Boston City Officials Admit Failure of Massachusetts Gun Laws

For the last several weeks the Massachusetts media has begun talking about the rising crime rate in Boston, most particularly the rising crime rate surrounding illegal firearms. As GOAL members know, we have been reporting this for almost three years now. The state’s own Department of Public Health has been tracking this rise in gun crime ever since the passage of the state’s “Worst in the Nation” gun laws in 1998.

Now that the state’s gun laws have failed to stem crime (in fact they have done just the opposite) some Boston city officials are scrambling to come up with an answer. In a recent interview, Mayor Menino actually suggested that the State Police start conducting random searches at the state border. One Boston City Councilor actually wrote in a Resolution: “Our city streets are being flooded with various types of firearms that are often obtained in neighboring New England States, and other states, and sold illegally to people both young and old in our neighborhoods…Though the Commonwealth of Massachusetts possesses some of the strictest firearm laws in the United States, lenient policies in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine and other states make guns easy and relatively inexpensive to obtain…”

We can only view these statements as a veiled admission of the failure of Chapter 180 of the Acts of 1998. Think about what is actually being said here and phrase it differently: ‘Our local criminals supposedly like to go elsewhere to buy illegal items, but they always come home to commit the crimes. Boston has one heck of an illegal market for guns, but it isn’t our fault’. The bottom line is that for whatever reason, Boston has become a haven for crime and rather than taking responsibility for it, city officials are out to blame states that don’t treat lawful citizens like criminals.

Another “answer” to this crime wave has been proposed by City Councilor Rob Consalvo. He has filed a resolution with the City Council asking for a “Gun Offender Registry”. According to the Councilor’s proposed “Registry”: “would allow public safety officials to better track those committing firearm violations, enable crime-watch and community groups to stay aware of where illegal firearm violators live in their neighborhoods, empower families to protect their children from associating with illegal firearm violators…”

So, according to the Resolution, currently the Boston Police don’t already track the violent criminals in the city and the people in crime ridden neighborhoods don’t know who the gang members are? We hope they’re kidding. Also, for the record, the Massachusetts Neighborhood Crime Watch Commission no longer exists. Its funding was removed by the legislature two years ago. Also, under Mayor Menino’s administration there are nearly 200 fewer police officers on the street.

The Resolution also does not tell us what kind of firearm crimes would qualify for the new “Registry”. If I am out hunting and I happen to cross a back country road without putting my shotgun in a case am I going to have to become a Registered Gun Offender in Boston?

The bottom line is that GOAL warned everyone years ago that gun laws don’t work and arguing for stricter laws only diverts attention from the real problems. Once again we were correct and unfortunately we all have paid the price for it. While certain government officials and anti-civil rights groups were celebrating the 1998 gun laws and distracting people from the real crime solutions, the lawful gun owners have been reduced to second class citizen status, state residents have been overwhelmed by increasing crime, police staffing is being reduced, and Neighborhood Crime Watch was shut down. Hmmm, and people are wondering why there is an increase in violent crime?

Plain and simple, because of its own problems, Boston has again become a dangerous place to live, work and visit. Until the City learns how to take care of its growing crime problem, GOAL would urge its members and their families to avoid visiting the City, especially for any Christmas shopping. Instead, perhaps our members will consider spending some time in the civil rights friendly states to the north.

Please forward this to everyone you can. May Diane Feinstein, Rosy O'Donnell, Hillary Clinton and all other politico-celebrity types who work so sanctimoniously to disarm the average American, while they themselves maintain their armed guards, one day find themselves permanently ensconced in that special place in hell reserved for the hypocritical, self-serving elitists who denigrate personal
self-defense while they hire others to do their wet work for them.

http://www.guntruths.com/Houck/just_another_day_with_gun_contro.htm

Just another day with Gun Control, January 16, 2000
by Jim Houck
The movie I went to see today, at the request of my film managers, was Hurricane starring Denzel Washington. I write feature films. I write TV ads for the largest advertising agencies on earth for clients like Toyota, Ford, Sony and Coke. I am the "Hollywood crowd" that the liberal press lies about so often.

I arrived early at the Torrance, California AMC 20 Theaters, so I bought my ticket and sat on a bench just outside the front lobby under a palm tree for about half an hour, enjoying the many different faces, the playing kids, the adults.

A flood of Californians streamed out suddenly. A young girl had been attacked by a criminal who had just shot her.

"Is the shooter stopped?" I asked, reaching for my Heckler & Koch USP .45, running for the lobby with the intent to kill the criminal before he could injure or kill more of We the People.

"No, nobody can do anything! He's just walking around like he owns the place!" a California woman cried, trembling like a mouse before the lion. And indeed, the criminal did.

I ripped up my leather jacket and found my holster missing. I didn't have my .45 with me today. I'd opted not to take it just this one time at the advice of the local Californians, avoid the hassle of the California cops if they discover it, I thought, save the massive court costs of exercising my right. "Don't get caught, the street officers will hook you and book you and let the judges sort it out," a friend and local California police officer had told me repeatedly. Besides, it was three in the afternoon next door to Palos Verdes Estates, one of the most affluent and lowest crime areas in the United States.

My decision to leave my self defense at home very likely cost the young man who would be shot next his life. I have extensive, combat firearms training. I've been in three gun battles with criminals in New Orleans and Miami in the defense of myself twice and a Miami police officer once, and I've never missed nor have I lost. The criminals did.

Of course the criminal didn't know these things. He didn't know he was in a "low crime" area and he didn't seem to care that it was three in the afternoon on a Sunday. All he knew was that he was operating in Senator Diane Feinstein¹s wet dream, a theater of perfect Gun Control. Not one citizen in the large crowd of moms, dads, young men or young women had a firearm with which to defend themselves. So they ran. But the funny thing is, they didn't run very fast and the certainly didn't run very far, in fact, many basically hurried and stood around and complained about not being able to finish their show. You see, criminals being in full control is nothing new in California. It's not news. It didn't excite these folks.

I stopped outside the lobby doors. No gun. No way to fight this criminal, I thought.

The shooter fired again, dropping a young man next. Well, the California people voted this idiocy through, they repeatedly elect servants like Diane Feinstein and Barbara Boxer as state senators, people who take away their rights to self defense and the defense of their families, I thought, let them deal with the consequences of their decisions. Of course the criminal walked out the back of the AMC 20 Theaters and vanished long before the local police could wade through the Sunday traffic and do the paperwork. At least they were nice enough to come. They didn't have to. They responded as a "courtesy" according to the Supreme Court. They have no legal duty to protect the individual from criminal assault or murder. Something surprisingly few people know, especially in California.

I looked at the downed young man. He would die, judging from my own personal
experiences as a shooter of over 20 years and where the criminal had injured him. The girl, barring very unusual circumstances, she would live, judging from where the criminal had injured her and her loss of blood.

The police put pressure on the injuries to try and reduce the bleeding from the criminal attack. Another courtesy service.

I sat back down on the bench and watched the Californians as they angrily demanded their ticket money be refunded, the victims of the criminal lying ten yards from them, moaning, dying.

A man with his wife in the line of angry movie patrons turned to me and growled, "I'm surprised Feinstein isn't here already. And the liberal mainstream press. You know, we carry our guns anyway and we didn't bring them today because it's such a hassle to have to hide them all the time from the local cops. What a bunch of shit. Just look at that guy. He's probably going to die."

Thanks, Senator Feinstein. As a resident of Florida, in Los Angeles working on feature film scripts with my L.A. based managers, it's interesting to see how your Prohibition on self defense, "Gun Control" works. Of course, had you been there to see The Hurricane, your armed bodyguards would have used their semi-automatic, high capacity "assault weapons" to stop the criminal dead in his tracks, which is what the bastard richly deserved. Funny, Diane, with all your SB 23s and SB 15s and Prohibition on self defense, the criminal still badly hurt and perhaps killed two young kids who just went to see a movie on a quiet Sunday afternoon. Why call it "gun control?" Why not rename it "defenseless sheep" or the "citizen massacre laws?" Or maybe just simple "bullshit."

Wish you could have been there Diane to see how your idiotic laws work in real life. It was memorable.

Jim Houck is the Creative Director of Citizens of America

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