Convicted of A&B on a cop in MA... no license for you, unless you are a cop.

[-..__...]

So much for fair and equitable treatment WRT possession of firearms in this state...

SPRINGFIELD - Under Massachusetts gun laws, considered by some to be among the most strict in the nation, a person convicted of assault and battery on a police officer could not obtain a license to carry a firearm.

Unless, the individual is a police officer.

Derek V. Cook, the city patrolman who pleaded guilty to two such crimes on July 21, will, after a three-month suspension, continue to work as a gun-carrying police officer.

State law provides for municipal police chiefs and commissioners to allow their officers to carry weapons - or be “licensed through the badge” - even if they have criminal records. Cook, it turns out, will be the only Springfield police officer who, if he were a civilian, would be prevented from obtaining a pistol permit or purchasing a gun as a result of criminal convictions.

“That’s very ironic,” says James Wallace, executive director of the Gun Owners Action League, a gun rights organization based in Northboro. “They disqualify citizens but let a law enforcement officer with that conviction carry a gun.”

More...

[Hoopla Phil]

1. Some people are just more equal than others I guess.

[X_Digger]

2. Is anyone honestly surprised?

Is this not a foreseeable consequence of allowing total discretion in these decisions?

I'm glad we have another concrete example along the lines of NYC's handing out permits to out of town rockers and shock jocks who've admitted to drug addiction, or CA's permitting process that allows celebrities with assault and battery convictions to get permits.

Rights for me, not thee.