Town's Denial of Gun Permit Upheld

Cary Silverstein v. Town of Alexandria
Cary Silverstein v. Town of Alexandria
No. 2003-388
Monday, March 15, 2004

An applicant for a concealed weapons permit appealed the police chief’s denial of his application. The application was denied on the ground that the applicant was not a suitable candidate for the permit. The Supreme Court declined to address whether the town’s decision on the permit application was unjustifiably delayed where the applicant only appealed the denial of his permit based on suitability and did not avail himself of the appeals process for violations of licensing procedure by a licensing authority. The Court also declined to reach an evidentiary issue in this case where it found that the superior court’s decision rested on sufficient alternative grounds.

Although the record available on appeal was apparently limited, the Supreme Court affirmed the superior court’s decision upholding the license denial. The Court found sufficient evidence regarding a “significant and unexplained” arrest record and, accordingly, could find no error on the part of the superior court.