Due to the State of Emergency Declaration by Governor Baker, all applications for new license issuances are on hold. No interviews will be held for the immediate future but will resume immediately when the State of Emergency is terminated.
In order to serve any resident that needs to renew an existing license, accommodation will be made to conduct a partial renewal process by mail.
State law requires that renewals begin prior to the date of license expiration. Any resident that wishes to renew their current license prior to expiration, (withing three months of their birth date) may follow these steps.
Send a personal check or money order for the licensing fee to the Town Collector along with a note stating that you wish to renew an existing license. The Town Collector will accept your check and issue you a receipt indicating payment by mail. You may send your check to: Town of Amherst Collector, 4 Boltwood Avenue, Amherst, MA 01002 or you may drop your check in an envelope into the secure drop box on the lower level Main Street side of Town Hall. Please be sure your note specifies: your correct name, the address that you live at and the day and month of your birth only.
The Town Collector will send a copy of the receipt to the Police Department for confirmation of renewal. An officer will begin the renewal process by assigning a license number and printing a receipt from the Firearms Licensing website, which will be sent to you by mail. This is a temporary license which confirms that processing is taking place. The applicant will still need to come in for an interview after the State of Emergency is terminated.
For persons over the age of 70, no payment is required for license renewal. Those persons over the age of 70 may call Officer John Chudzik at (413) 259-300 or contact him via e-mail at chudzikj@amherstma.gov to confirm the start of their renewal.
