The Goose
Member
Hello all, my name is Steve Goselin and I am a newbie. Actually I grew up shooting, but have not seriously pursued it in well over 30 years. I must admit that I am going through a bit of a culture shock as I go through the process of getting a license, joining a club, deciding on a firearm etc. I grew up in rural MA and I remember back in the 50's actually bringing a rifle to school for show and tell. Those were very different times. My father and everyone else I knew hunted and owned guns, it just was not a big deal. I left home at 17, moved to Boston and just lost touch with my roots, hunting and fishing and shooting, the whole deal. In the early 70's I did get an FID card when they were instituted, but never even owned a gun. A few months back my wife and I got to talking and decided that we would take up some form of shooting as a hobby. We once shot skeet together and it was great fun. We wanted something we could do together and neither of us play golf. I contacted the local police and found out that my "lifetime" FID card was no longer valid and that we both needed to take a safety course. Sounded reasonable enough. I contacted an instructional shooting school and they suggested that we take the basic pistol safety course instead as that would also cover long arms. I ran the idea past my wife who to my surprise expressed great enthusiasm at the idea of pistol shooting. Who knew! We took a 10 hour course and passed the test. The shock came when I called the police back to get our applications. I naively assumed that as a law abiding citizen that it was my right to get a gun permit and that I would be treated with the dignity and respect that I have earned. The officer launched into a tirade saying things like, "What do you think you can just waltz in here and get a pistol permit" "Why do you want a gun?" "Where did you live before this and why don't you already have a permit" in a heartbeat I was reduced to a 12 year old kid who had been caught throwing apples. Luckily my sales experience kicked in and I won him over. In MA the police chief or his representative has final say and can deem anyone "unsuitable". Still I find this to be unbelievable. What the hell has happened? I am a 52 year old business owner who employs over 50 people, I vote, I pay taxes, I have been married for 20 years and lived in the same house since 1990, I have no criminal record and I certainly have no intent of breaking the law. How is it that I can be treated in this manner? My wife is a school teacher on a military base and we both raise substantial money each year for the MS walk. We are good people. At any rate we are currently in the process of submitting our applications. We had to join a club, which we intended to do anyway. Also we are continuing to take classes and learn more. I have also joined the NRA and GOAL (Gun Owners Action League) and am becoming active. I have no doubt that we will ultimately get our permits, but this is just wrong. No doubt I am preaching to the choir, but at least in MA the system is really screwed up. Forgive me for the rant, but I have found few outlets for my ire. I look forward to learning from you folks. We are entering this new endeavor with beginners hearts and minds and appreciate any thoughts or direction. Thank you. Steve
Anyway, thanks for stoppin' by and Welcome to The High Road !!!!!
