Boston Police Commissioner Faces Lawsuits for Delayed Firearms License Applications.
Gun Rights Groups Sue Boston Police Commissioner Over Delays in Firearms License Applications
Three gun rights groups and four individuals have filed a lawsuit against Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox, accusing the department of intentionally delaying the processing of firearms license applications.
The lawsuit, filed on Aug. 31, alleges that the Boston Police Department has abandoned its official waitlist for applications but is still using a similar system to prevent people from completing the application process.
“Thus, while it has purportedly abandoned its use of a ‘wait list’ to submit applications, the Licensing Unit is still using the equivalent of a ‘wait list’ to prevent people from completing the application process,” the lawsuit reads.
The plaintiffs, including the Second Amendment Foundation, the Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC), the Commonwealth Second Amendment, and four individuals, claim that the department’s delays have violated their civil rights to firearms ownership.
According to the lawsuit, some individual plaintiffs have been waiting for more than seven months without any action being taken on their applications. The organizations listed as plaintiffs also have members in Massachusetts who are experiencing similar delays.
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The Boston Police Department has not commented on the lawsuit as of Sept. 2.
The application process in Massachusetts includes fingerprinting, an in-person interview, qualification at a shooting range, and a non-refundable $100 processing fee. The state can also impose additional requirements and limitations on the permit.
Pandemic Blamed for Backlog
The lawsuit claims that the backlog in processing applications began in 2020-2021 when the police department halted operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a statement, Alan Gottlieb, founder and executive vice president of the Second Amendment Foundation, revealed that they had previously sued over the backlog and reached a settlement through mediation. However, the Licensing Unit has returned to delaying applications, prompting the current lawsuit.
“In 2021, we sued over the delay and the case was ultimately settled at mediation. The waitlist was to be eliminated by Oct. 31, 2021,” Mr. Gottlieb wrote. “However, this year, the Licensing Unit is back to its same old foot-dragging, making people wait for months to complete the application process.”
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