citizenship massachusetts firearms identification second-amendment
Naturalized Certificate required for Shall-Issue Firearms License
<p>In my state of Massachusetts, before being able to purchase any firearms, you must obtain a Firearms Identification (FID) license or a License to Carry (LTC).</p>
<p>Suppose that someone is in the process for applying for an FID, which according to our general law (<a href="https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXX/Chapter140/Section129b" rel="nofollow noreferrer">140 S 129B</a>) is a &quot;shall issue&quot; license.</p>
<p>Suppose that this person was born in Germany and immigrated to the United States at a very young age. Once the applicant's parents obtained citizenship through naturalization, the applicant was also given citizenship because s/he was under 18 and their child. The applicant's clearest proof of citizenship is having a US passport.</p>
<p>A town official tells the applicant that because s/he was born in Germany, they required a certificate of naturalization. When asked if a passport would be accepted instead, the police officer strangely stated that it could not be accepted because a passport has an expiry date. Furthermore, the <a href="https://police.billericaps.com/index.php/firearms-licensing/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">police department's page for firearms licensing</a> states:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>For a Firearms Identification Permit (FID):</p>
<p>...</p>
<p>A naturalized citizen within the above age restrictions (applicant must present proof of naturalization); and   ...</p>
</blockquote>
<p>There is the option of filing for a Certificate of Citizenship (Form N-600), however the average processing time for these applications is over a year. Everyone has a right to bear arms guaranteed by the second amendment and this is a &quot;shall issue&quot; firearms license. It seems quite insane to me that a person would need proof of naturalization despite being a US citizen.</p>
<p>Is this legal? Can the applicant do anything besides applying for an N-600?</p>

<p>The police are mistaken because they don't understand immigration law.</p>
<p>Usually, the first step to resolve this problem would be to explain the situation in a letter to or telephone call with the town attorney, elevating it from a police officer who has no training in citizenship and naturalization paperwork, to an attorney, who should either know better, or should be able to find out more easily.</p>
