Boston Police Commissioner Facing Lawsuits Over Firearms License Application Delays

Gun rights groups and individuals have sued the Boston Police Commissioner over alleged delays in processing firearms license applications.

Police units secure the streets ahead of the 126th Boston Marathon in Boston, Mass., on April 18, 2022. Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images

Three gun rights groups and four individuals have sued Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox over the department’s delays in processing firearms license applications.

According to the lawsuit, filed on Aug. 31, the Boston Police Department stopped using an official waitlist to file firearms license applications and has intentionally slowed the processing of required fingerprints for the applications.