Guide To Gun Rights in your MA Town - 2020 + Edition

Hey Guys, moved from Weymouth to Attleboro. Sent papers to all 3 addresses end of June and have not heard back yet. Have LTCA from Weymouth
As others said, no one will send you anything. During my last move, it took at least a month (perhaps more) after getting my return receipt to see the new address reflected in the validation portal.
 
Thank you so much guys! Ill check if its updated in the portal. Havent put a sticker on my old card yet either...

On a different note, what if I lost my pin number that is also somehow required to buy a firearm?🙄 along with 5 million other things...
 
Thank you so much guys! Ill check if its updated in the portal. Havent put a sticker on my old card yet either...

On a different note, what if I lost my pin number that is also somehow required to buy a firearm?🙄 along with 5 million other things...

You can call the FRB for it:

 
West Bridgewater always issues unrestricted but is slow. Dropped off renewal application June 3rd and was told they were backed up.
Got the call to pick it up today. 15 weeks. They must have called a bunch of people today because there were three people ahead of me picking up their LTC. Surprisingly, they were all elderly women.

Had to supply two letters when I applied years ago, but have heard they stopped this. Have been told by the LO that if you are over 21 and not disqualified, you get an unrestricted LTC. Was also told will issue green card to 03's
 
.....always issues unrestricted but is slow. Dropped off renewal application June 3rd and was told they were backed up.
Got the call to pick it up today. 15 weeks
I should have asked the gals ahead of me how long they had waited.
I bet the LO processes them in batches when he has a pile of them sitting on his desk. People that dropped of their application 5 weeks after me probably picked up their LTC the same day I did.
 
Woburn is not great. Probably Red. Maybe Yellow depending on how you rank them. This is from summer 2020.

General - Told me they never give unrestricted to first time issuance. Said they would give me the least restrictive they allow for first timers, "Sporting". Said I could apply for unrestricted on my renewal.

Administrative - They were responsive, but wait time was about a month to get an appointment.

Suitability - They require reference letters which kinda sucked but I don't think is that uncommon. What is uncommon is they give you a multiple choice exam based on the Massachusetts gun laws. And the exam was actually somewhat difficult because it was a lot of obscure things that no one would have memorized unless you studied (To which court do you send your appeal of denial of firearms license, how many days do you have to do X, Y, Z, etc).

Despite their stupid test and rule about restrictions, one good thing I can say is that they were all polite and respectful.
My son has an appointment for Woburn, what was asked on the test?
 
Woburn is not great. Probably Red. Maybe Yellow depending on how you rank them. This is from summer 2020.

General - Told me they never give unrestricted to first time issuance. Said they would give me the least restrictive they allow for first timers, "Sporting". Said I could apply for unrestricted on my renewal.

Administrative - They were responsive, but wait time was about a month to get an appointment.

Suitability - They require reference letters which kinda sucked but I don't think is that uncommon. What is uncommon is they give you a multiple choice exam based on the Massachusetts gun laws. And the exam was actually somewhat difficult because it was a lot of obscure things that no one would have memorized unless you studied (To which court do you send your appeal of denial of firearms license, how many days do you have to do X, Y, Z, etc).

Despite their stupid test and rule about restrictions, one good thing I can say is that they were all polite and respectful.

My son has an appointment for Woburn, what was asked on the test?
As the frog boils he comments "it's not uncommonly hot, I really don't mind."

And a test! Next they will want your vaccine history, "your papers please."
 
My son has an appointment for Woburn, what was asked on the test?
It sucks, but he has to really study the "SUMMARY OF 1998 MASSACHUSETTS GUN CONTROL LEGISLATION" and "2014 KEY CHANGES TO FIREARMS LAWS " they have on their website very thoroughly.

It is multiple choice, but very specific. exactly to whom you send your change of address form and how many days you have to do so, to which court do you send your appeal if denied an application or license revoked and how many days you have to do so. What would disqualify you from getting an LTC, what would disqualify you from getting an FID.

Lots of very specific things like that.
 
Last edited:
It sucks, but he has to really study the "SUMMARY OF 1998 MASSACHUSETTS GUN CONTROL LEGISLATION" and "2014 KEY CHANGES TO FIREARMS LAWS " they have on their website very thoroughly.

It is multiple choice, but very specific. exactly to whom you said your change of address form and how many days you have to do so, to which court do you send you appeal if denied an application denied or license revoked and how many days you have to do so. What would disqualify you from getting an LTC, what would disqualify you from getting an FID.

Lots of very specific things like that.
Most cops don't know the answers to those questions!
 
It sucks, but he has to really study the "SUMMARY OF 1998 MASSACHUSETTS GUN CONTROL LEGISLATION" and "2014 KEY CHANGES TO FIREARMS LAWS " they have on their website very thoroughly.

It is multiple choice, but very specific. exactly to whom you send your change of address form and how many days you have to do so, to which court do you send your appeal if denied an application or license revoked and how many days you have to do so. What would disqualify you from getting an LTC, what would disqualify you from getting an FID.

Lots of very specific things like that.
Ok. Thank you.
 
Oxford MA. Less than 2 weeks from getting my prints taken to having my license come in the mail. No restrictions on my first renewal.

BTW, the woman at the desk was very friendly and told me Oxford did their best to keep processing licenses throughout covid+2020. Props to them!
 
Last edited:
Expired in 2011, I called local PD and explained to the chiefs secretary that I had my LTC issued in another town, It had expired in 2011 and I have since moved and asked if I should check off as a renewal or as a new application. She said that if you had a LTC in Mass, its a renewal regardless of what town or how long ago. She said check off renewal and asked if I had my expired LTC lic number (think she was going to give it to me for the application). She said to write in the expired LTC nmbr and mail it in and that it’s currently taking 12 weeks. I told her that I was not in any hurry at all and Ill be happy if I have it for summer. I asked about fingerprints and photo. She told me my fingerprints would already be in the system from my previous LTC application and that they would just use my picture from my drivers license and my renewed LTC would be mailed to me.

I followed her instructions, I sent the package USPS with tracking. Tracking showed it was delivered at 9:20am, at 10:10am I received a call from the licensing officer who confirmed receipt of the package and also noted that the chief required more for proof of residency and suggested going online and printing my voter registration (also gave me other options) and I could drop it off at front desk or mail it in. I printed it at work and dropped off on my way home, I also printed and dropped off an excise tax bill as a good measure… let the waiting begin.

My previous LTC was Class A unrestricted, the forum here shows my town as Green so Im hoping for a renewal of the same.

I decided to wait until just before my birthday to renew, So my issue date will be after my bday so I can get the full 6 years. In the time while I waited, I took classes, applied and received NH, Maine and Utah Non-res licenses, CT requires applicants to be licensed in their home state 🙁. Now that I have 50% of the US I can get Mass. lol

I will check back and continue to update

Update: This is for Dedham
 
Last edited:
Expired in 2011, I called local PD and explained to the chiefs secretary that I had my LTC issued in another town, It had expired in 2011 and I have since moved and asked if I should check off as a renewal or as a new application. She said that if you had a LTC in Mass, its a renewal regardless of what town or how long ago. She said check off renewal and asked if I had my expired LTC lic number (think she was going to give it to me for the application). She said to write in the expired LTC nmbr and mail it in and that it’s currently taking 12 weeks. I told her that I was not in any hurry at all and Ill be happy if I have it for summer. I asked about fingerprints and photo. She told me my fingerprints would already be in the system from my previous LTC application and that they would just use my picture from my drivers license and my renewed LTC would be mailed to me.

I followed her instructions, I sent the package USPS with tracking. Tracking showed it was delivered at 9:20am, at 10:10am I received a call from the licensing officer who confirmed receipt of the package and also noted that the chief required more for proof of residency and suggested going online and printing my voter registration (also gave me other options) and I could drop it off at front desk or mail it in. I printed it at work and dropped off on my way home, I also printed and dropped off an excise tax bill as a good measure… let the waiting begin.

My previous LTC was Class A unrestricted, the forum here shows my town as Green so Im hoping for a renewal of the same.

I will check back and continue to update
That's good info. Could you please share the town?
And welcome back to the firearms community. I hope your wait is short and that there is ammo available when you decide to start shooting.
Thanks for contributing.
 
That's good info. Could you please share the town?
And welcome back to the firearms community. I hope your wait is short and that there is ammo available when you decide to start shooting.
Thanks for contributing.
I updated my post (make it easier to research) to include the town
 
I renewed in Norton for the first time and had no issues. Fill out the LTC application and pay the fee, good to go and got my license in the mail before my birthday.
Too bad it didn’t arrive after your bday.. every bday is a year. If if was issued after your bday, you would have gotten an extra year
 
Return Receipt Requested is not mandated in the O Fish Al rules -
it's just highly Massprudent.
In lieu of notifying the FRB/DCJIS via certified mail, you may call 617.660.4722 to report your change of address. The following information is required: name, date of birth, active firearms license number, and driver’s license number for identity verification. Notifications to the police departments must still be made in writing via certified mail.
 
In lieu of notifying the FRB/DCJIS via certified mail, you may call 617.660.4722 to report your change of address. The following information is required: name, date of birth, active firearms license number, and driver’s license number for identity verification. Notifications to the police departments must still be made in writing via certified mail.
Ye Olde NES Wisdom.
[ETA: ...and scroll through rest of thread.]

Maybe think about how much one has to trust the government
to "notify" them using a medium which leaves even less proof of receipt
than Certified Mail without Return Receipt Requested.
 
Last edited:
The old laminated horseblanket LTCs were 4 years.... the one you could barely fit in a wallet.
Ohh, I saw one before at Bobs In Salisbury. There was a guy there listening to me complain about waiting for my original LTC and he asked if I ever saw one like his old expired one, it was a very thin laminate and it looked like the picture was taped onto the paper before it was laminated. The info was typed with a typewriter. It looked like it was the same generation at my old “lifetime”
FID card that was typed in a piece of cardboard.

looked to be the same size as a 5x7 picture lol…
 
Ohh, I saw one before at Bobs In Salisbury. There was a guy there listening to me complain about waiting for my original LTC and he asked if I ever saw one like his old expired one, it was a very thin laminate and it looked like the picture was taped onto the paper before it was laminated. The info was typed with a typewriter. It looked like it was the same generation at my old “lifetime”
FID card that was typed in a piece of cardboard.

looked to be the same size as a 5x7 picture lol…
you should see what a NH P&R looks like
 
Back
Top Bottom