Boston gun charge called ‘urban myth’
By Associated Press
CONCORD - The U.S. attorney for New Hampshire is firing back against charges that lax gun-control laws in northern New England are partly responsible for an increase in gun crimes in Boston.
U.S. Attorney Thomas Colantuono told Foster’s Sunday Citizen that’s an "urban myth" that doesn’t stand up to the facts.
Data collected by the federa* Project Safe Neighborhoods" show that most of the guns used in Massachusetts crimes come from within that state, Colantuono said. The data also show that fewer than 10 percent of the guns used in Massachusetts crimes come from New Hampshire; instead, Georgia is the top source of out-of-state guns.
Also, many of the guns traced back to New Hampshire were sold several years ago, belying Boston officials’ claims that New Hampshire guns are contributing to a recent surge in shootings and other gun crimes, he said.
Boston officials recently reported that the number of guns they had seized was up 34 percent, and the number of gun-related arrests increased 39 percent through early November compared to the same period a year earlier.
A Boston police spokesman, Sgt. Thomas Sexton, said stricter gun laws in northern New England would help solve the problem. Massachusetts requires residents to pay $100 for a state permit when buying any gun; New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont do not require state permits.
While some guns used in Massachusetts crimes still come from the South and the West Coast, city police are finding more guns "coming from a lot closer to home," Sexton said.
The Rev. Bruce Wall, who lives in Boston and owns a summer home in New Hampshire, said Boston police told him and other religious leaders this summer of a New Hampshire-to-Boston gun corridor.
Wall said he discussed the issue recently with New Hampton police Chief Nathaniel Sawyer, president of the state’s Association of Chiefs of Police, and hopes to meet with the full association and state legislators next month to ask for stricter gun control laws.
Sam Cohen, a director of Gun Owners of New Hampshire, the state chapter of the National Rifle Association, said New Hampshire’s laws are strict enough already. Gun dealers must follow the gun laws of a buyer’s home state, and dealers at both gun stores and gun shows must perform background checks on their customers, he said.
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http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/12192005/news/78780.htm
By Associated Press
CONCORD - The U.S. attorney for New Hampshire is firing back against charges that lax gun-control laws in northern New England are partly responsible for an increase in gun crimes in Boston.
U.S. Attorney Thomas Colantuono told Foster’s Sunday Citizen that’s an "urban myth" that doesn’t stand up to the facts.
Data collected by the federa* Project Safe Neighborhoods" show that most of the guns used in Massachusetts crimes come from within that state, Colantuono said. The data also show that fewer than 10 percent of the guns used in Massachusetts crimes come from New Hampshire; instead, Georgia is the top source of out-of-state guns.
Also, many of the guns traced back to New Hampshire were sold several years ago, belying Boston officials’ claims that New Hampshire guns are contributing to a recent surge in shootings and other gun crimes, he said.
Boston officials recently reported that the number of guns they had seized was up 34 percent, and the number of gun-related arrests increased 39 percent through early November compared to the same period a year earlier.
A Boston police spokesman, Sgt. Thomas Sexton, said stricter gun laws in northern New England would help solve the problem. Massachusetts requires residents to pay $100 for a state permit when buying any gun; New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont do not require state permits.
While some guns used in Massachusetts crimes still come from the South and the West Coast, city police are finding more guns "coming from a lot closer to home," Sexton said.
The Rev. Bruce Wall, who lives in Boston and owns a summer home in New Hampshire, said Boston police told him and other religious leaders this summer of a New Hampshire-to-Boston gun corridor.
Wall said he discussed the issue recently with New Hampton police Chief Nathaniel Sawyer, president of the state’s Association of Chiefs of Police, and hopes to meet with the full association and state legislators next month to ask for stricter gun control laws.
Sam Cohen, a director of Gun Owners of New Hampshire, the state chapter of the National Rifle Association, said New Hampshire’s laws are strict enough already. Gun dealers must follow the gun laws of a buyer’s home state, and dealers at both gun stores and gun shows must perform background checks on their customers, he said.
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http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/12192005/news/78780.htm
