Massachusetts Police Revoke Man’s Gun License Over Social Media Posts

A Massachusetts man and firearm owner had his gun rights revoked this week after criticizing his municipal government. Local police served him a notice stating that his license to carry firearms was revoked after an investigation that included examining his social media posts.

The Boston skyline with the famous Zakim Bridge in the foreground.

Mass Police Revoke Man’s Gun License Over Social Media Posts

David Webb is a business owner and community leader in the northern Massachusetts town of Worcester. He’s been an advocate for underrepresented groups for years, including the town’s LGBTQ+ community.

Webb has also been a vocal critic of his local government for years. In February, statewide newspaper MassLive ran a story about how he “works to keep Worcester politicians accountable.”

Apparently Webb got a little too vocal, though. On Tuesday, March 26, three uniformed Worcester Police Department (WPD) officers came to his house with a letter signed by the chief of police. It stated that:

“After careful review of the pending Worcester Police Department investigation, including but not limited to social media posts, your license to carry a firearm is being suspended effective immediately as an unsuitable candidate.”

Just like that, the police revoked Webb’s License to Carry (LTC). Webb said that he had been completely unaware of any investigation against him, and that he had never been questioned as part of the inquiry.

Notice Features Errors

Webb says that the letter featured several factual errors. For one, two of the firearms listed had the same serial number. He turned another over to be destroyed during a gun buyback program that the WPD themselves conducted. All in all, the notice said that Webb owned 32 firearms. By his own records, Webb only has 12 guns – 11 that the WPD mentioned in their report, and one that they didn’t.

Final Thoughts

One important aspect of this case is the way gun laws work in Massachusetts. In order to even own a handgun or buy handgun ammo, Mass residents need to procure a LTC. When the police revoked his LTC, he legally could no longer own any of his firearms. As a result, Webb has been effectively disarmed.

This poses a grave threat not only to the Second Amendment in Massachusetts, but also the First. Remember that Webb didn’t actually commit any gun-related crimes to have his LTC revoked. Instead, his gun rights were taken because of things that he said.

This instance isn’t the first time that authorities have perused an individual’s social media posts in relation to their gun rights. In 2022, Governor Cathy Hocul of New York said that people who wanted to apply for gun permits would need to hand over access to their social media accounts.

Longterm, this is likely to create a “chilling effect” among gun owners who post online. This term refers to a form of self-censorship that individuals engage in when they don’t want to be punished for speaking their minds.

Long story short, be careful about what you post online.