Gun Crimes on the Rise in Massachusetts
Massachusetts has a national reputation as a bastion of gun control, but crimes and injuries related to firearms have risen — sometimes dramatically — since the state passed a comprehensive package of gun laws in 1998.
And strengthened by a permanent state ban on assault weapons signed by then Governor Mitt Romney in 2004.
Murders committed with firearms have increased significantly, aggravated assaults and robberies involving guns have risen, and gunshot injuries are up, according to FBI and state data.
Looks like gun control laws don’t work right?
‘The quality of your gun-licensing laws is only as good as those surrounding you,’ said James Alan Fox, a Northeastern University criminologist.
Makes sense to me, here is the data on out-of-state guns found at crime scenes. Not all weapons used to commit crimes, just those that were recovered by the police.
Many guns found in Massachusetts travel only a short distance: 133 crime guns were traced to New Hampshire in 2011, and 79 to Maine, according to the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Those states alone accounted for nearly one-third of the 669 crime guns traced to states outside of Massachusetts.
New Hampshire and Maine, unlike Massachusetts, do not require a permit or license to buy a gun, although weapons bought at federally licensed gun shops are subjected to a background check.
More: Gun Crimes Increase in Massachusetts Despite Tough Gun Laws - News