Hank Investigates: License to Carry

It's legal. June has a license to carry a concealed firearm.

June Sousouris
"The one time you don't have it is the time you may need it."

In fact, more than 170,000 people in Massachusetts feel just the same way. One in 30 Bay State adults is now licensed to carry a concealed weapon. That's equal to one person inside each city bus or nine moviegoers at a sold out show. Stoneham Police Chief Eugene Passaro is head of the Massachusetts Police Chief's Firearms Committee.

Hank
"Do you think most people realize how many of their neighbors may be walking around armed? Legally armed?"

Eugene Passaro
"No, I don't. I don't think most people know."

Where are the guns?

Our survey found the percentage of people with guns varies widely across the state. Less than one percent in Norfolk, Cambridge and Boston. Ten percent or more in Wenham, Pembroke, and West Newbury. In Hubbardston and Oakham, about fifty percent of the population may carry a gun!

Hank
"What could be the situation if the wrong person has a license?"

Eugene Passaro
"Death. It could kill people."

Dr. James Kartell was a legal gun owner. Now he's charged with using his .38 caliber Smith and Wesson to murder his estranged wife's boyfriend, Janos Vajda. Police say Kartell had been licensed to carry a gun for years, and until now there had never been a problem.

Hank
"So basically Dr. Kartell could have gotten a license to carry a concealed weapon in any city or town in Massachusetts?"

Donald Pattullo, Andover Police Department
"Yes, I believe so."

John Rosenthal is head of "Stop Handgun Violence."

John Rosenthal
"The tragedy could have been so easily averted."

He says that without a gun the headlines in the Kartell story would have been different.

John Rosenthal
"Guns are made to kill and they can effectively turn any kind of argument into a death."

And that's one reason the Massachusetts' new gun law--one of the toughest in the U.S.--makes it difficult to get a license to carry. New applicants are required to take a handgun safety course. They must be fingerprinted, and pass stringent state and federal criminal background checks.

And some communities add even more requirements. In Andover, for instance, a letter of recommendation is required from an applicant's employer, and proof of emotional stability from a doctor.

Hank
"If someone says I just don't feel safe, is that enough reason to have a license to carry a concealed weapon?"

Donald Pattullo
"No, it would not."

In Stoneham, you need two letters of recommendation and a shooting test. Police chiefs also have the power to refuse an unsuitable applicant. One with a history of domestic violence, for instance, or substance abuse.

Eugene Passaro
"You sweat it when you're issuing a firearms permit initially."

Hank
"Because?"

Eugene Passaro
"Because you may be giving it to somebody who may not be responsible enough to handle it and control it."

Police know what happened to Janos Vajda illustrates how every license approval could be a life or death decision.

Eugene Passaro
"That's our job, that's our responsibility and that's our liability."

Law enforcement officials point out the Dr. Kartell incident is unusual, and that criminal acts by licensed gun owners are rare.

And if you're wondering whether your next-door neighbor may be carrying a legally concealed weapon... it's not possible to find out: State law keeps that confidential.