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

Update: called local pd after mailing in renewal that expired in 2011 in another town. I wanted to check in and see how it looked. I was told that it appeared to be good but they are extremely backed up and that my background check and entry into the system would take place sometime between Christmas and New Years at which point it will be given to the Chief for him to look at. Told again that I won’t need to come in unless the Chief wants to speak with me. I explained my ltc picture was taken in 2006, he told me rhey are using Drivers license picture from the RMV.
 
I have my final report from Andover. Happy to report that at least for renewals we are still green. Dropped off my paperwork on 9/27. My check was cashed on 11/5 .Picked up my renewal today. Unrestricted. Total of 49 days if you include the day I dropped it off. Considering it takes about 30 minutes to get through the Dunkin’ Donuts drive-through I’d say this was pretty damn good service from Andover Police
 
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I have my final report from Andover Massachusetts. Happy to report that at least for renewals we are still green. Dropped off my paperwork on 9/27. My check was cashed on 11/5 .Picked up my renewal today. Unrestricted. Total of 49 days if you include the day I dropped it off. Considering it takes about 30 minutes to get through the Dunkin’ Donuts drive-through I’d say this was pretty damn good service from Andover Police
Congrats. Im about 5 weeks behind you but Im not expecting my application to be processed as quickly as yours.
 
I applied for my LTC the day after I got my driver's license. I called Pepperell PD and they just instructed me to drop off the paperwork at the police station. I dropped off the application and certificate from the safety class, and the nice lady at the front desk said "we need to schedule your interview and finger prints. I have several appointments, the first in two days." I came in at the appointed time, got my fingerprints taken, and chatted with the same lady...and that was it. She asked me where I was from, and if my parents were military (I was born outside of the US and they are both now retired navy), and I left. I got the card in the mail about a month later, shockingly. The whole process was faster and easier than a NC CCW permit, and it is legal to carry in more places. Some notes about my application:

Under reason for applying I wrote "Unrestricted, all lawful purposes" and also stated that I had taken extensive training and intended to take more. I had an NC concealed carry permit for 15 years, and listed that as well. I was kind of disappointed that they didn't call my two references, both are good friends, one is a police detective in NC and the other is a psychiatrist! No letter or anything required. I think the informal interview was just kind of seeing if I sounded crazy (I guess I didn't), and apparently was just her chatting with me as she took my fingerprints. I had been steeling myself for a grilling, a hostile firearms officer...something. But it was not bad.
 
Apologies if this was mentioned somewhere else. But someone sent me this site. Green/yellow/red rating for all towns in mass for how strict they are for issuing LTC’s.

 
Apologies if this was mentioned somewhere else. But someone sent me this site. Green/yellow/red rating for all towns in mass for how strict they are for issuing LTC’s.

Interesting site. I know some of his/her info is wrong. What's most interesting is that they hide the name of the instructor or location where they teach.
 
North Andover was green for my GF first time LTC no restrictions, and it was my third renewal and no issues what so ever. Super fast, polite and all around good stuff. OFC. Beirne was great.
 
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


Update: After 4-5 weeks I called the PD and spoke with the licensing officer to verify my application was complete and that the proof of residency was received, he confirmed receipt and told me that due to the back log he wouldn’t be able to get my application into the computer until Christmas or maybe New Years.

In the time since I spoke with the licensing officer, I called the firearms records bureau in late November, just after Thanksgiving and I was not yet entered for a renewal, but she did show my expired LTC.

Today, I called the firearms records bureau again. This time I was asked for my expired LTC number and then asked for my name and DOB for verification. (Previously asked for last name, first name and DOB). She told me that I have a renewal application pending, I asked if my background check was completed, she said everything is pending. I was curious so I asked if I would have the same LTC number or if I would be assigned a new one, she said a new number would be assigned. I asked if she knew the new number and she said its pending… maybe Im confused but when I got my original LTC, I was entered into MIRCS, fingerprinted and photographed and I was given a copy of the computer printed application with the application number which is the LTC number once approved.


Anyway, just happy to have the ball rolling again.
 
Apologies if this was mentioned somewhere else. But someone sent me this site. Green/yellow/red rating for all towns in mass for how strict they are for issuing LTC’s.

whoever made this website did an absolute hackjob. Even the introductory paragraph for the map is incorrect about "denying you". They conflate the ability to carry concealed with the ability to get an LTC. They are two different things. Seems like from his "About Us" section that he hated misinformation but has decided to use misinformation in the first place!

Also, the number of gray towns on his map is laughable. Some of those towns have lots of information out there, plus there is the Licensing report that Comm2A put out that he could use to make the map. Half-assery all around.
 
Today, I called the firearms records bureau again. ... She told me that I have a renewal application pending, ...
Good.

... I asked if my background check was completed, she said everything is pending. ...
Now you know.

... I was curious so I asked if I would have the same LTC number or if I would be assigned a new one, she said a new number would be assigned. ...
The last I heard, everyone gets a new number every time.

... I asked if she knew the new number and she said its pending…
It's useless without the password, so curb your enthusiasm.

... maybe Im confused but when I got my original LTC, I was entered into MIRCS, fingerprinted and photographed and I was given a copy of the computer printed application with the application number which is the LTC number once approved.
I don't know about that.
 
whoever made this website did an absolute hackjob. Even the introductory paragraph for the map is incorrect about "denying you". They conflate the ability to carry concealed with the ability to get an LTC. They are two different things. Seems like from his "About Us" section that he hated misinformation but has decided to use misinformation in the first place!

Also, the number of gray towns on his map is laughable. Some of those towns have lots of information out there, plus there is the Licensing report that Comm2A put out that he could use to make the map. Half-assery all around.

One difficult aspect is there are easy issue towns that will stab you in the back if you so much as fart out of turn.

So it is difficult even most of the time to figure out how "green" they really are without inside information.

Not to mention a ton of them have obstructionist crap (reference letters) etc, but usually most of them only do that on the
new apps. So its much harder to find data.

Not saying the guys thing isnt crap but its a lot of work tracking all that shit. I have to get to updating our thread here, as a matter of fact...
 
whoever made this website did an absolute hackjob. Even the introductory paragraph for the map is incorrect about "denying you". They conflate the ability to carry concealed with the ability to get an LTC. They are two different things. Seems like from his "About Us" section that he hated misinformation but has decided to use misinformation in the first place!

Also, the number of gray towns on his map is laughable. Some of those towns have lots of information out there, plus there is the Licensing report that Comm2A put out that he could use to make the map. Half-assery all around.
Yes. It uses green to describe towns that follow the law and later it uses green to signify towns that Issue ALP..

So how would one define a town that only issues ALP but takes more than the 40 days, pink??
 
Update: After 4-5 weeks I called the PD and spoke with the licensing officer to verify my application was complete and that the proof of residency was received, he confirmed receipt and told me that due to the back log he wouldn’t be able to get my application into the computer until Christmas or maybe New Years.

In the time since I spoke with the licensing officer, I called the firearms records bureau in late November, just after Thanksgiving and I was not yet entered for a renewal, but she did show my expired LTC.

Today, I called the firearms records bureau again. This time I was asked for my expired LTC number and then asked for my name and DOB for verification. (Previously asked for last name, first name and DOB). She told me that I have a renewal application pending, I asked if my background check was completed, she said everything is pending. I was curious so I asked if I would have the same LTC number or if I would be assigned a new one, she said a new number would be assigned. I asked if she knew the new number and she said its pending… maybe Im confused but when I got my original LTC, I was entered into MIRCS, fingerprinted and photographed and I was given a copy of the computer printed application with the application number which is the LTC number once approved.


Anyway, just happy to have the ball rolling again.
you need to think like a bureaucrat, it doesn't become your ltc number until the ltc is issued. until then it's an application number. so, no, there is no ltc number yet.
 
What password?

I just pulled my previous LTC application and the number matches my LTC number, all 8 digits and the A at the end. Maybe its a separate number now.
I'ma guess that you never bought a gun in Mass using the old LTC...?


Or maybe you did so long ago that it was under the PoS fingerprint system?
(That's before my time).
 
And some fraction of them don't follow up on references -
the jurisdictions just make the applicant jump through flaming hoops because they can.
I think some of the obstruction is a lame attempt at reducing not serious applicants (in the PDs view this stuff is a time sink that should be the states problem) and some of it is more on the full blown anti gun side.
 
I'ma guess that you never bought a gun in Mass using the old LTC...?


Or maybe you did so long ago that it was under the PoS fingerprint system?
(That's before my time).
Ive purchased several, on the day I got my license I bought 2 handguns.

If you meant PIN, yes I got a 6 digit pin but never used it, My fingerprint was used.

Not to mention, the ltc has to activated by the issuing PD so even a LTC number and PIN/Password won’t do anything. As I said, I was curious when I asked.
 
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