State-federal clash may cause hundreds to lose gun licenses

BOSTON (AP) - Massachusetts authorities say hundreds of residents previously cleared by a state board to own a firearm may lose their gun licenses because of a clash between state and federal regulations.

The Boston Globe reports that the state began notifying police chiefs last month after federal law enforcement officials said the state’s Firearms License Review Board, which considers whether people with misdemeanor criminal convictions should have a license, was clearing applicants who should have been disqualified under federal rules.

That group of 340 people includes police officers who without a license could be in danger of losing their jobs. The number of people in danger of losing their gun licenses is likely to grow.

Jim Wallace, executive director of the Gun Owners’ Action League of Massachusetts, called it a “difficult scenario.”

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