State Gun Trafficking Report Documents Rise in Gun Violence

Today, the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security released a report which documents this spike in youth gun violence and recommends a series of legislative efforts to reduce the trafficking of guns into Massachusetts cities. The report follows on a November 2006 hearing by the Committee, and focuses on new tools and existing efforts to combat gun violence.

Several legislators, local officials, members of the law enforcement community, reverends and activists spoke passionately on the well documented problem of youth gun violence in the Commonwealth and how the proposed legislation can help stop the tide in guns which are being trafficked into our towns and cities everyday.

“Guns are flooding the streets of the Commonwealth and is feeding the rise in youth violence” exclaimed State Senator Jarrett Barrios, Senate Co-Chair of the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security. “The recommendations in this report will have an impact because they will provide the prosecutors and police with tools that are currently not at their disposal.”

“Springfield has been plagued for years with guns and gun violence. This legislation will go a long way in getting rid of the guns and helping to protect the citizens of this great city,” stated State Representative, and co-author of the report, Cheryl Coakley-Rivera

The recommendations break into three groups: policing, prosecution and prevention. Including, creating a more effective secondary gun market registration system and the completion of the electronic gun registry database so that law enforcement has an effective tool to utilize in their investigations to stop illegal gun traffickers. Putting teeth into the lost and stolen gun statute will help police and district attorneys more effectively prosecute those who are involved in supplying guns into the illegal gun market and thus raising the cost of doing business in the illegal trafficking of guns.

State Representative Michael Rush (D-Boston) said, "It is of utmost importance that we do all we can to ensure the safety of all the citizens of the Commonwealth. Having safe streets is a basic right, and this bill will go a long way in making that a reality."

To assist prosecutors, the report recommends expanding the Suffolk County “Gun Courts” to more effectively and expediently prosecute offenders that are caught with illegal guns.

To prevent future crimes, the report recommends the legislature to provide $30 million to fund the Shannon Grant Community Safety Initiative. The grants provide a community based approach to stop violence in urban communities. This program has been effective in utilizing the “broken windows” approach that began in the 1990’s to combat inner-city violence.

Chelsea City Manager Jay Ash said, “The Shannon Community Safety Initiative is a critical piece of public safety strategies for individual towns and the commonwealth as a whole. Shannon has made a substantial contribution to increasing safety in our neighborhoods and a better chance at a more productive live for our youth.”

“People are worried to death in cities across the Commonwealth about the rise in gun violence,” says Lew Finfer, Director of the Massachusetts Communities Action Network. “This legislation provides common sense measures to limit crime guns and lessen the access to guns.”

“The gun lobby will tell you we already have tough gun laws and don’t need new ones, but Massachusetts has a problem with gun trafficking and this bill will help us find out where the guns are coming from and stop trafficking in its tracks,” stated Nancy Robinson from the Million Mom March.

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