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Anti-Gun Campaign Comes To Newhallville
Gun crimes are back on the rise in Connecticut, but new momentum -- and newly elected legislators -- offer hope of tackling strengthening gun laws, this suburban mom from Trumbull said as she brought a statewide campaign to Newhallville.
Lisa Labella (pictured) was galvanized after the Columbine shootings to try to stop gun violence in schools. But, as she explained to the group ENUF (Empowering Neighborhoods United in Faith) in a Newhallville church Monday night, she soon realized she was worried about the wrong thing.
“I was worried that my kid could go to school and not come home, and while that’s something to worry about, the reality is that six to nine kids die every day from one on one incidents of gun violence, often in their communities.”
So she helped found Connecticut Against Gun Violence, whose mission is “to identify, develop, and promote passage of legislation designed to enhance gun safety.”
Last year they spearheaded legislation to require gun owners to report within 72 hours when a gun has been lost or stolen. Doing so would close a major loophole that now allows owners – who may be gun traffickers – to simply claim their gun was lost or stolen if it’s used in a crime. While she says most gun owners are honest and would report such incidents, the fact that it’s not required lets others operate in the shadows. The legislation almost passed last year, but went down to defeat after the National Rifle Association brought out its big guns to lobby against it. But she said in last November’s elections, some opponents went down to defeat and others were elected on a platform that included support for stricter gun laws.Many of those at the meeting – like People Against Injustice president Bill Barrett – seemed shocked that gun laws are so much more lenient than, say, motor vehicle laws, which require registration, license and insurance for a driver to operate a vehicle legally. They were shocked again when informed that once a gun owner passes an initial screening for a permit, he or she can buy an unlimited number of guns. And while many gun owners are collectors, others who purchase lots of firearms are traffickers.
Labella passed out data showing how gun crimes decreased in Connecticut – and around the country – beginning around 1992 or 1993, but began to rise again in 2002. Homicides in the state committed with a firearm increased 76 percent between 2002 and 2006, according to the office of the Connecticut Medical Examiner. A color graph dramatized the racial disparity in gun-related homicides in the state: while nine percent of the population is African American and ten percent is Latino, 61 percent of homicide victims in 2006 were black, and 15 percent were Latino. Another data box read: “All guns start with a legal sale. Most gun crimes are committed by people who cannot legally own a gun. Law enforcement rarely prosecutes the crime of gun trafficking: 88 percent of prosecutions were for criminal possession; 12 percent for illegal trafficking.” Labella told her audience, which included police representative Petisia Adger (pictured), “Guns don’t fall off trees. There’s a source, and gun trafficking is the crime behind the crime. Every time someone pulls a trigger and they’re in illegal possession of the gun, there was a crime that was committed in selling that person a gun. We don’t want to just stop with the shooter – we want to go back and get the traffickers as well.”
She said New Haven police have been more forthcoming in sharing data than almost any other municipality in the state, and she has met regularly with top leadership in the department to collaborate on the issue. She urged her listeners to join CAGV’s Red Flag campaign by placing a small red cardboard flag at shooting sites and asking of reporters, police and elected officials, “Where did they get the gun?”
The Rev. Tracy L.M. Johnson (pictured), the priest at St. Andrew’s, said ENUF, the “reflection/action” group that meets there, will get on board the campaign. “We believe that, as communities of faith, we needed to come together regarding this issue, because our young people are the ones who are dying. We really hope we can galvanize the spiritual community in greater New Haven.” Her weekday gig is teaching history at Riverside Education Academy. “My first year teaching, we lost two students to gun violence.” Click herefor more of her thoughts on the issue.
Anti-Gun Campaign Comes To Newhallville
Gun crimes are back on the rise in Connecticut, but new momentum -- and newly elected legislators -- offer hope of tackling strengthening gun laws, this suburban mom from Trumbull said as she brought a statewide campaign to Newhallville.
Lisa Labella (pictured) was galvanized after the Columbine shootings to try to stop gun violence in schools. But, as she explained to the group ENUF (Empowering Neighborhoods United in Faith) in a Newhallville church Monday night, she soon realized she was worried about the wrong thing.
“I was worried that my kid could go to school and not come home, and while that’s something to worry about, the reality is that six to nine kids die every day from one on one incidents of gun violence, often in their communities.”
So she helped found Connecticut Against Gun Violence, whose mission is “to identify, develop, and promote passage of legislation designed to enhance gun safety.”
Last year they spearheaded legislation to require gun owners to report within 72 hours when a gun has been lost or stolen. Doing so would close a major loophole that now allows owners – who may be gun traffickers – to simply claim their gun was lost or stolen if it’s used in a crime. While she says most gun owners are honest and would report such incidents, the fact that it’s not required lets others operate in the shadows. The legislation almost passed last year, but went down to defeat after the National Rifle Association brought out its big guns to lobby against it. But she said in last November’s elections, some opponents went down to defeat and others were elected on a platform that included support for stricter gun laws.Many of those at the meeting – like People Against Injustice president Bill Barrett – seemed shocked that gun laws are so much more lenient than, say, motor vehicle laws, which require registration, license and insurance for a driver to operate a vehicle legally. They were shocked again when informed that once a gun owner passes an initial screening for a permit, he or she can buy an unlimited number of guns. And while many gun owners are collectors, others who purchase lots of firearms are traffickers.
Labella passed out data showing how gun crimes decreased in Connecticut – and around the country – beginning around 1992 or 1993, but began to rise again in 2002. Homicides in the state committed with a firearm increased 76 percent between 2002 and 2006, according to the office of the Connecticut Medical Examiner. A color graph dramatized the racial disparity in gun-related homicides in the state: while nine percent of the population is African American and ten percent is Latino, 61 percent of homicide victims in 2006 were black, and 15 percent were Latino. Another data box read: “All guns start with a legal sale. Most gun crimes are committed by people who cannot legally own a gun. Law enforcement rarely prosecutes the crime of gun trafficking: 88 percent of prosecutions were for criminal possession; 12 percent for illegal trafficking.” Labella told her audience, which included police representative Petisia Adger (pictured), “Guns don’t fall off trees. There’s a source, and gun trafficking is the crime behind the crime. Every time someone pulls a trigger and they’re in illegal possession of the gun, there was a crime that was committed in selling that person a gun. We don’t want to just stop with the shooter – we want to go back and get the traffickers as well.”
She said New Haven police have been more forthcoming in sharing data than almost any other municipality in the state, and she has met regularly with top leadership in the department to collaborate on the issue. She urged her listeners to join CAGV’s Red Flag campaign by placing a small red cardboard flag at shooting sites and asking of reporters, police and elected officials, “Where did they get the gun?”
The Rev. Tracy L.M. Johnson (pictured), the priest at St. Andrew’s, said ENUF, the “reflection/action” group that meets there, will get on board the campaign. “We believe that, as communities of faith, we needed to come together regarding this issue, because our young people are the ones who are dying. We really hope we can galvanize the spiritual community in greater New Haven.” Her weekday gig is teaching history at Riverside Education Academy. “My first year teaching, we lost two students to gun violence.” Click herefor more of her thoughts on the issue.
