Deval Patrick: New gun laws needed to curb violence

BOSTON — Gov. Deval Patrick is hoping to curb youth violence in communities across Massachusetts by proposing tougher gun laws and pushing other measures aimed at limiting the activities of gang members and others who use guns in gang and drug crimes.

Patrick said Monday that his bill would tighten existing weapons laws by giving police new criminal sanctions and investigative tools.

The bill would create three new gun-related crimes: assault and battery with a firearm, assault with a firearm and a "felon in possession" law that would mirror existing federal laws.

Patrick said he would also ask for $10 million in public and private funding to help fill in gaps in programs and resources needed to make neighborhoods safer.

http://news.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view/20110509deval_patrick_new_gun_laws_needed_to_curb_violence/

to make something thats allready unlawful and make it MORE illegal, then expect better results.
I hope it works out for them.

Keep doing the same thing over and over again, hoping for a different result?

that the insanity rule applies to politicians who know whats best for us.

will be equally effective as the current guns laws are in preventing crime. In otherwords, a waste of time and money. The only result will be to deny constitutional rights and liberty to law abiding citizens, while criminals continue to do what they are going to do anyway.

I've never understood this anti-gun mentality that "if only we have another law making the same unlawful act 'more unlawful'" that criminals will stop being criminals. Get a clue! The criminals DON'T CARE.

folk.

members make up the majority of the prison population? I say that because this is what we hear now. If these new laws are successful, we will be seeing a lot more gang members in jail. Are we all good with that?

and I don't give a crap whether or not they are white, black, Hispanic, Asian or aliens from another star system.

I also am in favor of improving our educational system and working to provide well paying job opportunities for all citizens and legally enforcing ALL laws that are designed to prevent discrimination against all ethic groups, religions, sexual orientation, genders and sexual orientation, and both the youth and aged members of our society.

In my opinion violent gangs are terrorist organizations and should be treated as such, but we should make every effort to find the reasons why such gangs exist and find solutions to these problems.

I also favor the legalization of some drugs and basically an end to our failed and extremely expensive War on Drugs.

like marijuana.

what 'new tools' is he offering to the police, exactly?

What additional "tools" will this provide?

NONE, but that doesn't make for good grandstanding, now does it.
I wish that politicians of all stripes would pick a different issue to write feel good laws about, instead of the old worn out, GUNS ARE BAD!!

for people convicted, then I am in favor of it.

just give the ADA's something else to trade. Another charge that can be dropped as it is "too hard to get a conviction on."

And I am considered an optimist.


Oneshooter
Armed and Livin in Texas

They like to play 'catch and release' with gun law violators.

rather than passing "feel good" laws which focus on legal and honest gun owners while doing nothing to deter the criminal element who commit the majority of crimes involving firearms. The useless assault weapons ban was an example of a "feel good" law.

"Feel good" laws are cheap as they are just words on paper and politicians love to pass them as their only objective is to guarantee their election in order to provide their own job security.

Effective laws focus on criminals and are far more effective but unfortunately are also very expensive.