By Meredith McCulloch
Over 50 residents of Bedford and surrounding towns gathered Monday night for a panel on gun violence at First Parish in Bedford. Speakers were Bedford Police Chief Robert Bongiorno plus Massachusetts Representatives Ken Gordon from Bedford and David Linsky from Natick. The forum was sponsored by the Violence Prevention Coalition and the Bedford Department of Youth and Family Services.
Representative Gordon spoke of the impact of the Newtown Sandy Hook shooting on many people, underscored in Bedford by the demographic similarities between the two towns. However, he explained, shootings and deaths occur every day, many of which get little public notice. Gordon emphasized that the 2nd Amendment is not endangered by the proposed legislation. The Supreme Court has ruled on the right to bear arms, but has also agreed that states may make reasonable restrictions on guns and gun owners.
“We must address this issue if we want to continue to be the greatest country in the world, “said Representative Linsky. “America is the world leader in gun deaths, averaging 83 per day, including eight to nine children. No one is happy with that situation. Since Newtown, over 10,000 more people have been killed through gun violence,” he added.
No single solution can prevent all gun deaths, Linsky went on to say. Murders and mass killings get a lot of attention, but most gun deaths in Massachusetts are from domestic violence. Many are accidental or suicides. A different solution is needed for each kind of incident. Reducing each type by a small percentage will result in a major reduction in deaths overall.
As a prosecutor on a homicide team, Linsky had responded frequently to people’s homes to deal with unexpected deaths due to gun violence. This experience was part of what motivated him to put forward a bill to decrease gun deaths. Massachusetts has fairly strict gun owner laws and the lowest rate of gun ownership per capita in the 50 states. In addition, of the roughly 100 deaths per year, one-half are suicides. (Gun suicide has a 90% success rate; while other types of suicide are successful about [only] 30% of the time.)
“Since March there have been two suicides in Bedford using a gun,” Chief Bongiorno reported. A third occurred the previous year, adding up to three suicides during his two-year tenure.
Linsky has filed House bill H3253, An Act to reduce gun violence and to protect the public. The bill includes 25 provisions that would close loopholes in the present law. Among those provisions are ones that would provide local police chiefs more discretion in granting a FID (Firearms Identification Card), bring Massachusetts into full compliance with the National Instant Criminal Background Check system, require liability insurance for gun ownership and require live shooting as part of gun safety training. There will be five public hearings in the fall and then the bill will go to conference committee with the Senate version S.1126 filed by Senator Cynthia Creem of Newton.
Bedford already has a gun buy-back program. The goal of the effort in Bedford is to take back guns that people no longer want. “A dozen guns have been turned in so far, and only three people have requested the $50 offered as an incentive, “ Chief Bongiorno reported.
Members of the audience raised some specific concerns about the proposed legislation. One asked, “If the law requires liability insurance, does that mean that if a gun is stolen the owner is responsible?” “No,” Linsky responded, and went on to say that many homeowner policies already include gun liability insurance.
Another questioner asked whether in a domestic violence situation where a restraining order is in place, the police were allowed to search the home for a weapon. Chief Bongiorno replied that if the restraining order directed the police to confiscate a weapon the police may search for it.
One speaker made a plea, “Please do not demonize law-abiding gun owners.” Another spoke of being in an abusive marriage for 18 years and of her gratitude that a gun was not available to her abuser.
Representative Linsky’s bill may be found at: https://malegislature.gov/Bills/BillHtml/126967?generalCourtId=11
Cynthia Creem’s bill may be found at: https://malegislature.gov/Bills/188/Senate/S1126
Correction – June 14, 2013: The original posting for this story incorrectly noted that 50 guns had been turned in under Bedford’s gun buy back program. A dozen guns have been turned in.
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