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BELLEVUE, Wash. —— The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) and its partners have filed a new lawsuit in Massachusetts challenging the commonwealth’s process for non-residents to acquire a license to carry (LTC).
The process of acquiring and maintaining a Massachusetts non-resident permit is wrought with burden, cost and delay. The initial permit application process often takes six months or more and includes repeated mandatory in-person visits to the commonwealth, creating an unconstitutional barrier to an applicant’s right to carry for self-defense. To add insult to constitutional injury, Massachusetts non-resident permits are only good for one year (while in-state permits are good for 6 years), requiring permit holders to file their renewals every year mere months after having received their permit, as the renewal process is plagued by the very same unconstitutional delays and the challenged laws provide no grace period for expired permits that are pending renewal. This new lawsuit requests the courts to step in and hold the commonwealth accountable for their tactics of unconstitutional burden and delay, and for the singling out of non-residents for particularly harsh treatment.
“Thanks to the Massachusetts permitting regime, non-residents who travel to – or even through – the state for business or vacation must follow the extremely long permit process or risk arrest and prosecution,” said SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut. “The Second and Fourteenth Amendments clearly protect the right of ‘ordinary, law-abiding citizens’ to carry handguns for self-defense, and the state is violating the constitutional rights of non-residents with such a burdensome process to receive and renew a license to carry.”
Joining SAF in the lawsuit, Lawson v. Campbell, are the Gun Owners Action Leage and three individuals in the midst of the permit application or renewal process.
“We proved it in California, and we’ll prove it in Massachusetts – you cannot force someone to give up their Second Amendment rights because they cross a state line,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “The Second Amendment applies to all Americans in all states, period. With this lawsuit we aim to restore the right to keep and bear arms for everyone who wants to travel to Massachusetts, and we look forward to showing why this law is in clear violation of the Second Amendment.”
For more information visit SAF.org.
The Second Amendment Foundation (saf.org) is the nation’s oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group dedicated to safeguarding and promoting the fundamental rights of individuals enshrined in the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution. SAF engages in aggressive legal action to ensure the principles of armed self-defense, personal liberty, and the ownership of arms are defended, secured, and restored. Through public education initiatives, SAF teaches the importance of the Second Amendment to promote a society that values and exercises the right to keep and bear arms.
Media Contact:
Matt Coffey
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