The issue of Massachusetts gun licensing delays is getting attention from non-gun sources, and they highlight the reports of nearly 1,000 gun owners who have had their licenses delayed past the point of the state breaking its own laws.
The article highlights a Senate Democrat who notes that this squarely falls on the shoulders of the Deval Patrick administration, and they include the fact that Attorney General Martha Coakley is refusing to investigate why the state government is violating the law, nor will her office even answer public questions on the matter.
Sadly, this isn’t new to Massachusetts gun owners. The government there has had a history of delaying licenses that are needed in order to continue lawfully possessing your guns. It was an issue when I lived there and had to get my gun license.
A good example of why licensing a right is A) terrible, and b) unconstitutional.
The funny (in a sadistic way) thing is the reason we aren’t filing suit against this just yet is because of the licensing scheme itself. It’s so convoluted and the license everyone gets (LTC-A) is a license that the state says we have no right to. The only license they say we have a right to (FID) can’t even be used for handguns, though there is a third provision called a permit to purchase (PTP) which can be used to buy a hand gun, though it hasn’t been used in 15 years. The LTC-B is the license we will have a right to if carry or any out of the home possession (condition irrelevant) is recognized.
So you have it right, licensing is the core problem. It’s sadistic, repressive and ensures government suppression of constitutionally protected behavior.