Police Department Stops Accepting Firearm Permit Applications Due To COVID-19

The Nantucket Police Department in Massachusetts announced Wednesday that its officers would indefinitely halt new weapons permit applications due to heightened risk of coronavirus spread.

The department initially announced the decision on Twitter, writing that all fingerprint services were to be suspended, but the post was removed shortly after. The law enforcementbody said the reason for its decision was that the employees who fielded the applications expressed “concern that they could not safely do their jobs,” according to a press release.

Massachusetts issues both Licenses to Carry (LTC) and Firearms Identification Cards (FID), according to a state website. Unlike most states which issue only concealed weapons licenses, residents in the commonwealth need a FID permit to purchase firearms of any kind, meaning Nantucket PD’s refusal to accept applications could effectively prohibit someone from first-time gun ownership entirely.