MA Firearms Records Bureau Statewide Stats
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| Submitted | Nov. 26, 2018 |
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Communications
From: Madison Rogers
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Massachusetts Public Records Law, I hereby request the following records:
Any records that report
* The total number of forfeiture or suspensions under M.G.L. ch.140, §125 "Forfeiture or suspension of licenses; notice" by year and by license type (LTC-A, LTC-B, Gunsmith, FID, etc.) for the previous ten years
* The total number of MA firearms licenses (under M.G.L. ch.140, §122) outstanding, by year and type, for the previous ten years
Please take special care to note that under Massachusetts Public Records law (M.G.L. c. 66, § 10(d)) any records divulging or tending to divulge the names and addresses of persons who own or possess firearms, rifles, shotguns, machine guns and ammunition and names and addresses of persons licensed to carry and/or possess the same should not be divulged. It is for this reason that I have limited my request to bulk state-wide statistics. These bulk statistics are critical to allow for an informed public debate on the future policy for firearms within the state.
I also request that, if appropriate, fees be waived as we believe this request is in the public interest, as suggested but not stipulated by the recommendations of the Massachusetts Supervisor of Public Records. The requested documents will be made available to the general public free of charge as part of the public information service at MuckRock.com, processed by a representative of the news media/press and is made in the process of news gathering and not for commercial usage.
I expect the request to be filled in an accessible format, including for screen readers, which provide text-to-speech for persons unable to read print. Files that are not accessible to screen readers include, for example, .pdf image files as well as physical documents.
In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.
Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 10 business days, as the statute requires.
Sincerely,
Madison Rogers
From: Massachusetts Department of Criminal Justice Information Services
Dear Public Records Request Submitter;
This message confirms receipt of your public records request by the Massachusetts Department of Criminal Justice Information Services (DCJIS). The DCJIS will provide a formal response to your request for information as soon as possible.
Please note that the DCJIS may contact you with questions about your request or to clarify its scope.
In the interim, if you have any questions about the status of your request, please contact the DCJIS legal department at 617-660-4760 and ask to speak to Ms. Agapi Koulouris, the DCJIS General Counsel and Records Access Officer.
Thank you.
From: Massachusetts Department of Criminal Justice Information Services
Madison -
Your request has been received at the Department of Criminal Justice Information Services (DCJIS), and I will respond accordingly.
A few questions:
1. Regarding your first request, the "forfeiture or suspensions", that MGL c. 140, s. 125 refers only to gun dealers licenses, not LTCs or FID cards. If you're looking for suspensions or revocations of firearms licenses, that would be under MGL c. 140, s. 129B and s. 131. Are you referring to those permits?
2. Regarding your second request, what do you mean by " firearms licenses outstanding by year and type"? Do you mean the number of firearms licenses issued? Also, the MGL you refer to, c. 140, s. 122, is only gunsmith and gun dealers licenses. Are you looking for all firearms license types?
Thank you,
Michaela Dunne | Manager of Law Enforcement & Justice Services
Massachusetts Department of Criminal Justice Information Services
200 Arlington Street, Suite 2200
Chelsea, MA 02150
p. 617.660.4682 | f. 617.884.4601
michaela.dunne@state.ma.us<mailto:michaela.dunne@state.ma.us> | mass.gov/cjis<http://www.mass.gov/cjis>
The preceding email message (including any attachments) contains information that may be confidential, may
be protected by the attorney-client or other applicable privileges, or may constitute non-public information. It is
intended to be conveyed only to the designated recipient(s) named above. If you are not an intended recipient
of this message, please notify the sender by replying to this message and then delete all copies of it from your
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is not authorized and may be unlawful.
From: Madison Rogers
Michaela-
Thanks so much for your response. In regards to the first question, yes, I'm looking to get information on LTCs and FIDs.
And in regards to the second question, yes, I'm interested in the number of firearms licenses issued. I'm looking to get information for all types of firearms licenses, not just gunsmith and gun dealers licenses.
Thanks for clarifying,
Madison
From: Massachusetts Department of Criminal Justice Information Services
Dear Ms. Rodgers:
This responds to your public records request dated November 27, 2018. Upon receipt of your request, Michaela Dunne with DCJIS contacted you to confirm the scope of your inquiry. You confirmed the scope of your inquiry on December 3, 2018.
Your request seeks the following records:
“* The total number of forfeiture or suspensions under M.G.L. ch.140, §125 "Forfeiture or suspension of licenses; notice" by year and by license type (LTC-A, LTC-B, Gunsmith, FID, etc.) for the previous ten years
* The total number of MA firearms licenses (under M.G.L. ch.140, §122) outstanding, by year and type, for the previous ten years.”
Due to the magnitude and complexity of your request confirmed on December 3, 2018, we will need additional time to process this production. We currently expect to produce responsive records by December 24, 2018.
We are not withholding any public records based on a statutory or other legal exemption. We are not charging fees for this request.
If you wish to challenge any aspect of this response, you may appeal to the Supervisor of Public Records following the procedure set forth in 950 C.M.R. 32.08, a copy of which is available at http://www.mass.gov/courts/case-legal-res/law-lib/laws-by-source/cmr/. You may also file a civil action in accordance with M.G.L. c. 66, § 10A.
Sincerely,
[Description: DCJIS logoRGB_5_#5095.jpg]
Agapi Koulouris
General Counsel
Massachusetts Department of Criminal Justice Information Services
Legal Department
200 Arlington Street, Suite 2200
Chelsea, MA 02150
t. 617-660-4654 | f: 617.660.4613
agapi.koulouris@state.ma.us<mailto:agapi.koulouris@state.ma.us> | www.mass.gov/cjis<http://www.mass.gov/cjis>
The preceding email message (including any attachments) contains information that may be confidential, may
be protected by the attorney-client or other applicable privileges, or may constitute non-public information. It is
intended to be conveyed only to the designated recipient(s) named above. If you are not an intended recipient
of this message, please notify the sender by replying to this message and then delete all copies of it from your
computer system. Any use, dissemination, distribution, or reproduction of this message by unintended recipients
is not authorized and may be unlawful.
From: Massachusetts Department of Criminal Justice Information Services
Dear Ms. Rodgers:
I am writing in response to the public records request you submitted to the Department of Criminal Justice Information Services (DCJIS) dated November 27, 2018.
In your correspondence you requested the following information:
"* The total number of forfeiture or suspensions under M.G.L. ch.140, §125 "Forfeiture or suspension of licenses; notice" by year and by license type (LTC-A, LTC-B, Gunsmith, FID, etc.) for the previous ten years
* The total number of MA firearms licenses (under M.G.L. ch.140, §122) outstanding, by year and type, for the previous ten years."
In a subsequent email dated December 3, 2018, you clarified that request to include:
* The total number of firearms licenses issued during the previous 10 years; and
* The total number of suspensions and revocations issued during the previous 10 years.
In response to your request, I have attached a spreadsheet containing a list of the total number of firearms licenses issued, suspended, or revoked by type from 2008 through present.
We are not withholding any public records based on a statutory or other legal exemption, and do not seek an extension to respond to your request. We are not charging fees for this request.
If you wish to challenge any aspect of this response, you may appeal to the Supervisor of Public Records following the procedure set forth in 950 C.M.R. 32.08, a copy of which is available at http://www.mass.gov/courts/case-legal-res/law-lib/laws-by-source/cmr/. You may also file a civil action in accordance with M.G.L. c. 66, § 10A.
Regards,
Michaela Dunne | Manager of Law Enforcement & Justice Services
Massachusetts Department of Criminal Justice Information Services
200 Arlington Street, Suite 2200
Chelsea, MA 02150
p. 617.660.4682 | f. 617.884.4601
michaela.dunne@state.ma.us<mailto:michaela.dunne@state.ma.us> | mass.gov/cjis<http://www.mass.gov/cjis>
The preceding email message (including any attachments) contains information that may be confidential, may
be protected by the attorney-client or other applicable privileges, or may constitute non-public information. It is
intended to be conveyed only to the designated recipient(s) named above. If you are not an intended recipient
of this message, please notify the sender by replying to this message and then delete all copies of it from your
computer system. Any use, dissemination, distribution, or reproduction of this message by unintended recipients
is not authorized and may be unlawful.
