Police Department of Taunton, Massachsetts,to stop issuing gun Licenses

The Taunton Gazette (via GOAL) ^ | 4 July 2003 | SCOTT DOLAN

[45Auto]

Police Chief Raymond O’Berg said yesterday that due to budget cuts and lack of staffing, he has imposed a moratorium on new firearm licenses.

The department is now four months behind in processing permit applications, and O’Berg said the clerks in his office will not accept new applications until they clear the backlog.

The chief said that due to the city’s fiscal crisis, he lost one of the clerks in his office. The office now has two full-time clerks and one part-time clerk, whereas decades ago previous chiefs had four full-time clerks, he said.

"Services are being cut. We’re unable to provide the services we have been," O’Berg said.

The moratorium went into effect July 1. In the meantime, people whose gun licenses are about to expire will be left in a lurch.

"They will have to transfer their guns over to someone who has a license," the chief said. "I didn’t want to do it."

The gun license freeze is just one of several police department functions affected by budget troubles, O’Berg said. The department’s records office will be open only on Tuesdays and Thursdays, "until we get some more staffing or we get some more money," he said.

After a wave of budget problems hit the city last year, O’Berg ordered the records office to close on Wednesdays. Now, he is closing the office on Mondays and Fridays as well.

"We didn’t have money hidden like the fire department. I’m going to be asking the city for more money," he said. "I’m not happy about it."

Seven police officers were issued layoff notices this week after efforts to balance the city’s budget fell short. Fire Chief Thomas Downey averted layoffs in his department after announcing he may have enough money in his budget to keep a full staff.

O’Berg said the seven layoffs may be just the beginning for the force. He is expecting another wave of layoffs in December or January if the City Council does not find more revenue sources for the city.

In the meantime, O’Berg said police will revert to drastic measures of all sizes to save money -- even turning off the street lamps in city parking lots to save electricity. Police pay the cost to light the parking lot behind City Hall, for example.

"We’re turning the lights off," O’Berg said.

O’Berg said he is negotiating with City Hall and the police unions to come up with staffing changes. He declined to comment on specifics.

[45Auto]

This is back-door 2nd Amendment repeal. Pass a law, then fail to fund it - the effects and implications are enormous.

[Centurion2000]

Soviet Mass. this is definately a backdoor repeal

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[RonF]

Nah. He's not trying to repeal the 2nd Amendment here. He's finding a highly visible service to cut so that the population will scream and get him more money. It's like a high school administration responding to the failure to pass a school bond issue by cutting the football team.

[JOHANNES801]

We dont need no stinking license.

[AdamSelene235]

Yep, there's a 2 hour wait for a background check here in Colorado. That's long enough to bring gun shows to a grinding halt. Good thing they closed the "loophole", huh.

[Mears]

Sorry,but the Taunton area is fairly conservative unlike much of Massachusetts.

[joesnuffy]

Take it before the SCROTUS

[joesnuffy]

bet they find the money to fund
prosecuting
non-compliance

[agitator]

Four words: Comprehensive Annual Financial Report

[onedoug]

They're still issuing all other Bill Of Rights permits, however.

[Radix]

Typical Massachusetts BS. They charge money for those permits. Are they just wanting to surrender the revenue now, in these days of tight budgets?

This is just one more excuse for enacting un-constitutional gun control. I do not believe a word of what the officer says. I know lots of people in Taunton, and they will all hear of this.

To Mears,

Sorry,but the Taunton area is fairly conservative unlike much of Massachusetts.

That is quite the statement. Can you support it? Are Taunton citizens sending conservatives to the State House? Is Pacheco a conservative?

I do not know all of the reps from the Taunton area, but Pacheco the wanna be congressman is responsible in large part for the bloated budget in Massachusetts with that insane Pacheco Bill!

[blackdog]

So fire all the clerks and pay them piece work instead. For $50 per application that backlog would clear out in ten minutes.

The good public servant should realize that there are alternatives to his threats for more money and power. Once those alternatives are implemented, it's no going back el-chiefo. Shoulda kept your mouth shut and be thankful for what you had. If it were me I'd take away your coffee machine. I used to have a boss like that. After a few months of hard lessons, nobody wanted for anything.

[Radix]

Dude,
You really should change the color of the phonts in your profile. My eyes hurt from reading your most excellent quotes.

[Mears]

I don't have figures but lived in the Taunton area for 4 years but now am back where I spent most of my life,Newton,and believe me,Taunton is more conservative.

I suppose everything is relative,though. My ideas of conservative,after living where I live for so many years,may be different than someone from Texas.

[FreedomCalls]

bet they find the money to fund prosecuting non-compliance

That is the key. If they are no longer issuing permits, then they should no longer be prosecuting anyone found without a permit. If so, the law is null and void based on non-enforcement. A lot of laws are like that. But I'll bet you dollar to a doughnut that, like joesnuffy said, they will continue to enforce non-compliance to the letter of the law.

[Atlas Sneezed]

Bang

[Little Bill]

You are right about Taunton, I worked in that area for years. Middleboro is conservitive, Freetown is consevetive, Dighton, Rehobeth maybe still are, Taunton is a cespit.

[Radix]

Newton?
Wow, you really are living in the belly of the beast. I would have to concede that Taunton is conservative compared to Newton. I wish you well my neighbor.

-Radix

[cajun-jack]

Amen brother!!! laying off police but we can't issue non needed licenses to law abiding citizens to protect themselves.......put it on national forum so the crooks know that they have an open run of things........get a few homes robbed and a few p;eople killed, the sheep will shear their own wool so as not to be sheared by someone else.