Gun Permits on the Rise in Shrewsbury

While the Obama administration is looking to increase restrictions on gun ownership in the country, conversely, Shrewsbury police say applications for gun permits in the town have more than doubled in the past year.

In 2012, Shrewsbury issued 408 firearms permits. So far, in 2013, police have issued 162 permits.

It may be surprising to some that permit applications escalated after the school tragedy in Newtown last year. But these statistics are not unique to Shrewsbury. The tragedy that kicked off a heated gun debate, also escalated the number of gun permits pulled across the country at a staggering rate, according to an article in The Examiner.

Referencing a report by the Associated Press on March 19, the Examiner notes that in Newtown, in December alone, the amount of firearms had spiked to nearly triple the normal amount. "At the same time, firearm sales have hit record numbers around the nation," said the Examiner, "thus spawning the joke, yet again, that Barack Obama is the world’s greatest gun salesman."

"The 'new' firearms license applicants have increased," said Sgt. Alfred Pratt of the Shrewsbury Police Department. "It appears from speaking to firearms applicants that the media attention from the recent tragic shooting in Connecticut has contributed to the increase in new applicants."

Pratt processes all of the permits, as he has been doing for the past seven years, in conjunction with the secretarian division. As part of the protocol, once the appropriate background checks are completed, the paperwork is sent to Chief James Hester, the licensing authority. Applicants' "reason for applying" varies from hunting, sporting, target and competition shooting to personal protection, said Pratt. During the interview, the applicant's photo and fingerprints are taken.

Attaining a firearms permit in Massachusetts is governed by the Mass General Laws, chapter 140.

"An applicant must first fill out a firearms application and meet with a licensing official in their town," said Pratt. "During the meeting, they must show proof they attended a required firearms class along with two letters of reference."

The permit costs $100.

"Once firearms applicants' information is submitted, a criminal background check is performed along with a Department Of Mental Health check," said Pratt. This takes up to two months. An applicant must renew every six years."

Pratt said the age range of the applicants in Shrewsbury "runs the gamut," and he sees younger applicants come in with their parents to obtain their first license for hunting or sport shooting. He also handles applications from older residents who have been maintaining firearms licenses for decades.

There have been no accidental gun deaths "in recent years," said Pratt.

"The firearms law in Massachusetts requires guns to be secured and stored properly," he said, "so we hope this, along with the licensing guidelines today,have contributed to this low rate."

Sgt. Chuck Pratt