http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090927/NEWS/909270343
Rural residents more likely to seek gun permits than city folks
By Steve Decosta
[email protected]
September 27, 2009 12:00 AM
Walk down any street in New Bedford and the odds of running into a resident licensed to carry a gun are roughly 1 in 40.
Stroll down a country road in Rochester (be careful; there are no sidewalks), and the chances increase to about 1 in 6.
While the Whaling City may be widely viewed as the area's capital of illegal weapons, a far, far smaller percentage of the adults who live there are licensed to carry a firearm than in any surrounding community.
And the more rural the SouthCoast town, the more likely its residents are to hold a state license to carry.
Rochester tops the list, with almost 18 percent of residents 21 and older holding a license to carry a concealed weapon. Then come Freetown (13.1 percent), Westport (12.9 percent) and Lakeville (12.1 percent).
In contrast, only 0.5 percent of New Bedford adults are licensed to carry. Next lowest is Dartmouth at 6.4 percent.
The Massachusetts Firearms Records Bureau says it keeps no statistics to determine if this trend holds across the rest of the state.
Rochester Police Chief Paul McGee said there's a simple explanation why his town ranks first in the area for gun licenses.
"We're a real rural community and we've probably got more hunters than most other towns around."
But the city police think it's a little more complicated than that.
"My gut tells me that fewer people are going to apply for a pistol permit" in an urban setting, said Lt. Jeffrey Silva, public information officer for New Bedford Police Department. "There's less opportunity to use them. There's not a lot of woods for hunting or things like that. Sure there are people who want to go target shooting, but that's a pretty small specialty group.
"Rochester has the smallest police department in the area, so I don't know if there's a presumption that, 'gee, we need (guns),'" Silva said. "In New Bedford, people might feel like there are police all over the place.
"I think that the things that contribute to people feeling afraid are that they might feel isolated in a rural area, they don't see a lot of police cars and, if something happens, it's going to take a long time to get help," he continued.
"Here, there are lots of neighbors around you, there are street lights, lots of cars driving by, a lot of hustle and bustle. We have a lot of police officers. I think that's what factors into people feeling safe."
The law
Massachusetts passed one of the most restrictive gun laws in the country in 1998, requiring completion of an approved firearms safety course or basic hunter education course and payment of $100 for any firearm license, all of which are valid for six years.
The most basic license is a Firearms Identification (FID) card, which allows the holder to purchase, possess and carry a non-large capacity rifle or shotgun. The applicant must be 18, or 15 with parental consent. He or she must not have been convicted of a felony, misdemeanor punishable by two years in jail or possession of controlled substances or been the subject of an outstanding arrest warrant or restraining order. In addition, the applicant must not have been confined to any hospital or institution for mental illness or been under treatment for drug or alcohol addiction.
Anyone who meets all the legal requirements must be granted an FID card by the police chief of the community in which he lives or works.
To carry a handgun, a person must hold a License to Carry, (either large capacity or non-large capacity), which requires the applicant to be 21 and carries all the requirements of an FID card, but includes one critical addition, giving police chiefs the authority to determine if the applicant "is a suitable person to be issued such license."
That's a broad power, one that chiefs don't take lightly. All local chiefs say they subject all license applicants to background checks and some require letters of reference. While they say they're intent on screening out people who shouldn't be allowed to carry a gun, they're not overly restrictive.
Marion Police Chief Lincoln Miller said he'll issue a license "if it's a suitable candidate, unless we have some statutory prohibition or we see something we don't like. ... It could be somebody we've dealt with quite a bit, where we know their character and reputation.
"I think the reason the Legislature left it in the hands of police chiefs is that we generally know our residents," Miller said. "We know what's going on."
"I don't look to deny anybody," said Mattapoisett Police Chief Mary Lyons. "If you come in as a citizen in good standing, you're not going to get denied. Anybody I've denied has been denied for a significant reason. If I get put before a judge (on appeal), I want to be on solid ground."
Mark Pacheco, Dartmouth chief, said: "If there's any disqualifiers, there's going to be a rejection. As long as there are no disqualifiers and I have no reason to deny, I'll issue the license. I'd say I reject less than 1 percent."
Same in Rochester, according to Chief McGee. "As long as people are qualified, I don't generally have a problem issuing a license.
"I don't think we have a rate of revocations or suspensions any greater than normal. A domestic situation is probably the most common reason, where someone might have a restraining order against them so we have to revoke the licence. That's becoming more common, especially in tough times with people under more stress at work and at home."
Police said they make applicants aware of the law, and many people won't even apply if they know they can't meet the legal requirements.
"We give people an information sheet that tells them the requirements and have them make an appointment," New Bedford's Lt. Silva said. "By the time somebody comes in for the appointment, they know what the rules are and whether their application might be denied."
And despite the discrepancy in the numbers between the city and suburbs, New Bedford isn't screening out many applicants, either.
"We don't get lots of requests for pistol permits," Silva said. "Our firearms officer tells me that most permit applications are approved. "Everybody's theoretically subjected to the same checks. There's no summary dismissal process."
More restrictive
The area in which the city is a little more strict than other communities is in restricting the conditions under which the licensee can use a firearm.
At the discretion of the chief, a license to carry may be issued "for all lawful purposes" or for more defined, specific purposes.
Silva said: "The state allows you to restrict the type of permit for various reasons: target shooting, sporting, personal protection in the home, hiking/camping, cross country skiing and reasons of employment.
In issuing gun licenses, "We break it down to the narrowest of purposes," Silva said. "Why do you want a gun? We'll give it to you for that purpose. Let's see how you conform to the rules. That's what we do here."
Freetown Chief Carlton Abbott agrees with that philosophy. "If someone comes in and they want a license for hunting or for target practice, let's give it to them. They don't need a license 'for all lawful purposes.'"
Other chiefs see it differently.
In Mattapoisett, "I pretty much provide the license they're requesting," Lyons said. "If they're looking for a license for target practice, that's what they'll get but, for the most part, the licenses are 'for all lawful purposes.' "
Rochester's McGee said that if someone is inclined to use a firearm illegally, it won't matter whether the license is restricted or not.
"If someone's suitable to have a firearm, we generally don't restrict them," he said. "We can give all the restrictions in the world, but whether people will follow them is another issue."
The chiefs make two other points about licensing.
First, while the sale of guns is highly regulated, it's the person, not the piece that's licensed. "We don't license guns," Freetown's' Abbott said. "We license people."
And just because a person has a license doesn't mean he's packing.
"Not everybody who has a license has a gun," Mattapoisett's Lyons said. "Some people just view it as their right and get a license even if they don't carry a gun."
No connection
Law enforcement officials and gun sellers say they see little if any connection between licensed gun owners and the proliferation of illegal weapons on the street.
You might expect that we'd be finding guns that are stolen from house breaks in New Bedford, but that hasn't been our experience," Silva said. "It doesn't play out that way in reality. That's not where these guns are coming from."
"The (illegal) guns we come across many times are stolen from out of state or bought in other states that have fewer restrictions," he said.
"Typically, gun owners are the most law-abiding people. They're very responsible. They're taking the precautions to keep their guns safe."
Richie Pacheco, owner of Richie's Sporting Supply in Westport, said:
"Most people who buy guns, they have no desire to break the law. All they do is comply with the law. Criminals don't use registered guns. Criminals use stolen guns."
Ron Ferreira, owner of Ron's Sport Shop in Dartmouth, said:
"People out there don't understand what you have to go through to get a gun. First you have to take a course, and that costs about $75. Then it's $100 for the (license) application. Then it's another $500 for a gun. You come in here to buy a gun and it takes a half-hour to do the paperwork. I hate to think somebody's going to go through all that and be out that much money just to rob a store and get $200.
Rural residents more likely to seek gun permits than city folks
By Steve Decosta
[email protected]
September 27, 2009 12:00 AM
Walk down any street in New Bedford and the odds of running into a resident licensed to carry a gun are roughly 1 in 40.
Stroll down a country road in Rochester (be careful; there are no sidewalks), and the chances increase to about 1 in 6.
While the Whaling City may be widely viewed as the area's capital of illegal weapons, a far, far smaller percentage of the adults who live there are licensed to carry a firearm than in any surrounding community.
And the more rural the SouthCoast town, the more likely its residents are to hold a state license to carry.
Rochester tops the list, with almost 18 percent of residents 21 and older holding a license to carry a concealed weapon. Then come Freetown (13.1 percent), Westport (12.9 percent) and Lakeville (12.1 percent).
In contrast, only 0.5 percent of New Bedford adults are licensed to carry. Next lowest is Dartmouth at 6.4 percent.
The Massachusetts Firearms Records Bureau says it keeps no statistics to determine if this trend holds across the rest of the state.
Rochester Police Chief Paul McGee said there's a simple explanation why his town ranks first in the area for gun licenses.
"We're a real rural community and we've probably got more hunters than most other towns around."
But the city police think it's a little more complicated than that.
"My gut tells me that fewer people are going to apply for a pistol permit" in an urban setting, said Lt. Jeffrey Silva, public information officer for New Bedford Police Department. "There's less opportunity to use them. There's not a lot of woods for hunting or things like that. Sure there are people who want to go target shooting, but that's a pretty small specialty group.
"Rochester has the smallest police department in the area, so I don't know if there's a presumption that, 'gee, we need (guns),'" Silva said. "In New Bedford, people might feel like there are police all over the place.
"I think that the things that contribute to people feeling afraid are that they might feel isolated in a rural area, they don't see a lot of police cars and, if something happens, it's going to take a long time to get help," he continued.
"Here, there are lots of neighbors around you, there are street lights, lots of cars driving by, a lot of hustle and bustle. We have a lot of police officers. I think that's what factors into people feeling safe."
The law
Massachusetts passed one of the most restrictive gun laws in the country in 1998, requiring completion of an approved firearms safety course or basic hunter education course and payment of $100 for any firearm license, all of which are valid for six years.
The most basic license is a Firearms Identification (FID) card, which allows the holder to purchase, possess and carry a non-large capacity rifle or shotgun. The applicant must be 18, or 15 with parental consent. He or she must not have been convicted of a felony, misdemeanor punishable by two years in jail or possession of controlled substances or been the subject of an outstanding arrest warrant or restraining order. In addition, the applicant must not have been confined to any hospital or institution for mental illness or been under treatment for drug or alcohol addiction.
Anyone who meets all the legal requirements must be granted an FID card by the police chief of the community in which he lives or works.
To carry a handgun, a person must hold a License to Carry, (either large capacity or non-large capacity), which requires the applicant to be 21 and carries all the requirements of an FID card, but includes one critical addition, giving police chiefs the authority to determine if the applicant "is a suitable person to be issued such license."
That's a broad power, one that chiefs don't take lightly. All local chiefs say they subject all license applicants to background checks and some require letters of reference. While they say they're intent on screening out people who shouldn't be allowed to carry a gun, they're not overly restrictive.
Marion Police Chief Lincoln Miller said he'll issue a license "if it's a suitable candidate, unless we have some statutory prohibition or we see something we don't like. ... It could be somebody we've dealt with quite a bit, where we know their character and reputation.
"I think the reason the Legislature left it in the hands of police chiefs is that we generally know our residents," Miller said. "We know what's going on."
"I don't look to deny anybody," said Mattapoisett Police Chief Mary Lyons. "If you come in as a citizen in good standing, you're not going to get denied. Anybody I've denied has been denied for a significant reason. If I get put before a judge (on appeal), I want to be on solid ground."
Mark Pacheco, Dartmouth chief, said: "If there's any disqualifiers, there's going to be a rejection. As long as there are no disqualifiers and I have no reason to deny, I'll issue the license. I'd say I reject less than 1 percent."
Same in Rochester, according to Chief McGee. "As long as people are qualified, I don't generally have a problem issuing a license.
"I don't think we have a rate of revocations or suspensions any greater than normal. A domestic situation is probably the most common reason, where someone might have a restraining order against them so we have to revoke the licence. That's becoming more common, especially in tough times with people under more stress at work and at home."
Police said they make applicants aware of the law, and many people won't even apply if they know they can't meet the legal requirements.
"We give people an information sheet that tells them the requirements and have them make an appointment," New Bedford's Lt. Silva said. "By the time somebody comes in for the appointment, they know what the rules are and whether their application might be denied."
And despite the discrepancy in the numbers between the city and suburbs, New Bedford isn't screening out many applicants, either.
"We don't get lots of requests for pistol permits," Silva said. "Our firearms officer tells me that most permit applications are approved. "Everybody's theoretically subjected to the same checks. There's no summary dismissal process."
More restrictive
The area in which the city is a little more strict than other communities is in restricting the conditions under which the licensee can use a firearm.
At the discretion of the chief, a license to carry may be issued "for all lawful purposes" or for more defined, specific purposes.
Silva said: "The state allows you to restrict the type of permit for various reasons: target shooting, sporting, personal protection in the home, hiking/camping, cross country skiing and reasons of employment.
In issuing gun licenses, "We break it down to the narrowest of purposes," Silva said. "Why do you want a gun? We'll give it to you for that purpose. Let's see how you conform to the rules. That's what we do here."
Freetown Chief Carlton Abbott agrees with that philosophy. "If someone comes in and they want a license for hunting or for target practice, let's give it to them. They don't need a license 'for all lawful purposes.'"
Other chiefs see it differently.
In Mattapoisett, "I pretty much provide the license they're requesting," Lyons said. "If they're looking for a license for target practice, that's what they'll get but, for the most part, the licenses are 'for all lawful purposes.' "
Rochester's McGee said that if someone is inclined to use a firearm illegally, it won't matter whether the license is restricted or not.
"If someone's suitable to have a firearm, we generally don't restrict them," he said. "We can give all the restrictions in the world, but whether people will follow them is another issue."
The chiefs make two other points about licensing.
First, while the sale of guns is highly regulated, it's the person, not the piece that's licensed. "We don't license guns," Freetown's' Abbott said. "We license people."
And just because a person has a license doesn't mean he's packing.
"Not everybody who has a license has a gun," Mattapoisett's Lyons said. "Some people just view it as their right and get a license even if they don't carry a gun."
No connection
Law enforcement officials and gun sellers say they see little if any connection between licensed gun owners and the proliferation of illegal weapons on the street.
You might expect that we'd be finding guns that are stolen from house breaks in New Bedford, but that hasn't been our experience," Silva said. "It doesn't play out that way in reality. That's not where these guns are coming from."
"The (illegal) guns we come across many times are stolen from out of state or bought in other states that have fewer restrictions," he said.
"Typically, gun owners are the most law-abiding people. They're very responsible. They're taking the precautions to keep their guns safe."
Richie Pacheco, owner of Richie's Sporting Supply in Westport, said:
"Most people who buy guns, they have no desire to break the law. All they do is comply with the law. Criminals don't use registered guns. Criminals use stolen guns."
Ron Ferreira, owner of Ron's Sport Shop in Dartmouth, said:
"People out there don't understand what you have to go through to get a gun. First you have to take a course, and that costs about $75. Then it's $100 for the (license) application. Then it's another $500 for a gun. You come in here to buy a gun and it takes a half-hour to do the paperwork. I hate to think somebody's going to go through all that and be out that much money just to rob a store and get $200.
