Letter and a Link!

Y'know, every once in a while I get a letter from a reader that makes everything worthwhile. Got one last night. I've asked for, and received, permission to reprint the original message and my response from the gentleman who sent it. He's also got a blog, and has MArooned linked (in fact, I could almost consider it a third blog-child...).

Bill is a former shooter who gave up the sport some time ago. Actually, I'll let him tell it:

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From: Bill [redacted]

Hello, my wife and I have been lurking on your site for some time, and I thought I should say hello.
I'm afraid I've never been a very active web commenter, but we certainly enjoy your posts, especially about MASS-holes (we're stuck here too) and guns.

I have a couple of questions you might be able to answer for me if you would be so kind:

1. I'm from Washington State, where I had a CCW for years. When I moved to California I got rid of my beloved Colt Officer's Model, and my Browning Hi-Power. I did this because I figured (I think correctly) that there was a better chance of me going to prison for using a gun against an assailant due to insane gun-phobe prosecutors than there was a chance I'd run into a situation that feet, fists or a pool cue couldn't handle.
When I moved to Massachusetts to marry my wife I didn't own any firearms and haven't bought any since because there seems to be so many obstacles. What do we need to do in order to legally own them here? (I've gotten 4 different stories form gun shops)

2. My wife is interested in shooting and assuming we don't run into too much hassle getting the government's permission (Jesus I hate this place) , I thought a nice little .22 like a Colt Woodsman would be a good starter pistol for her, and if she's interested, she can move up to a .40 S&W or 9mm. What do you think? My wife is a hefty girl, but she's still a girl, if you know what I mean. I don't want her to have an unpleasant experience.

3. I read you joined a gun-club, and you live near us (we're in [redacted]) do they have an indoor pistol range and do they allow reloads? I still have my gear, dies and about a million cases. I miss shooting, but store bought ammo is pretty pricey for serious practice.Anyway, any informa tion you could provide would be really helpful. Thanks in advance, and also thanks for the articles. We always enjoy them.

Bill

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And here's my response:

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Good evening Bill,

First off, thanks for reading my site. I'm always gratified to hear that I'm not just p**sing into the wind, at least sometimes. *g*

Secondly, I'll take a swing at answering your questions.

In order to legally own guns in MA, you need a minimum of an FID card. That permits you to own non-high capacity longarms (i.e. not AR-15s) and shotguns. FID cards are "shall issue", meaning that unless you're a "prohibited person" (felon, restraining order, etc.), if you apply for the permit and meet the Chief of Police's criteria (a gun safety course is mandatory and some Chiefs require letters of reference), you get the FID automatically.

If you want to own pistols, you need a minimum of a Class B LTC (License To Carry, which ironically enough does NOT allow you to carry your firearm). Class B LTCs are essentially useless in MA, as they only allow ownership of low-capacity firearms - 10 rounds or less. MA also has the assault weapons ban, which makes this a moot point.

If you want to carry a pistol for self-defense, you need an unrestricted Class A. This is the only permit in MA that allows for concealed carry. Getting an unrestricted Class A varies from town to town and is solely at the discretion of the Chief of Police. There's a handy guide on the Northeast Shooters forum here: http://northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=8703. According to this list, Lowell is a red town, which means that getting an unrestricted Class A may be problematic. They list my town as red, which I disagree with - the Chief will issue an unrestricted Class A, but only on renewal.

Your best bet is to talk to the Chief or whoever does the firearm permits and talk to them. You will need to take a firearms safety course, which are offered through GOAL (http://www.goal.org/ - Gun Owner's Action League, please consider joining GOAL if you want to protect our fragile 2A rights in MA).

Scared yet? Good. It's a scary process. If you have your heart set on an unrestricted license, you may want to consider contacting an attorney who specializes in MA Gun laws before handing in your application. There are three practicing attorneys who frequent the Northeastshooters forum - Darius Arbabi (screen name Cross-X); Keith Langer (screen name scrivener); and Jesse Cohen (don't know if he posts often). More info on contacting these gentlemen can be found here: http://northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=19145

Now...

As for the second question, that's both easier and harder...

In my not-so-humble opinion, you cannot go wrong with a .22 revolver for ANY first-time shooter. The mechanism is simple; you're not likely to experience any malfunctions; and the VAST majority of .22LR revolvers are sufficiently heavy as to completely nullify any recoil.

When I bring a new person to the range, I have a four-part process for pistols:

1. .22LR revolver. I have two good revolvers for this purpose, a Smith & Wesson model 17 with a target trigger, target hammer, and 8 3/8" barrel; and a Colt Official Police .22LR with a 6" barrel. Either gun is accurate, reliable, and does not kick in the least.

2. .22LR semi-automatic. This gives the new shooter a taste of the semi-automatic mechanism without the kick of a centerfire handgun. I have a Smith & Wesson model 422 for this purpose. With the right ammo (fortunately it runs well with moderately priced PMC ammo), it's a great running gun.

3. .38 special revolver. I actually use a .357 Magnum revolver with .38 Special rounds loaded for the first taste of centerfire handgunning. I have a Ruger Security Six with a 6" barrel that is very comfortable to shoot .38 special loads through. It's even pretty decent on .357 Magnum if the new shooter is comfortable moving up.

4a. Centerfire semi-automatic. I prefer a full-size, steel-framed 9mm for this part, as 9mm is fairly easy recoil, especially when fired through a heavier gun. I have a SigSauer model P226 for this purpose. I also have a Smith & Wesson model 39, which is a single-stack firearm (single stack meaning all rounds are one on top of the other like a .45) - the grip is significantly thinner than the Sig, which is a double stack firearm (the rounds are staggered for higher capacity - the Sig holds 15 rounds to the S&W's 8).

4b. The essential Colt 45. If the new shooter is comfortable with the .38 Special revolver, sometimes I'll use a 1911 as the centerfire semi-automatic. Quite simply, most people are familiar with the 1911 - it was the sidearm favored by Magnum PI as well as generations of soldiers.

Any and all of the firearms listed above are available should your wife like to shoot them.

The Colt Woodsman is an EXCELLENT choice for a first firearm, but be warned - they're hard to come by in MA. You might want to think about a Smith & Wesson model 22A or a Ruger Mk III.

I'm a member at [redacted] Gun Club just down 495 from you. Their small indoor range absolutely allows reloads, but no Magnum calibers. All rounds must be lead-nosed, and jacketed ammo is strictly prohibited.

Let me know if/when you'd like to go to the range. As it says on my sidebar, new or returning shooters get a free pass the first time, so the ammo's on me. All I ask is that I be allowed to blog the event (and I can use initials or pseudonyms if you prefer).

Thanks for reading, and let me know if you need any more information.

Best regards,

Jay G.

PS: If it's okay with you, I'd like to reproduce this exchange as a blog post. Let me know.

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Folks, please welcome Bill at The Eclectic One to the blogroll. With any kind of luck I'll be adding Bill to the list of "Bloggers I've Met" sometime in the near future, complete with a New Shooter Report for Bill (returning shooter, but close enough) and his wife.

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Also, for those out there more knowledgeable than myself (no comments, peanut gallery...): Please feel free to critique my choice of hardware for new shooters. I've run through this a handful of times and gotten rather positive feedback from those I've offer it to, so I think it's pretty solid. I'm always open for suggestions, though, as anything I can do to make someone's first firearms experience more enjoyable is a plus.

The thought of helping to bring more folks into the shooting sports and gunnie environment here in Massa-fucking-chusetts just makes me downright giddy...

Heh.

That is all.