JOHN ROSENTHAL
Make federal laws to reduce gun access
By John Rosenthal  |  January 7, 2006

GIVEN THE huge number of easily accessible and virtually unregulated guns in the United States, it is surprising there aren't more than 30,000 gun deaths and 100,000 gun injuries each year. Most US cities have experienced an increase in gun violence, and this deadly trend is likely to continue until we enact uniform national gun laws that address easy access to guns by criminals and confront race, poverty, and the lack of economic opportunity in our poorest neighborhoods.

Article Tools
Printer friendly
E-mail to a friend
Op-ed RSS feed
Available RSS feeds
Most e-mailed
Reprints/permissions
More:
Globe Editorials / Op-Ed |
Globe front page |
Boston.com
Sign up for: Globe Headlines e-mail | Breaking News Alerts Although Massachusetts has enacted one of the most effective gun violence prevention laws and initiatives in the country, it is surrounded by states where it's easy to buy and sell guns. Moreover, the federal government has allowed easy access to guns and actually restricts law enforcement's ability to reduce the number of gun traffickers. Indeed, there are no federal minimum mandatory gun trafficking statutes, and the US Justice Department requires that the FBI destroy National Instant Check gun purchase records after 24 hours -- making it nearly impossible for police to track gun traffickers and illegal multiple gun sale patterns. This is largely due to the influence of the National Rifle Association and the gun lobby over Congress and the Bush administration. As a result, what few national gun laws that do exist are rendered useless. Sadly, law enforcement is unnecessarily at risk because criminals have easy access to more powerful weapons than police are issued.

According to Boston police and federal law enforcement agencies, guns traced to crime are coming from the following sources:


They are stolen from homes, cars, or gun dealers and then sold to criminals.


Straw purchasers (buyers with clean background checks) lawfully purchase guns from federally licensed dealers or private sellers and resell to people without a background check or documentation. Historically, about 1 percent of federally licensed dealers are responsible for about 50 percent of guns traced to crimes.


Guns are purchased at gun shows, flea markets, and other ''secondary sale" markets in states where no background checks or documentation is required. There are more than 5,000 two-day gun shows in the United States each year, where more than half the guns sold are transferred by ''private sellers." Thirty-two states, including Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire, allow ''private sales" of guns without background checks or documentation. In addition, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is prohibited from regulating ''private sales." The Bureau projects that 50 percent of crime guns in Massachusetts originate from within the state and 50 percent come from out of state. However, because of the many gun sale loopholes and poor record keeping, there is no way to know definitely.

So what's the answer to gun trafficking and the increasing gun violence in urban centers?

The federal government must enact uniform gun laws similar to what has worked in Massachusetts. It should:


Require backgrounds checks for all gun purchases, especially at gun shows and flea markets.


Require safe storage of all firearms -- unless they are in the owner's direct control -- to reduce gun thefts from homes, cars, and dealers.


Allow the FBI to maintain gun purchase records that can be accessed by law enforcement.


Develop effective federal gun trafficking laws with minimum mandatory sentences for unlawful multiple gun sales.


Limit gun purchases to one per month per person.


Create incentives for gun manufacturers to produce ''personalized" and ''child-proof" guns that only the intended user can fire.

The federal government must also create economic opportunities, job training, and mentoring programs and close the ''equity" gap for the poor urban neighborhoods where virtually all the gun violence and gang activity take place.

These solutions require the political will and courage to stand up to the greed, ignorance, and shortsightedness of the gun lobby and their supporters in Congress and the White House. We must recognize that if gun violence were killing mostly suburban white kids and not urban kids of color, there would be an uproar that Congress and the president could not ignore. There should be an uproar to quiet the sound of gunshots in our inner cities.

John Rosenthal is a gun owner and cofounder of the groups Stop Handgun Violence, Common Sense About Kids and Guns, and the American Hunters and Shooters Association.

© Copyright 2006 Globe Newspaper Company.

Shit, why don't the ever quote the 2 million uses of guns a year by people protecting themselves.
Asshat. ASSHAT!

Every time I have ever seen him on TV he says that he is a gun owner about 5000 times.  $10 says he's got a .22 and no ammo just so he can claim to be a gun owner because he thinks it makes him sound like he is trying to be "reasonable", when in reallity he is just another communist fuck.

I bet he owns a Red Ryder bb gun not realizing the Feds do not consider them firearms at all

I would imagine quite a number of banners are owners of firearms themselves. They just don't want YOU armed. And being a gun owner means nothing, he could have great gramps damascus shottie on the wall, does not mean he has ever actually USED it. Notice they said OWNER, not a SHOOTER. Big diff there. Oh, and his AHSA is a anti-gun organization. It's just disguised.

I bet he owns a Red Ryder bb gun not realizing the Feds do not consider them firearms at all

Are you trying to say that it is possible that SOME anti gun people don't know what they are talking about.  

You know 30,000 gun deaths/year in a country with a poplulation of just under 200,000,000 is while traggic for those involved, peanuts.  I am sure that number includes Cops killing Criminals and Criminals killing Criminals.

Just another dumb ass liberl trying to make a mountain out of a molehill.

Quoted: Straw purchasers (buyers with clean background checks) lawfully purchase guns from federally licensed dealers

BULL SHIT!  last time i checked, straw purchases are illegal, so they are not "lawfully" making those purchases.

Quoted: JOHN ROSENTHAL Make federal laws to reduce gun access By John Rosenthal  |  January 7, 2006 GIVEN THE huge number of easily accessible and virtually unregulated guns in the United States, it is surprising there aren't more than 30,000 gun deaths and 100,000 gun injuries each year. Most US cities have experienced an increase in gun violence, and this deadly trend is likely to continue until we enact uniform national gun laws that address easy access to guns by criminals and confront race, poverty, and the lack of economic opportunity in our poorest neighborhoods. Article Tools Printer friendly E-mail to a friend Op-ed RSS feed Available RSS feeds Most e-mailed Reprints/permissions More: Globe Editorials / Op-Ed | Globe front page | Boston.com Sign up for: Globe Headlines e-mail | Breaking News Alerts Although Massachusetts has enacted one of the most effective gun violence prevention laws and initiatives in the country, it is surrounded by states where it's easy to buy and sell guns. Moreover, the federal government has allowed easy access to guns and actually restricts law enforcement's ability to reduce the number of gun traffickers. Indeed, there are no federal minimum mandatory gun trafficking statutes, and the US Justice Department requires that the FBI destroy National Instant Check gun purchase records after 24 hours -- making it nearly impossible for police to track gun traffickers and illegal multiple gun sale patterns. This is largely due to the influence of the National Rifle Association and the gun lobby over Congress and the Bush administration. As a result, what few national gun laws that do exist are rendered useless. Sadly, law enforcement is unnecessarily at risk because criminals have easy access to more powerful weapons than police are issued. According to Boston police and federal law enforcement agencies, guns traced to crime are coming from the following sources: They are stolen from homes, cars, or gun dealers and then sold to criminals. Straw purchasers (buyers with clean background checks) lawfully purchase guns from federally licensed dealers or private sellers and resell to people without a background check or documentation. Historically, about 1 percent of federally licensed dealers are responsible for about 50 percent of guns traced to crimes. Guns are purchased at gun shows, flea markets, and other ''secondary sale" markets in states where no background checks or documentation is required. There are more than 5,000 two-day gun shows in the United States each year, where more than half the guns sold are transferred by ''private sellers." Thirty-two states, including Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire, allow ''private sales" of guns without background checks or documentation. In addition, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is prohibited from regulating ''private sales." The Bureau projects that 50 percent of crime guns in Massachusetts originate from within the state and 50 percent come from out of state. However, because of the many gun sale loopholes and poor record keeping, there is no way to know definitely. So what's the answer to gun trafficking and the increasing gun violence in urban centers?   The federal government must enact uniform gun laws similar to what has worked in Massachusetts. It should: Require backgrounds checks for all gun purchases, especially at gun shows and flea markets. Require safe storage of all firearms -- unless they are in the owner's direct control -- to reduce gun thefts from homes, cars, and dealers. Allow the FBI to maintain gun purchase records that can be accessed by law enforcement. Develop effective federal gun trafficking laws with minimum mandatory sentences for unlawful multiple gun sales. Limit gun purchases to one per month per person. Create incentives for gun manufacturers to produce ''personalized" and ''child-proof" guns that only the intended user can fire. The federal government must also create economic opportunities, job training, and mentoring programs and close the ''equity" gap for the poor urban neighborhoods where virtually all the gun violence and gang activity take place. These solutions require the political will and courage to stand up to the greed, ignorance, and shortsightedness of the gun lobby and their supporters in Congress and the White House. We must recognize that if gun violence were killing mostly suburban white kids and not urban kids of color, there would be an uproar that Congress and the president could not ignore. There should be an uproar to quiet the sound of gunshots in our inner cities. John Rosenthal is a gun owner and cofounder of the groups Stop Handgun Violence, Common Sense About Kids and Guns, and the American Hunters and Shooters Association. © Copyright 2006 Globe Newspaper Company.

Putting the criminals away for a long long time...

the anti gun bile from these people is old news. the part that bothers me most is the assertion that it is the fed governments duty or obligation to provide more oppurtunity for these urban areas. he is referring, no doubt, to mostly housing projects. werent the projects done, with us footing the bill, to give these urban types assistance. now that they all live there, and not surprisingly, cannot live peacefully amongst themselves we are supposed to give them even more? what happened to getting a job and creating the income necessary to maintain oneself? these people, like the rest of us, should be responsible for themselves. if you can work you should work. if there are no jobs in your "hood" move to someplace there is. its just so ignorant. nobody has the balls to get up and say things that are so obvious. maybe it will eventually get so bad that no one can stand it anymore and even these liberals that prevent common sense ideas from being put into use will have to concede to logic. that seems like it may be the only thing that can stop political correctness.

Quoted: Putting the criminals away for a long long time...

Are you nuts.  Punishing criminals doesn't work, just ask that degenerate POS judge in Vermont.

It doesn't matter how many gun laws there are now or will be....these buttwipes will ALWAYS be bitchin' and whinin' : " if we only had just this one other gun law, our children would be safe"

Never mind the fact that there are already laws on the books against burglarizing someone's house; making false statements on gun purchase forms; aiding and abetting felons......those don't count, apparently.

True, there are morons who legally get firearms and fail to use proper judgement on use, care and storage. But there is no law against being stupid....Darwin usually takes care of them.

Their commiepuke agenda will fail and continue to fail as long as America remains armed and dangerous.        

Who cares?
No one will ever convince me to turn in my guns, even if it meant stopping our already very low murder rate.
I just don't care about it.
It is the price we pay to live in a free (for now anyway) society.

Quoted: JOHN ROSENTHAL Make federal laws to reduce gun access By John Rosenthal  |  January 7, 2006 GIVEN THE huge number of easily accessible and virtually unregulated guns in the United States, it is surprising there aren't more than 30,000 gun deaths and 100,000 gun injuries each year. Most US cities have experienced an increase in gun violence, and this deadly trend is likely to continue until we enact uniform national gun laws that address easy access to guns by criminals and confront race, poverty, and the lack of economic opportunity in our poorest neighborhoods. Article Tools Printer friendly E-mail to a friend Op-ed RSS feed Available RSS feeds Most e-mailed Reprints/permissions More: Globe Editorials / Op-Ed | Globe front page | Boston.com Sign up for: Globe Headlines e-mail | Breaking News Alerts Although Massachusetts has enacted one of the most effective gun violence prevention laws and initiatives in the country, it is surrounded by states where it's easy to buy and sell guns. Moreover, the federal government has allowed easy access to guns and actually restricts law enforcement's ability to reduce the number of gun traffickers. Indeed, there are no federal minimum mandatory gun trafficking statutes, and the US Justice Department requires that the FBI destroy National Instant Check gun purchase records after 24 hours -- making it nearly impossible for police to track gun traffickers and illegal multiple gun sale patterns. This is largely due to the influence of the National Rifle Association and the gun lobby over Congress and the Bush administration. As a result, what few national gun laws that do exist are rendered useless. Sadly, law enforcement is unnecessarily at risk because criminals have easy access to more powerful weapons than police are issued. According to Boston police and federal law enforcement agencies, guns traced to crime are coming from the following sources: They are stolen from homes, cars, or gun dealers and then sold to criminals. Straw purchasers (buyers with clean background checks) lawfully purchase guns from federally licensed dealers or private sellers and resell to people without a background check or documentation. Historically, about 1 percent of federally licensed dealers are responsible for about 50 percent of guns traced to crimes. Guns are purchased at gun shows, flea markets, and other ''secondary sale" markets in states where no background checks or documentation is required. There are more than 5,000 two-day gun shows in the United States each year, where more than half the guns sold are transferred by ''private sellers." Thirty-two states, including Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire, allow ''private sales" of guns without background checks or documentation. In addition, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is prohibited from regulating ''private sales." The Bureau projects that 50 percent of crime guns in Massachusetts originate from within the state and 50 percent come from out of state. However, because of the many gun sale loopholes and poor record keeping, there is no way to know definitely. So what's the answer to gun trafficking and the increasing gun violence in urban centers? The federal government must enact uniform gun laws similar to what has worked in Massachusetts. It should: Require backgrounds checks for all gun purchases, especially at gun shows and flea markets. Require safe storage of all firearms -- unless they are in the owner's direct control -- to reduce gun thefts from homes, cars, and dealers. most states already do Allow the FBI to maintain gun purchase records that can be accessed by law enforcement. Yeah, THATS a good idea Develop effective federal gun trafficking laws with minimum mandatory sentences for unlawful multiple gun sales. Limit gun purchases to one per month per person. and this will do what? Create incentives for gun manufacturers to produce ''personalized" and ''child-proof" guns that only the intended user can fire. yeah, lets make em more prone to malfunction, electronics are notoriouse for failure The federal government must also create economic opportunities, job training, and mentoring programs and close the ''equity" gap for the poor urban neighborhoods where virtually all the gun violence and gang activity take place. They already have more tyhan enough help and have chosen to not use it These solutions require the political will and courage to stand up to the greed, ignorance, and shortsightedness of the gun lobby and their supporters in Congress and the White House. We must recognize that if gun violence were killing mostly suburban white kids and not urban kids of color, there would be an uproar that Congress and the president could not ignore. There should be an uproar to quiet the sound of gunshots in our inner cities. So maybe the problem is with the urban sub culture nevermind the Constitutional repurcussions John Rosenthal is a gun owner and cofounder of the groups Stop Handgun Violence, Common Sense About Kids and Guns, and the American Hunters and Shooters Association.  Probably owns a bolt action or a .22 © Copyright 2006 Globe Newspaper Company.

damn retards

Quoted: Every time I have ever seen him on TV he says that he is a gun owner about 5000 times.  $10 says he's got a .22 and no ammo just so he can claim to be a gun owner because he thinks it makes him sound like he is trying to be "reasonable", when in reallity he is just another communist fuck.

+1 a shill, a wolf in sheep's clothing, a liar, a deceiver, a twister of words