Applicants for a concealed carry permit in Boston, Massachusetts, face waits of as much as six months simply to be given the chance to be fingerprinted and licensed. Because of this, the Second Amendment Foundation, the Firearms Policy Coalition and Commonwealth Second Amendment filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court.
The target is Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox, who faces legal action in his professional capacity over egregious delays in processing permit applications.
According to the lawsuit, applicants “wait for many months before [BPD’s licensing unit] provides them with appointments.
State law allows a maximum of 40 days for the licensing procedure, but the reality is the process takes several times as long. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the office was shut down and a large backlog in applications developed. Then in the thousands, the delay was addressed initially by a 2021 lawsuit that was settled in mediation.
Still, the wait for obtaining Firearm Identification (FID) cards or Licenses to Carry (LTC) was strenuous and grew even longer.
SAF Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb noted that after the 2021 lawsuit, the wait list was whittled down and finally eliminated. “However, this year the Licensing Unit is back to its same old foot dragging, making people wait for months to begin the application process. As a result, we’re back in court to make the department comply with the law.
With the pandemic over, there is no excuse for the Boston Police Department to create such an untenable delay in the licensing process. This case is still another example of why Second Amendment advocacy groups deserve the support of all those who believe in constitutional liberties.
Without them, government agencies would be free to suppress gun rights out of existence.
