Boston's City Council is making strides to address gun violence in their community, particularly the growing trend of untraceable "ghost guns." City councilors are pushing a new ordinance that tasks the police department with compiling annual data on firearms trafficking, a measure aimed at mitigating gun violence in the city, according to the Boston Herald. The swift movement on this proposal signals the city's determination to create impactful policy in response to this ongoing public health and public safety emergency.
Council President Ed Flynn and Councilor Brian Worrell co-sponsored the ordinance, drawing inspiration from a similar measure passed in New York City last year. Worrell emphasized the importance of this data for policymakers and law enforcement to do their jobs effectively, stating, "We cannot continue to sit idly by while our communities are repeatedly traumatized by violence, mainly because the weapon was purchased beyond our jurisdiction, in the same Boston Herald report.
Although Massachusetts and New England generally have strong gun laws, these efforts are undermined by states with more lenient regulations. Data within the ordinance reveals that only 10% of firearms recovered at city crime scenes in 2021 originated in Massachusetts, with the remaining 90% being brought in from 18 other states, some as far away as Georgia and Florida.
The proposed ordinance would require the Boston Police Department (BPD) to submit an annual report to the Council and mayor, containing details on recovered firearms, whether they were connected to a crime, where they originated, and other specifics. Among the challenges faced by the BPD, tracking ghost and 3-D printed guns has been particularly difficult, as Ryan Walsh, deputy director of the Boston Regional Intelligence Center, shared during a recent City Council meeting according to Boston 25 News.
Ghost guns, which are privately-manufactured and unserialized firearms that lack traceability, pose a significant issue for law enforcement. These firearms can be purchased online and assembled at home, effectively bypassing traditional background checks and registration requirements. Police Superintendent Felipe Colon considers ghost guns a "major concern," with the department recovering 59 such firearms in 2023, thus far. Colon highlighted the 79% increase in ghost gun recoveries between 2021 and 2022 as a matter of extreme concern.
BPD also grapples with the issue of after-market modifications that can transform semi-automatic guns into fully-automatic, machine-gun-style weapons. Individuals using their apartments and basements to create or modify firearms pose a unique challenge to investigators, revealing a two-pronged purpose for gun trafficking: obtaining a weapon or making a profit.
Although there have been fewer shootings and victims this year, the number of recovered firearms continues to rise. The Herald notes that 2022 saw a 7% increase in gun recoveries and a 9% increase in crime guns compared to the previous year. The BPD has recovered 602 firearms in 2023 to date, 415 of which are considered crime guns.
The City Council hopes that the data collected in the proposed annual BPD report will help law enforcement and policymakers determine actions to stem gun trafficking and curb gun violence. "We need to address gun violence on multiple fronts, and it's critical that we work together to stop the illegal flow of firearms into our neighborhoods," said Council President Ed Flynn.
In 2022, around 10% of the crime guns recovered by BPD were reported stolen, with 33% of those reportedly stolen from Massachusetts, 18% from Maine, and 11% from Georgia. To address the multifaceted issue of gun violence in Boston, this data-driven approach could potentially pave the way for more effective communication and coordination among New England police departments and those beyond.
