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Massachusetts is held as some kind of “model” for gun laws. In this state you have to have a license to even touch a gun. Nearly every gun is registered. The Assault Weapon Ban is alive and well. Basically, every liberal anti-gun dream short of a total ban exists.And when you look at the number of gun deaths, it looks like it is working.Well, you know what they say - There are lies, damn lies, and statistics.Here is how the numbers are fudged.First, when they list gun deaths, they list ALL gun deaths. Nationwide, nearly 2/3 of all firearm deaths are suicide. Here in Massachusetts, firearm suicide is actually very low. The majority of suicide is from strangulation or hanging, reasons for which are not important to this discussion. So, what happens when you remove the suicide numbers from the state and national figures?Suddenly we see the ‘truth’. Violent crime related to firearms is higher in Massachusetts than the national average. In fact, after the last major gun bill went into effect in 1998, the violent crime rate involving firearms has increased, not decreased even while over the same time the national rates have seen a decline overall.The state has roughly 7 million residents. Annually it spends roughly $6 million to administer all the programs related to the legal gun owners in the state. This includes licenses, registration, training, etc. Some form of these have existed since the 1930’s. And yet, when pressed with Freedom of Information Act requests for lists of cases where the data was utilized, the response has been and continues to be “no data found”. In other words, we waste millions annually on a program that has run the better part of a century and have seen NO BENEFIT.We’ve had a law since 1974 called the Bartley-Fox law. In effect, it says ‘If you are found with a gun and do not have a Massachusetts issues license for that gun, you spend a mandatory year in prison.’ There used to be huge signs at the side of the highway as you enter the state warning of this fact. The signs were taken down in the 1990’s mostly because they were getting shot up. Seems a pretty straight forward law right? Go check the twitter feed #MACourtFails for example after example of violent criminals with gun charges that are arraigned more than once in a calendar year for subsequent violent crimes. How is this possible? Because the courts don’t enforce the laws. Plea bargains routinely drop gun charges and allow violent criminals to plea down to lesser charges and walk out of court on probation or less. The same thing happens all over the country, but it is especially telling here where the Democrats run the show from the legislature to the AG’s office, to the courts. If they really wanted to be hard on criminals who use guns, they could. But they choose not to.Oh, but we have that new “Red Flag” law that will keep people safe. Really? Let me explain how it works. Someone calls the police and accuses a citizen of being a threat. The police look up if that person has a gun license. If they do, the police go seize the guns. If not, nothing happens. That’s it. In fact, during the public hearings, the chairman of the committee stated “this is a gun law, not a mental health law” to stop all testimony trying to provide help to those who need it. The law is solely a means to steal private property without due process. The long appeal process has begun, but with an entire state’s unlimited resources and a very biased court system working against the process, it will take a long time, millions of dollars, and a very very alert legal team to get the case appealed to a federal level where justice might happen.The “Assault Weapon Ban” was encoded word for word from the federal law to the state law different only by the removal of the sunset clause that removed the federal law in 2004. Since 1994, various courts and the BATF made a lot of rulings regarding the law. That’s 25+ years of settled legal precedent. So, what does the Attorney General do? Decides to “reinterpret” the law for her own political career. This new interpretation involves what the word “Copy” means when discussing the named guns in the definition of Assault Weapon. From the first time this was dealt with, the courts had determined it meant an exact copy of the named firearms. The Massachusetts AG decides that the word now means “anything that works like, or can share parts with”. In effect, she just declared nearly all modern guns as “Assault Weapons”. Since the Street Sweeper shotgun is listed and that is basically a large revolver, it basically means any revolver is now banned. Since most semi-auto actions are represented in the named guns, it effectively bans all semi-auto. Heck, if you can put the sight from a banned gun onto a another gun, it is now banned. But not only does this change the definition, it applies from the time the law was passed in 1998. So anyone who bought or sold any gun that this impacts since 1998 is now a felon - even if they no longer still have the gun. Remember, all the guns are registered, the state knows who has or had them. Of course the AG “promises” not to prosecute previous sales, but that does not change the fact that she just declared as many as a 10th of the adult population of the state as felons. Sure made her popular in the political arena for being ‘hard on guns’. For those who now face felony charges at the whim of the state - justice lost all credibility. How does making lawful people into criminals solve crime?If a criminal wants a gun, they just use their contacts to get one illegally. The only cost is the price of the gun. For a person to get a gun legally, they need to do the following:Find a training course. You must take an approved course to get the state certificate. In some rural areas, these classes can be as low as $75. Near the cities, I’ve seen them as much as $800. Many license authorities require classes that include marksmanship training. Finding a range near a city is hard and expensive. For low income, this presents a real hurdle. Then there is also the cost to travel to the class. An Uber can easily run $100 each way.The application for the license itself requires making an appointment with the police in the city/town you live. Technically the law say you can apply in a city/town you own a business, but few chiefs will allow that because the restraining order system is screwed up. Typically your appointment will be during the work week, so you’ll need time off to complete the application. The application requires fingerprints, photo, etc which might cause your appointment to be delayed or canceled if the station is busy processing a criminal - be prepared to take a second or third day off. The cost is $100. Your local community gets to keep $12.50 of that for their ‘time’, the rest goes into the state’s general fund. It typically takes the police department 2–3 hours to complete an application including the background checks, so that $12.50 hardly covers the cost to the town or city. The state explicitly forbids using the NICS background system in this process so that a NICS has to be run for every sale. So, the police have to use computer searches for the background checks.Some cities have other requirements. Boston for example requires you to take another day off to go out to moon island where they hand you a gun you’ve never seen or used before and are required to shoot a series of targets with accuracy better than they require of their own officers. Some require doctor notes declaring you are not crazy. Some won’t issue to people who are unemployed. Some require a gun club membership. The closest club to Boston is $2500 a year. Some restrict your license so that you can have the gun at home or at the range, but nowhere else.Wait for the license. Law says the state has 40 days. But, like most laws, there is no penalty to the state for violating this, so they do. It is not unheard of for a license to take up to a year to arrive. When you ask, the state blames the local police department and the local PD blames the state. The courts just laugh at you. Heaven forbid you are actually in danger and the license takes months to arrive. How many times might you need to move, change phone numbers, or more to avoid a person that is a threat?To buy the gun, you need to visit an FFL or find someone willing to sell you a gun. Since there are no FFLs in Boston, you need to find transportation to a suburb. If you buy from another person, you need internet access to use the registration system.Now that you have the gun, you must store it properly. The state was SO nice they passed a law that exempts gun locks and safes from sales tax. Of course, most stores don’t know this. Go ahead and tell Staples that you are buying the safe to store your gun and see if they waive the tax. But what kind of storage is required? Well, recently there was a case in Lowell where a resident went on vacation for over a week. While his family was away, criminals broke into the home and experts determined that they spent days breaking into his gun safe. The homeowner is currently appealing his conviction of “unsecured firearms”. Apparently a safe that takes days to get into isn’t sufficient. It should be noted that several police officers who had left a gun laying around for another to pick up (one in a public bathroom, another around minors) were not charged under the same law. Different rules for different people.This is what “the best gun laws” in the country are like. I say it is a great example.Of what NOT to do.So, let's summarize. The so-called “safest state in the USA” when it comes to gun violence is one that:A) Has more violent crime than the national average and increasing. Higher violent crime rate than neighboring states with far fewer laws.B) Wastes millions of dollars annually keeping track of the people who don’t break the laws.C) Doesn’t use the current laws to punish those who commit violent crimes with guns, leaving these dangerous people in society to prey on the innocent again.D) Passes useless laws that only targets lawful people.E) Declared over half a million lawful people as having committed a felony, but ‘promises’ not to prosecute.F) Has a licensing process that is long, expensive, and blatantly designed to make it hard for poor people to comply. It is also unknown what the requirements are or what your license will be good for.G) Has a law is so poorly applied that a citizen victimized by criminals that take days to steal guns is found in violation of storing them properly while police who just leave them lying around are exempt.Still sound like the best gun laws in the country? Strange how the details matter.

The real estate market is looking better, and many people are making the decision to purchase their first home. After your successful home search comes finalizing the mortgage loan and making the home your own.HomesThere are also costs associated with the purchase transaction that you may not be aware of or expecting. It is important to discuss these in detail with your mortgage broker and include them in your budget. Here are a few things to expect from your first time home buying experience:1. Loan Options: There are a variety of home loans available for the first-time buyer. One of the most common is a fixed-rate loan, typically for 15 or 30 years. This means the qualified interest rate will be locked in for that specific time period. Another option, which may be best for individuals that are not planning on staying in their homes for a long time, is an adjustable-rate mortgage, or ARM. These generally carry a lower interest rate that will change after a pre-determined number of years. At that time the expectation is that the rate will increase. Discuss which type is best for you with a qualified mortgage broker.2. Closing Costs: As with most purchases, there will be fees involved in the closing of a mortgage loan. Some of these come from the lender directly and include loan origination fees, the cost of the appraisal, and the loan application fee. In total, you should expect these costs to be about 2-3% of the amount being borrowed. At times it will be possible to negotiate these fees from the seller when finalizing the purchase price. Other charges you can expect to incur may include title insurance, credit report fees, and transfer taxes. If you plan or are required to escrow you will also need to pay for insurance and some property taxes—typically 9 months worth—prior to taking possession of the home.3. Paperwork: You may be surprised by the number of contract pages you will be required to review and sign. Having a good realtor to help you navigate the documents will be beneficial and is recommended. Be sure to ask questions when you are uncertain of the meaning or purpose of the various forms; this is one time that you need to read and understand the fine print. Some forms you can expect to sign are the settlement statement, truth-in-lending statement, and the mortgage note. The settlement, or statement, will outline the details of the purchase, agreed-upon price, terms of the loan, and any taxes that will be due at closing from both the seller and buyer. A truth-in-lending form will list the terms of the loan as well as outline the finance charges. The mortgage note simply states that you intend to pay back the lender based on your agreed-upon terms.

Purchase landlord insurance.Pay an attorney to draw up a personalized and detailed lease.Choose a service to conduct full background checks.Determine the set of criteria that you will use to select eligible tenants.Educate yourself on the laws in your state (and city).You absolutely must have an insurance policy specifically for homes that are used as rentals. These will cost more than a regular homeowners policy but they are absolutely essentially. It should cover the the typical damage to the property as well as liability and lost income.It is possible to download standardized leases online and fill in the blank, but it’s important to note that any part of the contract that is contrary to applicable laws will be invalid, so you need an attorney who practices this aspect of law in your jurisdiction to help ensure that the lease is even valid. You will also want to clarify the landlord-tenant relationship as much as possible in this document, perhaps even specifying common sense information. I know that it’s tempting to skip this cost, but doing so could literally cost you many thousands of dollars down the road.Nearly all landlords who know what they are doing conduct a series of checks on any prospective tenants, and websites like this one can help you find the service(s) that best suits your needs. Past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior, and you need to look at an applicant’s credit and past evictions at a minimum, though I really recommend that you check criminal records, judgments, address, and SSN verification as well. There is a fee for such services, but you are allowed to charge a reasonable non-refundable application fee to help offset the cost and weed out people who would waste your time.You will use the information that the background checks provide to decide which applicants are eligible to rent to you, and the best way to make rational and unemotional decisions is to set out a firm list of minimum requirements. Discrimination lawsuits are a real danger for landlords. They can be costly to fight even if you ultimately win, and the only real way to protect yourself is to use objective criteria. You want to set your standards as high as the desirability of your property and the market will allow, as the likelihood that a tenant will cause trouble and cost you money increases exponentially the more lenient you are. As an example, I reject all applicants who do not have a credit score of at least 650 and an rent to income ratio of 1:3 or better, or who have been evicted in the past or had a legal dispute with a landlord.I would really recommend using an experienced rental manager or agency, at least until you become more familiar with the business. If you do it on your own you will also benefit from having a relationship with an attorney, which is another good reason to seek the assistance of one when it comes to drawing up a lease. You won’t be able to learn everything there is to know right away, but you need to find a reliable source to teach you about the basics in your state:When can you enter the unit and how much notice is required?What is the eviction process?What are your options when a tenant breaks the lease?What is the timeline of maintenance?There is more to being a landlord than I could tell you here, but I would suggest that you carry out monthly inspections, only accept rent in the form of money orders, do not hand over keys until that MO has cleared the bank, ask for a security deposit equal to at least one month’s rent, and ask for payment for any damages so the deposit remains intact. Evictions can be difficult, but when they are likely to be unavoidable it is best to start the process immediately. Do not be afraid to file for eviction or sue tenants. It’s better to avoid it when possible, but remember that the fees are negligible and that the process is designed to allow you to represent yourself.The most important thing to remember is that you are running a business. Nearly every tenant who has trouble paying rent will have a sympathetic reason, but mortgahe’s, taxes, insurance, and maintenance has to be paid no matter what. When your tenant doesn’t pay rent you aren’t “only” losing income: You are paying their rent out of your own pocket. Be kind by fulfilling your obligations, but do not feel bad when you have to hold your tenants to their end of the contract. No one feels bad for demanding that their boss pays their salary and refusing to work for free, after all.