Well I passed my range test at Moon Island...SCREW YOU MENINO!

J

JellyFish

It's all over and done with now and I'm good for another 6 years. I will not be here in Boston for that long though. So I'll never have to take that stupid test again. Ugh.

Up yours Menino! You fat hypocrite! :p

The cop that gave the test at the range was actually really nice. After dealing with the a**h***s at the counter at police headquarters when I first started the renewal process (where you pay the fee, etc.) I was expecting to get somebody nasty.

The cop let me shoot even though I was late and also helped two of the other people who were shooting. One guy got to do a retest with me since I got there late and had to shoot after the first two were done. I've never heard of them doing that. Wow.

I talked to the cop after the test and the cop said if I'd been the cop's student I could be a *great* shooter. I have to say that the cop's attitude and helpfulness really freaked me out and it was a very pleasant way to end the renewal process. It just goes to show you that not all of the Boston PD are a**h***s, some of them are downright great people.

I won't discuss who the cop was or exactly what day I took the test though as I don't wish for that cop to get into trouble for being nice. For all I know one of Menino's spies could be lurking on this board (if you're a spy of Tard Tom and you are reading this, tell Menino that Jellyfish says to him: KISS MY ASS TOM YOU PETTY LEFTWING TYRANT!).

Thank goodness it's all over with though. By the time renewal comes around again I'll most likely be in New Hampshire or some other town in MA, far away from Tard Tom and his idiotic decrees.

BTW moon island is a MUCH more pleasant place to shoot at around this time of year than it was in February when I first took the test. No freezing cold wind. LOL
 
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Congrats, and I'm sorry you have to deal with such bureaucracy to exercise your rights.
 
JellyFish said:
BTW moon island is a MUCH more pleasant place to shoot at around this time of year than it was in February when I first took the test. No freezing cold wind. LOL

When I was driving down there last fall I was thinking to myself "Damn, didn't the government take the most idyllic chunk of real estate for itself!" It's like the Cape in miniature.

Glad that the test wasn't too much of a pain.
 
Glad it worked out for you!

You know.. I've been thinking about the way some PDs treat us while applying for a LTC. Although I don't condone the rude behavior that some police exhibit... I'm wondering if they are "testing" us to see how we maintain our composure when we get hassled. I bet that's at least part of it. If one of us flew off the handle I'm sure we wouldn't be "suited" to have a LTC. But if one maintains their cool and is patient they will be rewarded....
 
In spite of what some may think, LEOs are just like everyone else!

- Some are great folks,
- Some are egocentric, on a power trip,
- Some (regrettably) will use the badge for illicit gains,

Just because Mumbles and his hand-picked mouth-pieces hate civilian gun ownership, doesn't mean that every LEO on the force does too. Some will, others are ambivalent, while some are "gunnies". [The same goes for any PD, not just Boston.]

The higher up the ladder you go in LE, the more political the job gets. You reach a point where you aren't much more than the "yes man/woman" for those who hire/fire you. You end up carrying their water, regardless of your personal opinion on the subject . . . or you end up fired and sitting on the unemployment line!
 
Sorry, no.

Luckily I never ever lived in the City of Boston, so I never had to personally put up with their bullshit.

Some victim of Boston will have to fill in that set of details.
 
Sure, here goes:

You get a revolver and a coffee can with ammo in it from the folks at the range. You can't use your own gun for the test. Do not take the revolver out of the coffee can until they tell you to do so.

Part 1: You shoot at the seven yard line, one handed, single action only. You get 12 shots.

Part 2: You shoot at the 15 yard line. You can shoot single or double action, one or two handed. You get 18 shots.

Minimum score needed to pass is 210.

It's a crap shoot as to who you will get as your tester. Be polite, obey the tester and do exactly what he/she says. Shoot slowly, take your time. They don't rush you.

Oh and be on time too! Don't be like me! LOL I'm lucky I didn't have to reschedule my test. Heh,heh.

wpr2004 said:
Len,
Can you describe the course of fire?
 
You are a very wise person. Would that I had known about Boston's bullshit BEFORE I moved here...

Aaaah well, live and learn. I'll be out of here before renewal comes up again.

LenS said:
Sorry, no.

Luckily I never ever lived in the City of Boston, so I never had to personally put up with their bullshit.

Some victim of Boston will have to fill in that set of details.
 
LenS said:
In spite of what some may think, LEOs are just like everyone else!

- Some are great folks,
- Some are egocentric, on a power trip,
- Some (regrettably) will use the badge for illicit gains,

Just because Mumbles and his hand-picked mouth-pieces hate civilian gun ownership, doesn't mean that every LEO on the force does too. Some will, others are ambivalent, while some are "gunnies". [The same goes for any PD, not just Boston.]

Absolutely true! I've been assosiated with a few PDs and they (mostly) are people too.
 
I'm a little late, but congrats on passing your test. It's a good feeling when you're done and you are told that you passed.

If I were a cop, I would ask to for that to be my job. Spend all day around shooting? And get paid? How cool would that be?
 
JellyFish said:
Sure, here goes:

You get a revolver and a coffee can with ammo in it from the folks at the range. You can't use your own gun for the test. Do not take the revolver out of the coffee can until they tell you to do so.

Part 1: You shoot at the seven yard line, one handed, single action only. You get 12 shots.

Part 2: You shoot at the 15 yard line. You can shoot single or double action, one or two handed. You get 18 shots.

Minimum score needed to pass is 210.

It's a crap shoot as to who you will get as your tester. Be polite, obey the tester and do exactly what he/she says. Shoot slowly, take your time. They don't rush you.

Oh and be on time too! Don't be like me! LOL I'm lucky I didn't have to reschedule my test. Heh,heh.

This would be a good one for a lawsuit (if you want to take that up as a new hobby). Having you shoot an unknown weapon and asking you to produce a score for licensure is very unfair.

If I remember correctly, maybe it was in on of Mas’s books, some females were drummed out of the FBI academy when they failed to qualify with weapons that the couldn’t possibly do well with due to their hand size. They were making them do something silly like shoot one hand double action with a full frame .357. When the women were given more suitable weapons they qualified fine.

The training guys were doing this to be sneaky and rebel against women being allowed into the bureau. Not very nice huh? Sort of like the entrenched bureaucrats in the Boston PD asking you to qualify with an unknown gun. Reminds me of a carnival rifle with the sights all bent to shit.

Brian
 
Brian,

I'm sure that Scrivener will claim this is irrelevant, but here's my story and I'm sticking to it!

BEFORE 1998, Atty Karen MacNutt sued the City of Boston regarding the Moon Island range test. Although not positive, I think one of her complaints was the unfamiliar weapon issue. Bottom line is that judge ruled the test totally appropriate.

Even with GCA of 1998 in MA, I can't imagine a liberal judge in MA having any issue with Boston's test system.

Also, I've been told that the gun they give you is a 4" about the size of a S&W 10.
 
LenS said:
Brian,

I'm sure that Scrivener will claim this is irrelevant, but here's my story and I'm sticking to it!

BEFORE 1998, Atty Karen MacNutt sued the City of Boston regarding the Moon Island range test. Although not positive, I think one of her complaints was the unfamiliar weapon issue. Bottom line is that judge ruled the test totally appropriate.

Even with GCA of 1998 in MA, I can't imagine a liberal judge in MA having any issue with Boston's test system.

Also, I've been told that the gun they give you is a 4" about the size of a S&W 10.

Interesting. Sort of like pissing into the wind and getting your pant leg wet.

Like I said before, I’m a quitter and I left long ago. I wish all of you the best in fighting the good fight. Too bad it feels like Corregidor. [sad2]

B
 
Revolver in a coffe can with the ammo. Those must be some pretty banged up, shot out, bottom of the barrel revolvers. Jellyfish, how was your first shot. Right where you aimed, close enough not to worry about or you had to adjust your aim because it was off?
 
Rockrivr1 said:
Revolver in a coffe can with the ammo. Those must be some pretty banged up, shot out, bottom of the barrel revolvers. Jellyfish, how was your first shot. Right where you aimed, close enough not to worry about or you had to adjust your aim because it was off?

You win a big stuffed bunny if you can knock over five dominos in a row.[rofl]
 
Revolver in a coffe can with the ammo. Those must be some pretty banged up, shot out, bottom of the barrel revolvers.
My understanding, from people who have taken the test, is that they are Rugers that are well worn but accurate, and that they have a light trigger pull.
 
Chris said:
Brookline uses the same test, but allows any MA certified instructor to administer the test.

Got a source? I have it on the authority of:

1. The Brookline PD's own material; and

2. A very recent applicant;

that a pilgrimage to Moon Island is a Brookline "requirement." [puke2]

As for LenS' incantation of the MacNutt case;

I'm sure that Scrivener will claim this is irrelevant, but here's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Even with GCA of 1998 in MA, I can't imagine a liberal judge in MA having any issue with Boston's test system.

First, it's not HIS story; second, he has no legal basis for it. It is, therefore, only his opinion.

The safety certificate statute says what is says; the CMR applying it says what is says; and the author of the latter has expressly warned Brookline and Newton that there is no legal basis for their "required" range tests. Absent "home rule" authority to impose range tests (as it has with its "assault weapon ban," Boston is also devoid of any legal basis for imposing the test.

[horse]
 
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Hmmm...I can't really remember that first shot. I didn't care for the sights on that gun though, I was used to a bit different kind of sights on the revolver I practiced with at the range so I felt that might have thrown my shooting off a bit. The one I used for the test had a groove at the back and the front sight stuck up higher than my practice revolver. Not necessarily something awful to deal with but just different from what I was used to.

Our tester pointed this out to us though. As I said earlier, he was exceptionally pleasant to deal with and I would buy him a cup of coffee or a beer any day.

I probably could have scored higher than I did but, frankly, I wanted to get the damn test over and done with. I'd stressed out about it enough the week before that I really just wanted to finish it.

Rockrivr1 said:
Revolver in a coffe can with the ammo. Those must be some pretty banged up, shot out, bottom of the barrel revolvers. Jellyfish, how was your first shot. Right where you aimed, close enough not to worry about or you had to adjust your aim because it was off?
 
I tend to agree with you. I doubt any judge is going to overturn it any time soon. We could be wrong though and I hope we are but I doubt it.

LenS said:
Brian,

I'm sure that Scrivener will claim this is irrelevant, but here's my story and I'm sticking to it!

BEFORE 1998, Atty Karen MacNutt sued the City of Boston regarding the Moon Island range test. Although not positive, I think one of her complaints was the unfamiliar weapon issue. Bottom line is that judge ruled the test totally appropriate.

Even with GCA of 1998 in MA, I can't imagine a liberal judge in MA having any issue with Boston's test system.

Also, I've been told that the gun they give you is a 4" about the size of a S&W 10.
 
Yeah I can't bitch too much about the quality of the guns but I would still rather use my own pistol. It's just awkward using a gun that you aren't used to. Not that they're in terrible shape, just much more comfortable to use the firearm that you practice with regularly.


M1911 said:
My understanding, from people who have taken the test, is that they are Rugers that are well worn but accurate, and that they have a light trigger pull.
 
Well I hope you're right, I'd love to see a judge throw the test out and also force the Boston PD to drop some of their stupid paperwork requirements.

Scrivener said:
Got a source? I have it on the authority of:

1. The Brookline PD's own material; and

2. A very recent applicant;

that a pilgrimage to Moon Island is a Brookline "requirement." [puke2]

As for LenS' incantation of the MacNutt case;



First, it's not HIS story; second, he has no legal basis for it. It is, therefore, only his opinion.

The safety certificate statute says what is says; the CMR applying it says what is says; and the author of the latter has expressly warned Brookline and Newton that there is no legal basis for their "required" range tests. Absent "home rule" authority to impose range tests (as it has with its "assault weapon ban," Boston is also devoid of any legal basis for imposing the test.

[horse]
 
Well I can't comment any more about the officer I dealt with as I do not wish for that officer to get in trouble for treating us well at the range. I get the distinct feeling that such classy and helpful behavior might earn the officer the wrath of Tard Tom and his minions. Suffice to say that I appreciated the officer allowing me to shoot when I was late and I found myself respecting the officer's attitude and knowledge of shooting. I would buy the officer a beer or cup of coffee any day.


USMA-82 said:
If I'm not mistaken, the cop who runs that range is a very active IDPA shooter, who we see from time to time at Riverside. If anyone would be pro-carry, I'd think he would be.
 
I really don't understand something here.....

Is the point of this test to prove you are proficient with a firearm? Wouldn't it make more sense to allow the person to use their own since that is what they would be using?

Oh wait that made too much sense....I'm sorry.
 
pcgod said:
I really don't understand something here.....

Is the point of this test to prove you are proficient with a firearm? Wouldn't it make more sense to allow the person to use their own since that is what they would be using?

Oh wait that made too much sense....I'm sorry.

Catch-22

Can't buy a gun without the permit.
 
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