Charlton town meeting approves petition to allow licensed carry in municipal buildings

Town of Charlton voters approved a citizen petition to exempt town administrative buildings, grounds and parking areas from being defined as "prohibited areas" for firearms, the moderator announced after an electronic and manual tally gave the measure 481 yes votes to 161 no.

The article, presented as a citizen petition and read aloud by the moderator, would change whether licensed carry is allowed in those municipal spaces under the local action specified in the petition language referencing Mass. Gen. Laws ch.69 §10(k). The moderator clarified during the meeting that the measure would not alter separate restrictions that already apply to schools or to places of polling and voting.

The petition drew sustained public comment from both supporters and opponents. Nancy Pecor of Stafford Street, a licensed carrier, said, "My firearm is my equalizer," arguing that law-abiding license holders help protect public spaces and that "gun-free zones are not safer." Opponents included Stefan Sage, chairperson of the Charlton Public Library board of trustees, who said trustees voted unanimously not to support the article because "the library is filled with children almost all the time, it makes it unsafe for them" if people were allowed to carry while children are present.

Several commenters raised legal and practical questions. Adrian Avant cited the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court case Commonwealth v. Amory Reyes and argued that requiring people to secure firearms in vehicles can expose them to arrest and employment consequences; he said, "The safest place for a firearm for all involved would be on the person themselves." Moderator remarks and answers during the meeting stressed that individual departments or building trustees can adopt their own building policies to prohibit firearms in specific facilities even if the townwide article passes.

Medical and public-safety perspectives also featured in testimony. Tim Emhoff, retired chief of trauma and surgical critical care at UMass Medical Center, said his experience dealing with firearms in buildings led him to oppose allowing more firearms in municipal buildings and asked what active-shooter planning would look like if more people carried weapons. Supporters including Jessica Barocas, a licensed carrier and former early-childhood teacher, said permit applicants undergo background checks and training; she said, "I would defend your children if somebody actively came in there trying to harm them."

A procedural motion to close debate (to "move the question") passed by voice, after which the moderator oversaw electronic device voting and manual counts from an overflow room. The moderator announced the final tally — 481 yes, 161 no — and stated, "the motion carries." The measure was adopted at the meeting. The meeting then moved to adjournment.

Next steps were not specified at the meeting. The moderator noted that citizen petitions may be brought again in future meetings and that individual trustees or departments may consider building-specific prohibitions.