How hard is it to get a CCW Permit in MA/Waltham?

[kel]

Hello everyone. I'm one of Vincent Christiano's students. I will be turning 21 soon and I would like to get a carry permit. On other forums and sites like packing.org I've read that it can be difficult to get one in MA.

I come from a shall issue state and a family in which all members who are of age carry. I would be pretty disappointed if LEO's decided I don't have the right to protect myself and my family, so any advice would be greatly appreciated. I have no criminal record whatsoever. Not even a parking or speeding ticket, so I am pretty sure there will be no legitimate reason for having my request denied. I want to make sure that I don't make any silly mistakes.

What experience have members here had? Any tips? What justification should I give on the form and during the interview?

[Alan K]

Kel:

If your Vinnie's student, you must be a good guy.

The first thing that should be done is to take a course in a local gun club. This is an SOP requirement in all the Metrowest area police departments.

You will need a proficiency certificate from such a recognized club

Part of your course will deal with what you need to obtain which permit you may or may not be entitled to.

Secondly, most Police Departments have on line services where you can get and study the application.

In my Town, Holliston, you can print out the application, right from their WEB Site;also a duty officer will help a lot if you are a resident.

At this point, if you don't feel confident, do as Van said and hire a lawyer.

Alan K

[Panther]

kel,

I have a charity event that is happening in late July. Two of the raffle table items are gift certificates for legal services from two attorneys that specialize in massachusetts firearms law. They both have helped numerous people obtain their permits. Waltham is generally pretty tough.

If you want more info on the event go to:

http://www.datalynxconsulting.com (nice to own the business and be able to co-opt the website for ulterior purposes! )

If you need more help in this area, you can give me a call or email... those are my numbers on the site.

Take care and good luck...

[kel]

I stopped by Waltham PD and picked up the application and talked to one of the officers there. The gist of what he said to me is that first issue is for target use only. I asked what would happen if I tried to appeal and he said that I don't wan't to develop that sort of relationship with the PD, it makes getting renewals alot harder.

Such is life, I know better then to fight it. I'll just have more time to practice and on some level less to worry about.