Lost pistol owner’s license remains suspended

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Catherine Tobin, who lost a pistol, was denied an appeal of her state gun license suspension.

The owner of a pistol who belatedly reported it lost to Edgartown Police has failed to get her Massachusetts license to carry firearms reinstated after it was suspended. At a hearing on Jan. 6, Catherine Tobin told Edgartown District Court Judge Benjamin Barnes she was unsure when she lost a .380 caliber Sig Sauer pistol, and when she last saw the weapon. As part of a report he read into the record, Edgartown Police Sgt. Joel DeRoche told the court, “I asked Ms. Tobin why she had delayed reporting the firearm missing some nine days.” Tobin allegedly told police her life was busy, but eventually decided to report the pistol missing on the advice of her brother. 

“After a review of all the documents by both parties and the testimony of both Ms. Tobin and Edgartown Police, this court finds Ms. Tobin has not met the burden of proof that [the] Edgartown Police Department acted arbitrary and capricious in suspending Ms. Tobin’s license to carry,” the decision states. “When questioned, Ms. Tobin was unclear when her firearm went missing. Ms. Tobin was unsure if it was missing for one week or several months. Ms. Tobin was unsure of where the firearm was being stored. Ms. Tobin has demonstrated a complete lack of accountability for her firearm, which is a public safety risk.”

Edgartown Police Chief Bruce McNamee said his officers conducted a diligent search for the pistol. 

“Officers worked very hard to attempt to find the lost pistol, to include searching the premises, a nearby dumpster, and also combing the sides of the adjoining streets,” Chief McNamee told The Times. “This case is simply not just about a prosecution for us; we sincerely want to see the gun safely found.”

Tobin could not be reached at a number listed for her. 

8 COMMENTS

  1. How is it that the Tisbury Police Dept who also “lost” a fire arm, remain in possession of anything except discharge papers?

  2. claimed “her life is busy”? My life is busy. Everyone’s life is busy. What if I didn’t report my positive covid test to the Board of Health and my employer because my life is “busy”. A feeble attempt at an excuse and more proof this person is not showing an ability to act responsibility with regards to a firearm. Good work EPD, thanks for keeping us safe.

  3. A Sig is a big heavy weapon. Losing it is threatens everyone. How does Ms. Tobin plan to
    regain her place as a responsible member of the community?
    Ann Charnley

  4. All this dumping on Ms.Tobin for her gun issues, strikes me as odd when our supposedly “responsible “ gun owner, the Tisbury Police Dept, still have not found their “lost” gun.
    Maybe save a little moral outrage to ask them how they seek to regain their “place as a responsible member of the community?

  5. For heaven’s sake, James, give it a rest! You made your point in your first comment.
    We get it, the TPD has multiple issues, including the missing firearm. No one argued with you, yet you insist on repeating yourself.
    But, if “all this dumping…” strikes you as “odd,” then perhaps you haven’t considered the implications of this tone-deaf woman’s failure. A kid finds her misplaced gun, and…..

  6. As a survivor of a shooting, I’d like to add my two cents….. What good are gun laws if the very people licensed to have a firearm lose the damn thing?…. There’s no background checks for a gun on the side of the road or in a bag that was donated to Goodwill… The gun laws are only as strong as the weakest link in the chain…Had the ‘responsible’ gun owner properly stored and secured their firearm, the felon who shot me wouldn’t have gotten the chance to. Glad the judge decided this lady doesn’t need a permit after all!!

  7. Dana Nunes, I feel more threatened by the person who loses a gun, wears a uniform and says “trust me” than someone who loses the same gun and makes no such pretensions.
    At least the latter is truthful.

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