The Gun Owners Action League (GOAL) of Massachusetts has filed a federal civil rights action against the cities of Cambridge, Stoughton, and Weymouth. These three cities are among those using COVID as an excuse to stifle our Second Amendment civil rights.
The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. Plaintiffs are Brandon Alves, Nicholas Bernat and Nathan Pierce, according to a GOAL news release. They are represented by attorney J. Steven Foley of Worcester.
Named as defendants in the lawsuit are Stoughton Police Chief Donna M. McNamara, Weymouth Police Chief Richard Fuller and Cambridge Police Chief Branville G. Bard Jr., in their official capacities.
GOAL is an affiliate of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. CCRKBA is not a participant in the legal action.
According to GOAL, since the COVID crisis began in March, some Massachusetts cities and towns immediately shut down the processing of firearm licenses. Even when the state began to “re-open”, these municipalities refused to follow the law, GOAL contends. The law is clear that licenses be processed in 40 days. Since the beginning, GOAL has been working with the state to get these local authorities in compliance. An earlier case against the city of Lowell was dismissed without a hearing because the city began processing applications once they were served notice of the court action.
“During this COVID era when folks need to be cautious, we are able to get our favorite coffee, burger, and pizza, but these local authorities can’t figure out how to safely fingerprint people,” said GOAL Executive Director Jim Wallace. “It is bad enough that we have to get permission from our state government to exercise our civil rights, but now they are telling us the system can’t work during a health crisis when citizens may need it the most.”
The case has been assigned to District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock, a 1986 Ronald Reagan appointment. He is the same judge that ruled against Governor Charlie Baker for closing firearm retailers and shooting ranges, Wallace noted in a news release. GOAL supported that case when it was filed by the Second Amendment Foundation and Comm2A.
The nine-page complaint may be read here.
