CHARLTON, Mass. - The people of Charlton have decided to exempt the town from a state law which prohibits firearms in municipal buildings.

In a single-item special town meeting initiated by a Citizens Petition, residents voted 481 to 161 in favor of exemption, which is allowed by the state. This means residents with proper licenses can enter municipal administrative buildings with legal firearms. 

The issue was previously discussed at a special town meeting in October and did not pass, but the Town Administrator said there was some confusion regarding the scope of the law at the time and the turnout for the second vote was large for Charlton.

“We had over 600 residents actually attend this one, which was the largest attended town meeting since I've been here," Administrator Andrew Golas said. "We've had some very contentious issues in the past. We've had multiple town meetings to discuss the Amazon project that drove out a large attendance. Fire station vote that drove out large attendance. But this by far, for one question really, drove more attendance than we've seen in the past. We know that it's not all town meetings have things this contentious, but it's great to see people engage in the municipal process and want to be involved.”

Golas said Charlton will be consulting the Attorney General's office to ensure no review or approvals are needed from their office, but the understanding right now is the law is in effect as of the vote on Monday, Jan. 12.