Massachusetts’ gun licensing scheme is being challenged all the way to the Supreme Judicial Court. You need a license to own a gun in Massachusetts, and for pistols, the license is discretionary issue, meaning the police can say no just because they don’t like the looks of you, and they often do. It’s common in Massachusetts for people in one town to be able to get a license to carry a handgun, and someone the next town over can’t even get a license to own one.
UPDATE: Speaking of Massachusetts. I wish more people were this on the ball with Letters to the Editor.
UPDATE: This Massachusetts police forum is raising concerns about the suitability of the plaintiff in this Second Amendment case. That is indeed a legitimate concern. Interesting though, that even in Massachusetts you have cops supporting the Second Amendment for the most part. So much for law enforcement standing behind the gun controllers eh?
Hopefully these two levels of “may-issue” will get knocked down, either in MA or by SCOTUS. Living in CA, we have the same disparate treatment, with almost “shall issue” in rural counties with little crime and “no-issue” (unless you have connections or “presence”) in urban areas.
Winning in both venues may be a path to equality before the law for us here.
Good luck!