The 2nd Amendment is Thriving in the Bay State

Massachusetts is not well known for being a very pro 2A state, in fact it is often regarded as having some of the strictest gun laws in the country. Despite this the state is seeing a massive surge in firearm ownership and a massive increase in permit applications.

It is clear that residents of the Bay State are willing and ready to jump through any hoops required to exercise their rights. 

In 2021, more than 54,250 Massachusetts residents applied for a new License to Carry(LTC) permit in the state. These are great numbers considering that in 2020, which was considered to be one the best years for gun sales and permit application in modern history, there were only roughly 54,050 applications. 

Massachusetts offers two different licenses for residents, the first being the License to Carry(LTC) and the second being the Firearms Identifications Card(FID). The LTC is the permit required for transporting any firearm(handgun, rifle, etc) as well as ammunition. The FID is the state’s concealed carry permit equivalent.

As for gun sales, check out these numbers. As reported in National Interest: 

In addition to the data from the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System reported that it carried out a record-setting 262,583 background checks in Massachusetts in 2020. Moreover, with 259,248 background checks carried out in 2021, the Bay State almost surpassed that record last year. By contrast, there were only 153,487 background checks conducted in the Commonwealth a decade ago.

“The demand is pretty high,” Jim Wallace, executive director of the Gun Owner’s Action League in Massachusetts, told Boston 25 News. “People, in general, are taking more responsibility for themselves. A lot of people have finally woken up and realized the police can’t always be there.” Wallace added that women are increasingly interested in purchasing firearms for self-defense.

As we have pointed out in the past, this is nothing but good news for 2A activists and gun owners. More firearm ownership and more interest in the boring paperwork means more people who are going to support the cause in the long run.