Massachusetts –-(Ammoland.com)- Celona v. Erickson challenges the practice of Massachusetts licensing authorities of treating written license to carry firearms (LTC) denial notices as de facto search warrants.
It also attempts to further confirm earlier Comm2A victories in Wesson and Richmond regarding license denials based on old, out-of-state minor marijuana convictions and establish that police may not impose extralegal requirements for the return of seized property.
Christopher Celona possessed a Massachusetts LTC for over 20 years before being denied a renewal this past spring on the basis of an old conviction for simple marijuana possession in New Hampshire. Two police officers arrived at Celona’s home and presented him with a license denial letter from Gardner Police Chief Erickson.
Although they lacked a proper search warrant, the officers claimed that the letter gave them legal authority to enter the home and seize all of Celona’s firearms.
Police also took it upon themselves to seize firearms belonging to Celona’s wife and father. Later, when Celona’s wife and father attempted to retrieve their seized firearms, they were turned away until they “registered” their firearms – a requirement that is not supported by any law.
Mr. Celona, his wife and his father all seek monetary damages for both the deprivation of their rights and the resulting damage to their property.
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Jarvis v. Village Vault
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Commonwealth Second Amendment (Comm2A)
Commonwealth Second Amendment (Comm2A) is a Massachusetts based 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to preserving and expanding the rights of gun owners in the northeast. We are dedicated to promoting a better understanding of rights guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution. In addition to organizing and funding a number of exciting projects, our activities include educational programs designed to promote a better understanding of Massachusetts and Federal firearms laws and rights as well as programs to defend and protect the civil rights of Massachusetts gun owners. www.comm2a.org