guns, is we treat them like automobiles, which are also inherently dangerous products.”
Regulating gun manufacturers, like Springfield-based Smith & Wesson, would be a good next step for Massachusetts, he said.
Wallace said tough regulations hurt the image of gun owners, largely because most people who don’t have a license are unlikely to see a firearm or know if they are meeting someone who has a license.
Several gun owners that the Daily News reached out to for this story declined comment, with some citing a stigma against people who own and use firearms. Gun owners said they were concerned about backlash for being associated with their guns.
“It’s had its effect, because they haven’t seen us in 40 years, so when they see a gun, they panic,” Wallace said, of the general public in Massachusetts. “It’s because they don’t know who we are.”
Once a licensed individual gets to the store, guns themselves can cost as much as tens of thousands of dollars. That’s if the gun you want to buy is allowed in the state, Manning pointed out.
“There are some in the pistol, target shooting world that I cannot buy in the state,” he said. “Think of the nicest car you’d like to buy, maybe a Porsche, something like that. It’s kind of similar. The state says, ’Well, you can’t buy that Porsche because it ... goes too fast. But you want to buy it because it’s the best-made car.”
Despite the long application process, local police department licensing officers say they generally approve an application if all the paperwork and background checks go smoothly. In the Milford and MetroWest area, rejection rates for firearms license applications are low, under 3%.
“As a general rule for Franklin, we follow the constitutional guidelines, which is if there’s no statutory disqualifier (and no concerns locally), we will issue a license,” Johnson said. “It’s their constitutional right to have one.”
Anyone whose application is rejected can also appeal the decision to the state. Locally, police say the process is tough, but strikes a good balance between Second Amendment rights and the public’s safety.
“The process is fair,” Johnson said. “It’s got the checks and balances in it, and allows people that, without a reason not to give a license, to get one without jumping through a lot of hoops.”
Some local police departments are trying to make the process less difficult. Several allow people to fill out an application online, then request an appointment with the licensing officer.
In Franklin, the in-station part can take as little as 10 minutes if it’s just a renewal. First-time applicants typically spend more time in the station across the board, in part because they need to be fingerprinted.
Franklin is looking at allowing people to pay online, as well.
Alison Bosma can be reached at 508-634-7582 or [email protected]. Find her on Twitter at @AlisonBosma.
