@wllm , what's your take on this?
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This is clearly an article written by someone who has neither participated in the Mass system.
TLDR: Massachussets gun regulations either by design or just as a result make gun ownership rates super low. That reduces gun crimes. It's a pain in the ass to get a gun and therefore people aren't as inclined to do it.
Roughly here is my experience and opinions.
MA is kinda a Fud and concealed carry state. Like those are the two primary user groups hunters and folks who want to cc. There really isn't a tacticool culture.
If you come to MA from out of state to hunt, you don't need the permit, you can't buy ammo in MA but you can drive down from like Vermont for the weekend to hunt turkey's or deer. No permit needed if you have a hunting license.
You do need a license, either an Firearm Identification FID or License to Carry LTC, the LTC comes in two flavors restricted, meaning "hunting or sport shooting" or unrestricted "concealed carry".
The basic process is take a class, mail in your application, wait forever took me 9 months, then you go get your permit. The interview is misrepresented in the article, the license mail in application has 15 questions that you answer yes or no. During your "interview" they just ask you the questions again, that's it. The main reason you go in for your interview is to get your picture taken for your license and to get finger printed.
I got a Non-resident LTC when I was first moving to MA and then a resident LTC. The Nonres LTC took waaaaaay longer, but was done by the state police, it felt more legit. The resident LTC is all done through your local town police station. Your local police chief decides whether you get the license or not. Towns in MA are very very small geographically, and if you move you have to redo the process (partially) this is not the case with the non-resident LTC (go figure), essentially if we move 3 blocks I would be in a different jurisdiction and have to jump through more hoops.
You have to renew your license every 5 years, it takes a long time to process so it's more like every 4.5 years. Further this requirement was 2 years, but keeps getting made longer as the state deals with the volume of licenses.
Seems like most causal hunters in MA just hunt muzzy and bow which don't require a license. Folks more into it get the LTC, and a small number of people who really want a CC go that route.
My experience is probably different than most because I'm a white guy, with an above median income, who has no ties to the area. I would imagine that if you are from MA and have a sketchy uncle or something, that makes it harder. I also am very good at navigating legal systems. Beyond my application I wrote a letter explaining why I wanted a license, and provided reference letters from individuals who are MDs and Lawyers. I got the CC or unrestricted LTC... not sure if this is common or uncommon to get.
As far as enforcement goes, the gun shops here kinda suck mostly sketchy feeling stores that sell ARs and handguns (not my scene), there are a few hunting stores that feel a bit hoity toity where you can by nice sidebysides and O/U shotguns. Western part of the state has a Bass pro and I assume more normal shops.
New Hampshire is about 20 min from our house so I mostly buy stuff up there, the store right on the border checks your mass LTC and won't sell guns or ammo to you if you don't have one.
I've also purchased in VT and ME, they are far enough away (60min -90min) that apparently they don't know the MA rules and don't check your LTC for ammo.
If you buy a gun in MA you have to register it with the state there is a whole process, they mostly worry about handguns and ARs. You don't have to register weapons you owned before moving to the state. I think if you bought a gun on gun broker sent it to a FFL in like Maine or whatever and drove up one could likely skirt the law.
Since it's implementation gun violence hasn't gone down, it's just kinda stayed flat or gone up slightly. Given national trends I suspect the rate would have gone way up without the law.
That being said the confounding factor is MAs robust social safety net and healthcare system. Our system is just so much better than the rest of the country and that has to be related. Also, wealthier more educated population with a ton of gentrification going on... that said there are some very rough parts of the city.
I think the system kinda works in MA because pre implementation gun ownership rates were low, and it happened before the taticool era. I'm not sure if it's a model that would be feasible nationwide, I think there are just too many guns and gun owners. Some states could definitely go this route but I'm skeptical of it at a federal level.
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