The time is now to take the class & apply for your LTC

Legal changes are coming to MA, and they’re going to drive up cost - in money and time

For those not aware, the MA Legislature is pushing through a slew of new gun regulations that will directly effect every gun license holder, user, or owner. The bill highlights can be found here:

https://www.goal.org/Lawful-Citizens-Imprisonment-Act

Of immediate concern is the increase in requirements for new gun license holders; currently the NRA Home Firearm Safety class (4 hour classroom only) meets the requirements. If this bill becomes law, there are new requirements:

SECTION 56 of the bill (New Training Mandates):

Written Exam
injury prevention and harm reduction education
active shooter and emergency response training
applicable laws relating to the use of force
de-escalation and disengagement tactics
live firearms training – to be determined by the State Police
Students must meet new established minimum requirements

Criminal Justice Information Services will issue certificate rather than the instructor

If you know of anyone who is even considering getting their LTC or FID, *now* is time to take the class and apply! Bills like this become law quickly. These new requirements will greatly increase the cost and time it takes to get your license.

Even if you choose to go elsewhere for the class, it is important to get this completed as soon as possible to avoid the increased cost.

Once you have your LTC, you can select training at your pace, for what you want – rather than be forced to take a more expensive course that may not apply to you.

As always, First Circle Safety is a strong supporter of GOAL and feel every MA license holder or gun user should belong. Please support this civil rights institution !

See First Circle Safety for class schedule

Message from GOAL below:

On Monday, June 26th, the Chairman of the House Committee on the Judiciary concluded their so-called “top-down review” of the Commonwealth’s gun laws. It turns out the entire public process, including the “listening tour,” was a waste of time and a way to distract from their real objective. It’s very clear that while everyone got to speak, only a few in the room were actually listened to.

The result of their “review” can only be described as extreme and draconian. GOAL has gone so far as to re-brand it “The Lawful Citizens Imprisonment Act.” Since its introduction, HD. 4420 has sailed through the House and Joint Rules Committees and has been assigned to the Joint Committee on the Judiciary, despite not even having an official bill number. It will likely receive a hearing within the next two weeks; given the Fourth of July holiday is next week. Just like with the Listening Tour dates, we are likely to get very short notice-if any-of when the hearing will take place. So please keep an eye out for notices and updates from GOAL about this bill.

The bill does its absolute best to criminalize gun ownership in the Commonwealth and is a direct violation of every Supreme Court precedent related to the Second Amendment from MacDonald to Bruen. At GOAL we have been working non-stop to break this bill down into its worst parts and you can see our analysis and breakdown here:

https://www.goal.org/Lawful-Citizens-Imprisonment-Act.

If you care about your Second Amendment civil rights, please take some time to familiarize yourself with the bill and read our resource page (the link in the previous paragraph).

Please take the following actions:

Find your legislator’s contact information
Contact your State Senator
Contact your State Representative
Contact the Speaker of the House (be nice to Maddie) at 617-722-2500
Contact your local Police Chief and ask that they take a strong public stance against this blatant attack on our civil rights
Contact your local gun club and let them know they should be putting this information out to their contact lists

Find out if your legislator is holding local office hours or will be at an event this week for the Fourth of July and talk to them about this bill. You can find most of the information about where they will be on their social media pages or websites.

This piece of legislation affects every single gun owner in Massachusetts. Every gun owner, regardless of your age, your interest, if you are a participant in shooting sports, a hunter, a collector, a trainer, or even a retailer: you will all be harmed by this bill. In the past our government has focused on dividing our community and attacking us based on what guns we own or activities we participate in. This time it is an attack on all of us.

John Richardson

Posted: to First Circle News on Mon, Jul 17, 2023
Updated: Wed, Aug 30, 2023