This language was removed from the bill at the eleventh hour, and a great many very positive changes were incorporated into the final bill to make life much easier for Massachusetts gun owners.
In fact, due to heroic efforts on the part of the Gun Owners Action League (GOAL) what started out as an anti-gun bill was gradually altered to make it a pro-gun bill.
Now, if any Chief of Police anywhere in Massachusetts denies a permit for a long gun to anyone in the Commonwealth for any reason whatsoever, he has to go to court and prove why it’s necessary. This is virtually a “shall issue” policy.