Non resident legality of OC pepper spray

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My wife is in the process of changing jobs and is not very familiar with the area she is going to be working in. She has no interest in carrying a gun at the time but she would like to get a pepper spray. The problem is she will be working in MA. I was under the impression that the only non resident permit available from MA was an LTC-A and that MA residents need an FID even to carry pepper spray. Please tell me I'm wrong and stupid and she can carry pepper spray without a license (which to me would be common sense).
 
Yeap, she needs a LTC. She can't carry without it. There is/was a bill trying to make it so you don't need an LTC....but I don't know what happened to it.
 
You've got to be f'in kidding me. She has no intention to carry a firearm why should she have to sit through a firearms safety class and pay for a license to carry firearms. What is the penalty for her carrying a pepper spray without a permit?
 
Ok, I'm not a lawyer (as ya'll know), but I was trying to find the penalties and came across this in MGL Chapter 140, Section 121:
“Ammunition”, cartridges or cartridge cases, primers (igniter), bullets or propellant powder designed for use in any firearm, rifle or shotgun. The term “ammunition” shall also mean tear gas cartridges, chemical mace or any device or instrument which contains or emits a liquid, gas, powder or any other substance designed to incapacitate.

Now I think I recall one of the lawyers on the board state that it was legal for non-residents to be in possession of ammunition? If that really was true, then doesn't that mean pepper spray falls under ammunition, which falls under non-residents may possess without a license? Or is there something I am missing here.
 
You've got to be f'in kidding me. She has no intention to carry a firearm why should she have to sit through a firearms safety class and pay for a license to carry firearms.[?]

Because she's applying for a License To Carry Firearms. [rolleyes]

As there is no provision in MA law for a non-resident to get an FID/Mace, her options are:

1. Get an NR LTC; or

2. Go without.

Assuming she doesn't want to break the law, of course.
 
As there is no provision in MA law for a non-resident to get an FID/Mace, her options are:

1. Get an NR LTC; or

2. Go without.

Assuming she doesn't want to break the law, of course.

Now I am not a MA resident so I have no right to complain about your laws as I have no vote or representation there, but isn't this downright stupid?
 
Now I am not a MA resident so I have no right to complain about your laws as I have no vote or representation there, but isn't this downright stupid?


Don't feel bad, those that live in MA have no representation either! [frown] [sad2]

Stupid doesn't even begin to describe it.
 
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Now I am not a MA resident so I have no right to complain about your laws as I have no vote or representation there, but isn't this downright stupid?

Of course.

None of which helps an NR seeking the minimal protection of a can of OC, however.
 
It's just as stupid as having every woman and other citizen of MA whose interested in personal protection go through the expense of firearms licensing just to obtain pepper spray.

Treating pepper spray as a firearm on the same level as a gun is simply insane.


It helps create a victim mindset by causing people to fear a perfectly normal defensive option as a 'weapon'. Consider the victims of Virgina Tech who went to their deaths, for the most part COMPLETLEY defenseless because their indoctrination and their university robbed them of the opportunity to even have a CHANCE at stopping their assailant with something as simple as pepper spray. All they needed to do was begin to think about SELF DEFENSE, but the law and their deprogramming had robbed them of the opportunity!

.
 
It helps create a victim mindset by causing people to fear a perfectly normal defensive option as a 'weapon'. Consider the victims of Virgina Tech who went to their deaths, for the most part COMPLETLEY defenseless because their indoctrination and their university robbed them of the opportunity to even have a CHANCE at stopping their assailant with something as simple as pepper spray. All they needed to do was begin to think about SELF DEFENSE, but the law and their deprogramming had robbed them of the opportunity!

Who said OC spray was illegal to possess at VT? Aside from that I don't know how you made a connection from crap MA law to the VT shootings. Do you honestly think that OC would have done a shit bit of good against the VT shootings? I don't know about you, but if I'm only carrying OC and someone starts shooting at me, I'm going to seek cover/flee. Only defense in that battle would have been a firearm.
 
Still would have been better than nothing, and if you could get enough in the air the gunman may have been affected enough for someone to take him down.

You're picking at straws. Depriving anyone of a fundamental human right is wrong, regardless of the context.
 
...Do you honestly think that OC would have done a shit bit of good against the VT shootings? I don't know about you, but if I'm only carrying OC and someone starts shooting at me, I'm going to seek cover/flee. Only defense in that battle would have been a firearm.

Another point of view from reporter Jack Lee posted as an excerpt from his piece 'Breaking News' on the Internet blog 'Post Scripts' date April 16, 2007 (I agree with him)...

Why did they just get on the floor and wait to be shot?
If over 50 people were shot, surely there must have been many more that were not shot that were present in the immediate area. Why didn't people rush the shooter? Why didn't people take some action to save themselves rather than wait to be shot? The shooter had to reload many times...why didn't the people who had the ability and opportunity rush that shooter and stop him? The question is almost rhetorical because I think I know the answer. But, it still doesn't stop me from thinking that after everything we've been through with school shootings and all the discussions, how we could have allowed this mass killing to happen? Although, I am very much aware that well intentioned people from a number of school districts prevented police and other safety experts from telling very young students how to react to save themselves should a shooter enter their classroom. And these same people generally discouraged this message to older students as well. I've heard some people say they feel it's better to let the professionals deal with the shooter...as they wring their hands and ask, what are kids going to do against a gunmen? Well, the dead and wounded were adults as far as we know and I can't help but wonder if that sort of feminized mentality isn't pervasive in our society and that is what allowed one shooter to kill so many people?

I couldn't say it better myself.

The connection between MA's bad law and the VT event is that the bad MA law perpetuates the same mindset and sets up the potential for similar circumstances - unarmed, unprotected civilians who don't even contemplate their own self defense.

It should be MUCH EASIER to get pepper spray for self defense.

.
 
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but isn't this downright stupid?

Welcome to Massachusetts. If you think this is stupid you haven't seen anything yet.


She shouldn't carry OC anyway. She would be a danger to herself and others. Just call the police instead... remember the Martha Coakley motto:

"We really discourage people from self help." [thinking]
 
I went to a class held by a fireman. When I was at the nuke plant. He said If you need mace and don't have any for home protection or for your car. Use a fire extinguisher. It'll be very hard for them to breath and I used up close will stop them dead..[grin]

They shoot farther than mace and cost a lot less then a hundred dollar permit does. They are a little hard to conceal..Lol

PS. I have seen some very small fire extinguishers too..

911 when seconds count help is only minutes away...
 
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