Where did the gun come from?

Asking, and answering, "Where did the gun come from?" can prevent shootings

We ask Where did the gun come from? after every shooting to identify the people who supply guns to criminals. If we can cut off the flow of crime guns at the source, we can save lives.

Welcome to our discussion on how we can stop violence caused with illegal guns. What’s an illegal gun? It’s a gun in the hands of a criminal or youth who is prohibited by law from having one. Did you know most gun crimes are committed by people under the age of 25 who acquired their guns illegally? 5 out of 6 guns recovered in crime were obtained through illegal means. (Braga & Pierce, 2005) If we cut off the supply of guns to criminals and youth, we can save lives.

Let me say right off the bat—we’re NOT trying to take guns away from lawful citizens. In fact, we’d like to clone gun owners who store and maintain guns safely. We’re not targeting YOUR gun, we’re targeting CRIME guns. We want to break down the system of illegal trafficking that provides guns to criminals. We hope you’ll weigh in with your thoughts about how we can keep guns out of the hands of kids and criminals. So many lives depend on us doing this better.

Nancy

Want the shootings to stop?

How can we keep guns out of the hands of the wrong people?

Most of us agree the Tucson shooter never should have had a gun. Other people who shouldn't have guns--convicted felons and teen gang members--turn our neighborhoods into battlegrounds every day. Already this year, shootings have erupted all over Massachusetts, killing a popular youth activist in Lowell, a teen artist in New Bedford, and a beloved police officer in Woburn. Court proceedings will likely show that none of the shooters involved in these cases had a lawful right to a gun.

Where do criminals get guns?
A common source of guns used in crime is a "straw purchase," where someone with a clean background is recruited to buy a gun for someone who can't buy it himself. Research shows women are disproportionately involved in the sale of guns that end up in the hands of criminals.

Incredibly, no one is addressing this problem - until now. We have a plan to keep women from arming criminals.

Women & guns
Citizens for Safety is developing a first-of-its-kind program to educate and counsel at-risk women and prevent them from buying guns for people who shouldn't have them. We're working with the Harvard School of Public Health, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, community centers, health clinics and domestic violence shelters to identify, engage and protect vulnerable women. We're going to educate women about the risks and consequences of buying guns illegally and create teams of women leaders to carry their voices to schools, community centers, policymakers, the media and the web to talk about crime gun trafficking sources and solutions.

Turn your upset into action
Your donation today will allow Citizens for Safety to create the tools we need to help these women, prevent them from arming criminals, and inspire them to lead a wave of change. We can channel our outrage over the Tucson massacre and reduce the shootings happening in our own backyard.

Please give to Citizens for Safety and call (617) 233-5363 to learn more about our programs to create safer neighborhoods where every child has a chance to grow up without the fear of getting shot.

Three years ago, Citizens for Safety created a campaign that convinced CNN and the Boston Globe to ask "Where did the gun come from?" to increase public awareness of the sources of guns used in crime. Now that we know the answer, let's do something about it.

Thank you!

Nancy Robinson
Executive Director

Video shows gun owners support fight to reduce gun trafficking

Citizens for Safety just released our newest video, the 2nd in a series, that features Massachusetts gun owners who see no conflict between the 2nd Amendment and measures targeting guns in the hands of criminals.

Watch the video here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlcP1LVRJl4

New Massachusetts law to get illegal guns off the street

Citizens for Safety applauds passage of landmark legislation to get crime guns off the streets
Newest CFS video demonstrates gun owners support
crime control aimed at gun trafficking

(Boston) Citizens for Safety congratulates Beacon Hill for passing a bill late Saturday that will provide law enforcement with a much-needed tool to reduce violent crime caused by illegally trafficked firearms. State lawmakers voted to allow district attorneys to use pre-trial “dangerousness hearings” to detain defendants accused of a felony with an illegally possessed firearm. The measure, part of a larger package of criminal justice reforms, recognizes that guns in the hands of criminals pose a serious threat to public safety.

“The vast majority of shootings on our streets are committed by felons and young people who don’t have a legal right to own guns, but find a way to get them illegally,” said Nancy Robinson, executive director of Citizens for Safety, a statewide coalition working to reduce violence committed with illegally trafficked firearms. “We applaud District Attorney Sam Sutter for working to make our communities safer by leading the fight to allow prosecutors to detain defendants armed with illegal guns. The next logical step is to find out where criminals get their guns in the first place and go after the suppliers.”

The bill’s passage is a victory for Bristol County District Attorney Sam Sutter, who successfully instituted pre-trial dangerousness hearings that resulted in a 33% drop in reports of shots fired in New Bedford and a 34% decline in shots fired in Fall River between 2008-2009.

The legislation has also been championed by Massachusetts gun owners who advocate for stricter enforcement of laws against violent offenders. A new video by Citizens for Safety, the 2nd in a series, features licensed gun owners who see no conflict between gun rights and crime control laws, like the one passed today, that target guns in the hands of criminals.

Watch the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlcP1LVRJl4

The video includes footage of Jim Mathes, a licensed gun owner in New Bedford, speaking in front of a trophy buck he had mounted. Chelan Brown, a licensed gun owner from Springfield, is seen practicing with her Smith and Wesson at a firing range. The video reminds viewers that Americans don’t have to choose between safe streets and Constitutional rights.

“I believe hunters can be supportive of the 2nd Amendment and still support sensible steps we can take to make our cities safer,” said New Bedford gun owner Jim Mathes who appears in the video.

“Keeping guns out of the hands of young people and criminals doesn’t violate my rights as a law-abiding citizen to keep and bear arms,” says Springfield resident and licensed gun owner Chelan Brown, who owns handguns and obtained a Class A license for personal protection.

“Today’s legislative victory is an example of the kinds of reasonable crime control measures we can adopt to protect Massachusetts families from gun violence,” said Nancy Robinson. “By targeting guns in the hands of criminals, we can build safer communities without jeopardizing the 2nd Amendment.”

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Citizens for Safety is a community coalition working to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and youth while supporting the rights of law-abiding Americans to keep and bear arms.

Please send tax-deductible donations to:
Citizens for Safety
31 Heath Street Suite 12
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

Nancy Robinson
Executive Director
Phone: (617) 233-5363
Fax: (617) 467-4604
www.citizensforsafety.org
[email protected]

Massachusetts gun owners back Governor Patrick's one-gun-a-month policy

We think it’s a groundbreaking, important step toward moving the debate beyond the extreme, polarizing rhetoric that has dominated it, and kept it stuck, for years. It’s time to pass meaningful anti-crime legislation that represents the reasonable, practical views of mainstream Mass. voters. The Governor’s crime bill is it.

Let us know what YOU think! Please forward the video and link to your web sites. Thank you!

Gun owners support Governor Patrick’s crime bill
One-gun-a-month policy reasonable, respects 2nd Amendment

(Boston) Massachusetts gun owners threw their support behind Governor Patrick’s crime bill in a new video making the rounds on the Internet. The gun owners say the Governor’s proposal to limit gun sales to one-gun-per-month is reasonable and does not conflict with their 2nd Amendment rights. The video was released today by Citizens for Safety, a statewide public safety coalition, as the State Legislature prepares to take up Governor Patrick’s Act to Reduce Firearm Violence, H. 4102.

“As someone who believes in the 2nd Amendment, one-gun-a-month seems fair and reasonable by me,” says Jim Mathes, an avid hunter who lives in New Bedford. “If it can help save one life, it’s an easy decision.”

“Keeping guns out of the hands of young people and criminals doesn’t violate my rights as a law-abiding citizen to keep and bear arms,” says Springfield resident and licensed gun owner Chelan Brown, who owns handguns and obtained a Class A license for personal protection.

“Reasonable people can come together to support policies to keep guns out of the hands of criminals without sacrificing Constitutional rights,” said Citizens for Safety’s executive director, Nancy Robinson. “It’s time to get beyond the extreme rhetoric and political posturing and pass meaningful anti-crime legislation supported by mainstream Massachusetts residents, gun owners and non-gun owners alike.”

The video includes footage of Chelan Brown practicing with her Smith and Wesson at a firing range. Jim Mathes speaks in front of a trophy buck he had mounted. The video concludes by asking viewers to call state lawmakers to support H. 4102. The bill is currently before the House Ways and Means Committee.

H.4102 seeks to shrink the supply of guns to straw purchasers who buy guns for people with criminal records, which, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), is the most common way guns are diverted to the criminal market. The Governor’s bill would also strengthen law enforcement’s ability to track crime guns by expanding the state’s database of firearm sales, and toughen penalties for those caught with illegal guns.

The ATF National Tracing Center estimates that between 35%-39% of crime guns seized in Massachusetts originate within the state.

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Citizens for Safety is a community coalition working to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and youth while supporting the rights of law-abiding Americans to keep and bear arms.

CFS had a hand in the following media coverage of the Governor's crime bill:

GLOBE EDITORIAL
Patrick’s gun bill takes modest but real steps against violence
June 29, 2010
GOVERNOR PATRICK’S proposed new gun law isn’t a panacea for urban violence. But the measure, backed by Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis and Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley, would give law enforcement officials one more tool in reducing the availability of handguns in urban neighborhoods.
The bill aims to stem the flow of illegal weapons by preventing the bulk purchasing of guns by a single buyer. It would limit individuals to purchasing one gun a month. As such, it isn’t nearly as sweeping as the overall handgun bans in Washington, DC, and Chicago that were the subjects of recent Supreme Court decisions — including one announced yesterday — and Patrick’s bill appears to pass constitutional muster.
Under current Massachusetts law, purchasers can legally buy as many firearms as they want. Some buyers then turn around and sell the guns to convicted felons. Of all the firearms recovered from crime scenes in this state last year and traced to their source, about 36 percent had been legally purchased in Massachusetts, according to the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Read more:

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2010/06/29/patricks_gun_bill_takes_modest_but_real_steps_against_violence?mode=PF

Jamming gun sales

By Adrian Walker, Globe Columnist | June 26, 2010

Kim and Ronald Odom Sr. understand the ravages of gun violence far more intimately than most Massachusetts lawmakers.
After all, the people on Beacon Hill playing games with gun trafficking legislation have never known the agony of burying a teenage son who was killed with an illegally obtained handgun. The Odoms have, and their support for the bill comes with great authority attached.
“To me, the easy access to these firearms seems to be a major factor in the cycle of violence,’’ Kim Odom said yesterday.
The most important provision of the bill would cap gun purchases at one per month, with the goal of making it hard for gun traffickers to get their hands on large quantities of guns.
The bill has run into trouble on Beacon Hill, thanks in large part to opposition from gun owners’ groups. But on the streets where shooting deaths are often linked to guns obtained by dubious means, curbing the flow of guns is considered urgent business.
“We’re tired of mopping up the mess and reacting after something has happened,’’ said Nancy Robinson of Citizens For Safety, an antiviolence group. “We need to crack down on the illegal pipeline.’’

Adrian Walker is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at [email protected].

Mass. Activists: Shootings Show Need For Gun Law
By The Associated Press
BOSTON --Activists pointing to the recent shooting deaths of two Boston teens are pressuring state lawmakers to pass a sweeping gun bill backed by Gov. Deval Patrick.
Patrick's bill would limit Massachusetts gun buyers to one firearm per month and strengthen the hands of district attorneys prosecuting those charged with illegally possessing a firearm.
The bill is designed to stanch the flow of illegal handguns by clamping down on so-called "straw purchasers" who buy guns legally and then resell them to convicted felons and others barred from owning guns.
"We are not going to accept the fact that our children die on the sidewalk and it ends there," said Kim Odom, whose 13-year-old son Steven was shot and killed in 2007 on his way home from playing basketball.
Odom said the deaths last month of two Boston 14-year-olds drives home the need for Patrick's legislation.
Jaewon Martin, an eighth-grade honors student, was gunned down after he went to buy Mother's Day cards for his mother and grandmother.
Weeks later, Nicholas Fomby-Davis was shot while riding his scooter. Two suspects were arrested. They both face murder charges.
"What will it take?" said the Rev. Ray Hammond. "Do we have to have more of our 14-year-olds shot?"

http://www.masslive.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/base/national-130/12766301778000.xml&storylist=massnews

A lethal gun battle
By Yvonne Abraham, Globe Columnist | June 17, 2010
Will it really kill legal gun owners if we restrict them to one gun purchase a month? It may kill children if we don’t.
In some neighborhoods, it’s as easy to get your hands on a pistol as on a bag of Cheetos. We’re battling an epidemic of gun violence in this state, with 14-year-olds dying. We have to do something about gangs. But we also have to do something about guns.
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives traced 1,000 of the illegal guns recovered from criminals and crime scenes in Massachusetts last year and found that more than a third were originally bought — legally — right here.
How did they get into the bad guys’ hands? Some were stolen. And some were acquired through straw purchases: That’s where legitimate buyers purchase multiple weapons, then sell them illegally on the street.
Legislation being considered on Beacon Hill would limit gun buys to one every 30 days, making it impossible for traffickers to buy in bulk in Massachusetts. It wouldn’t solve all our gun problems — not even close — but it would certainly help limit the local supply line.
Law enforcement officials, including the Boston and New Bedford Police Departments, and the Bristol and Suffolk district attorneys, believe this will save lives.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/06/17/a_lethal_gun_battle/

Governor’s gun bill will be revived, DeLeo says
By Kyle Cheney, State House News Service | June 15, 2010
Governor Deval Patrick’s proposal to limit gun purchasers to one firearm per month and toughen penalties for gun offenses will see action on the House floor, Speaker Robert A. DeLeo said yesterday, nearly a week after lawmakers appeared to have sent the bill to a legislative graveyard.
“It will be debated on the floor,’’ DeLeo told reporters after speaking at a State House event.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/06/15/governors_gun_bill_will_be_revived_deleo_says?mode=PF

Committee’s tie vote derails gun control bill

By Maria Cramer, Globe Staff | June 10, 2010 A legislative committee has rejected on a tie vote a bill by Governor Deval Patrick to limit the purchase of firearms, angering supporters who say the measure would be a crucial step in stemming gun violence in Boston.

The Joint Committee on the Judiciary’s 4-to-4 vote does not kill the bill. But the prospects for another vote in the near future seem far from certain.

Representative Eugene O’Flaherty, House chairman of the panel and a Chelsea Democrat, said he would like to resurrect the measure but other bills, such as one to change the Criminal Offender Record Information law, known as CORI, take priority....

Nancy Robinson, director of Citizens for Safety, a Boston-based group trying to fight gun trafficking, said that O’Flaherty should move to rectify the situation immediately.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/06/10/committees_tie_vote_derails_gun_control_bill/

Legislature mulls monthly limit on gun purchases
E-mail|Link|Comments (238) June 8, 2010 12:55 PM
By Maria Cramer, Globe Staff

A proposal to limit the number of guns a person can buy in Massachusetts is being mulled by the Legislature's Judiciary Committee today, sparking hope among supporters that the bill may finally come to a vote.

The bill, introduced by Governor Deval Patrick in May 2009, would prevent people from buying more than one gun a month. It is winding its way through committee as the state and the city of Boston grapple with the shooting deaths of two 14-year-old boys in the same month. A 10-year-old girl was shot in the leg over the weekend as she played outside her Roxbury home. The girl is expected to survive.

The shootings "make it more urgent to do something," said Public Safety Secretary Mary Beth Heffernan.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2010/06/legislature_mul.html

Gov.'s Gun Bill On Target

E-mail|Link|Comments (70) Posted by James Alan Fox, Crime and Punishment June 7, 2010 11:30 AM
The recent string of senseless gun killings of innocent children and young adults by gunfire is more than just a short-term spike. Anyone who questions the role of guns in homicides by strangers or undentified assailants (the type that tend to be committed by street criminals as opposed to those involving family members or acquaintances) needs only to glance at the recent trends distinguished by weapon category. As shown in the figure below, gun homicides by strangers or unidentified perpetrators have doubled statewide since 2000, while those carried out with all other weapons have hardly changed

http://boston.com/community/blogs/crime_punishment/2010/06/govs_gun_bill_on_target.html

Bill aims to limit gun purchases

By Edward Mason | Monday, June 7, 2010 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Politics

A long-stalled proposal to limit purchases of firearms at one per month is on target to move this week, following a month of gun-fueled mayhem on Hub streets.
The measure, filed by Gov. Deval Patrick nearly two years ago, could go before the House by week’s end. Public Safety Secretary Mary Beth Heffernan said capping firearm sales will make Boston safer.
“Taking guns off the street will save lives,” Heffernan said.
Heffernan said straw purchasers - people without criminal records who buy guns for others - can now buy an unlimited number of weapons for people with criminal records. But that will change if Patrick’s bill passes.
“We’re trying to prevent straw purchases,” Heffernan said. “That will get guns off the street and reduce violence in the streets of Boston and other cities.”
During the bloody month of May, two-14-year-olds - Jaewon Martin and Nicholas Fomby-Davis - were killed.
And on Friday, a 10-year-old Roxbury girl was shot in the leg.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view.bg?articleid=1259799