Guide to gun rights in your Massachusetts town

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New LTC in Beverly

My experience seems fairly typical for Beverly. Took me a couple weeks to get a meeting with Capt. Terry at the PD Airport Annex, but once scheduled, he was pleasant and easy to work with. I had all my stuff ready to go. I was early for my meeting and respectful, which probably didn't hurt. Watched him type, "All lawful purposes" on my application. A few days after the interview, I had to go into the main station on Cabot St. to get my prints done.

Unrestricted Class A from scratch.
30 days for local PD to do their thing, and submit my paperwork to the State.
Issue Date on ID is one week after that.
Took another 10 days to receive my license in the mail. State mails to Beverly PD. Bev PD mails to residence.

All told, 6.5 weeks from my meeting with the Captain until I had my LTC in hand. He told me, "6 or 7 weeks" when we met, so I'd say that was pretty accurate.
 
I posted more details in the Mass law threads - but Boston renewal from a green town: A little over 60 days from interview to LTC-A unrestricted in my mailbox.
 
J14 said:
Thought I'd chime in with a recent and detailed Newton update. As stated previously, Newton is issuing target & hunting restrictions to all first-time applicants for a 1-year probationary period. They ask you to practice with a firearm in that time, and they say that after one year you can write a letter to the chief and they'll remove your restriction. **They really want to see a live fire course.**

Besides the automatic restriction for no other reason than "we can"... scheduling a time to turn in your application and do fingerprinting is probably the most frustrating part of the entire process. Appointments are 8:30, 9:30, and 10:30, on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday - why? I was told "because the system just gets too bogged down in the afternoon."

After fingerprinting I was told I'd get a call from the interviewing officer in a week to come in for an interview, which was quick and far less intense than I had anticipated (at least in my case). I have to give Newton credit that they submitted the application immediately - it was approved by the state within a week of my interview. Contrary to what most PDs do, Newton insists that they will not call you when your license comes in - you have to call. Once it's in, you can pick it up from 8-3 on any weekday. Said and done, the whole process took about a month and a half, and the state took about a month of that time.
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I can also confirm that they are still following through with this. I just hit my one-year mark with T&H restriction and after writing a short letter to the chief I now have unrestricted.
 
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Waltham update: 8 weeks for a renewal, 6 weeks for a new app. Both unrestricted. Happy to say that Waltham is GREEN. As a bonus, the background in your pic will be the US flag. Because 'murica.
 
Medford update:
50 days for renewal. Was able to schedule interview immediately. Was required to provide a letter requesting lifting of restrictions. "The chief basically never denies on renewal...except this guy a couple weeks ago. But he probably shouldn't have a gun at all..."

But at least my new LTC, once it's active, will be restrictions: none.
 
Mesatchornug said:
Medford update:
50 days for renewal. Was able to schedule interview immediately. Was required to provide a letter requesting lifting of restrictions. "The chief basically never denies on renewal...except this guy a couple weeks ago. But he probably shouldn't have a gun at all..."

But at least my new LTC, once it's active, will be restrictions: none.
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Posting around here not too long ago I was told Medford was a place that would downgrade on renewal...glad to see that's not practically the case.
 
one2one2 said:
Just picked up my LTC from Springfield yesterday.. No restrictions. :) Wasn't sure how it would turn out, but glad for it. One week shy of two month from start to finish
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how long did you have to wait? got my prints done on march 22, still waiting. also did you recive anything in the mail saying it was ready to be picked up? aswell as did you have an interview with the chief? I live in Springfield, have a clean record, not even a speeding ticket and i am 21 will i get my ltc unrestricted?
 
Boston4567 said:
Anyone have recent experience with Foxborough? I read here that the COP retired in 2016, but there doesnt seem to be anything posted since then
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Ed did indeed retire a year or more ago. I recall stopping by some months before his retirement to wish him well. Ed was my chief instructor in the police academy almost 30 years ago and I've stayed in touch with him off and on over the years.

I have no idea about the current chief.
 
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Len-2A Training said:
Ed did indeed retire a year or more ago. I recall stopping by some months before his retirement to wish him well. Ed was my chief instructor in the police academy almost 30 years ago and I've stayed in touch with him off and on over the years.

I have no idea about the current chief.
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Interesting. Was Foxborough actually a red town before? That's what it says on the main post.
 
Boston4567 said:
Interesting. Was Foxborough actually a red town before? That's what it says on the main post.
Click to expand...
I had heard stories of Ed restricting LTCs. I know that he gave a hard time to someone on NFA forms very many years ago (we're talking early 1990s), as I had some business dealings with that individual. I heard other stories that were bad if true, but I never discussed firearms or licensing with Ed.
 
When I applied for my LTC in New Bedford this past July 12th, the sergeant submitted my application as 'ALL LAWFUL PURPOSES' and told me that they issue unrestricted unless they have a reason not to. According to (DropBox link) COMM2A's scorecard from 2017 for acceptance rate by town, there were 599 new LTC applications and 347 renewals, all issued unrestricted. I think it's safe to mark New Bedford as green.
 
Retr0 said:
When I applied for my LTC in New Bedford this past July 12th, the sergeant submitted my application as 'ALL LAWFUL PURPOSES' and told me that they issue unrestricted unless they have a reason not to. According to (DropBox link) COMM2A's scorecard from 2017 for acceptance rate by town, there were 599 new LTC applications and 347 renewals, all issued unrestricted. I think it's safe to mark New Bedford as green.
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This is a good point. We have hard evidence that the front page of this thread is fake news. The author hasn't edited it in over a year and doesn't seem to log in much if at all. If you compare the colors to the Comm2a stats, there's a pretty bad mismatch. Should a new thread be made, or should someone else be updating the original post here?
 
The stats of issuing restricted v. ALP really don't tell the whole story. There are other factors that should be considered.

Suitability denials.
"soft denials" where they discourage applicant to the point where they don't apply.
Extra requirements (above those in MGL).
general obstruction (i.e. hours of application between 9 and 11 one day a month, stuff like that).
delaying tactics (all those long waits are not the state, it's you local PD)
 
42! said:
The stats of issuing restricted v. ALP really don't tell the whole story. There are other factors that should be considered.

Suitability denials.
"soft denials" where they discourage applicant to the point where they don't apply.
Extra requirements (above those in MGL).
general obstruction (i.e. hours of application between 9 and 11 one day a month, stuff like that).
delaying tactics (all those long waits are not the state, it's you local PD)
Click to expand...

Agreed. If we get anecdotal evidence those factors are at play, it should be a modifier (and maybe a dispositive one) to the hard data from Comm2a.

But right now we have a stickied post that people are relying on, based only on anecdotes, that in some cases we know is wrong, that hasn't been updated in over a year, and that doesn't seem to have any prospect of being updated anytime soon.
 
Boston4567 said:
Anyone have recent experience with Foxborough? I read here that the COP retired in 2016, but there doesnt seem to be anything posted since then
Click to expand...

Boston4567 said:
Interesting. Was Foxborough actually a red town before? That's what it says on the main post. [/QUOTE]

Boston4567 said:
This is a good point. We have hard evidence that the front page of this thread is fake news. The author hasn't edited it in over a year and doesn't seem to log in much if at all. If you compare the colors to the Comm2a stats, there's a pretty bad mismatch. Should a new thread be made, or should someone else be updating the original post here?
Click to expand...

Boston4567 said:
Agreed. If we get anecdotal evidence those factors are at play, it should be a modifier (and maybe a dispositive one) to the hard data from Comm2a.

But right now we have a stickied post that people are relying on, based only on anecdotes, that in some cases we know is wrong, that hasn't been updated in over a year, and that doesn't seem to have any prospect of being updated anytime soon.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Boston4567 said:
Anyone have recent experience with Foxborough? I read here that the COP retired in 2016, but there doesnt seem to be anything posted since then
Click to expand...

Boston4567 said:
Interesting. Was Foxborough actually a red town before? That's what it says on the main post .
Click to expand...

Boston4567 said:
This is a good point. We have hard evidence that the front page of this thread is fake news. The author hasn't edited it in over a year and doesn't seem to log in much if at all. If you compare the colors to the Comm2a stats, there's a pretty bad mismatch. Should a new thread be made, or should someone else be updating the original post here?
Click to expand...

Boston4567 said:
Agreed. If we get anecdotal evidence those factors are at play, it should be a modifier (and maybe a dispositive one) to the hard data from Comm2a.
Click to expand...

I don't think it is possible to give a member access to change another's, whether it is a 'sticky' or not. That would be a nightmare to try to control. So a 'living' up to date thread is easier for the members to keep up with if they do a little work themselves.

Have you searched this 'thread only' with your city/town name? The posts in the thread are accurate at the time of poster, "dated" but not fake news. Might the information have changed, certainly. When the latest MA laws changed on LTC A/B some COP just went to unrestricted and others doubled down on "not unless you are special". When an ongoing thread is as long/old as this one the information changes or the thread wouldn't be necessary.

Search 'the thread' and read the posts, before and after the results, and you may find more information than you think.

Best of luck. Matt
 
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SERE said:
I don't think it is possible to give a member access to change another's, whether it is a 'sticky' or not. That would be a nightmare to try to control. So a 'living' up to date thread is easier for the members to keep up with if they do a little work themselves.

Have you searched this 'thread only' with your city/town name? The posts in the thread are accurate at the time of poster, "dated" but not fake news. Might the information have changed, certainly. When the latest MA laws changed on LTC A/B some COP just went to unrestricted and others doubled down on "not unless you are special". When an ongoing thread is as long/old as this one the information changes or the thread wouldn't be necessary.

Search 'the thread' and read the posts, before and after the results, and you may find more information than you think.

Best of luck. Matt
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The "fake news" comment was tongue-in-cheek. I already have an LTC, but I almost gave a friend bad advice based on a town being listed as red (when it's probably more like orange at worst).

This thread is basically a recruiting tool, and it's probably the best one NES has. It's what drew me in. It seems like there must be something that can be done to ensure people are getting up to date information. It's only going to get less accurate as time goes on (or until the courts strike down the "suitability" nonsense).
 
Boston4567 said:
This thread is basically a recruiting tool, and it's probably the best one NES has. It's what drew me in. It seems like there must be something that can be done to ensure people are getting up to date information. It's only going to get less accurate as time goes on (or until the courts strike down the "suitability" nonsense).
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There is a post somewhere (I can't find it right now), containing a chart, I believe compiled by Comm2A, that listed every MA town, that included stats on issuance on unrestricted vs restricted licenses. While this won't answer all questions, it could prove useful. It's probably a couple years old now, but may give applicants an idea of what to expect.

Hopefully someone can link it??
 
crispnipz said:
2017 LTC Scorecard (Restriction data) by Town

These are released every year for the previous year, so 2017 is the most recent.
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Thanks, I'm sure there are some surprises for some people seeing this for the first time...some pleasant, some not so much.

It does not, however, indicate the towns that continue to delay. If your town is listed with a "green" 0.0% box, then you should be OK. You'll just need patience.
 
SERE said:
I don't think it is possible to give a member access to change another's, whether it is a 'sticky' or not. That would be a nightmare to try to control. So a 'living' up to date thread is easier for the members to keep up with if they do a little work themselves.

Have you searched this 'thread only' with your city/town name? The posts in the thread are accurate at the time of poster, "dated" but not fake news. Might the information have changed, certainly. When the latest MA laws changed on LTC A/B some COP just went to unrestricted and others doubled down on "not unless you are special". When an ongoing thread is as long/old as this one the information changes or the thread wouldn't be necessary.

Search 'the thread' and read the posts, before and after the results, and you may find more information than you think.

Best of luck. Matt
Click to expand...
Mods can edit other people's posts. There's quite a bit of incorrect information in the OP at this point.


crispnipz said:
2017 LTC Scorecard (Restriction data) by Town

These are released every year for the previous year, so 2017 is the most recent.
Click to expand...
Boston issued two thirds of renewals without restrictions??
 
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