Gun Laws

RICHMOND - As he sat in a hospital, watching blood ooze from his son Colin's gunshot wounds, Andrew Goddard negotiated with a higher power: Let my son live, and I will do what I can to spare another parent this torture. Colin survived, despite the four bullets fired into him by Virginia Tech gunman Seung-Hui Cho. Now his father is making good on the deal: He and relatives of others killed or injured on the campus in Blacksburg will lobby for changes to the state's gun and mental health laws during the General Assembly session that begins Jan. 9. Together, they hope to be a powerful...

Neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman shot Trayvon Martin from very close range, according to documents a Florida prosecutor released Thursday that indicate a hand-to-hand struggle occurred before the teenager was killed. A lab report found holes and gunshot residue on the two sweatshirts Martin was wearing that were consistent with a "contact shot," meaning the muzzle of the gun was pressed against Martin's chest. An autopsy report said that the wound in Martin's chest indicated that he was shot from an "intermediate range," which experts...

It is worth noting that the New Hampshire shooter, Cullen Mutrie, reportedly owned several guns, likely due to the permissive gun laws in New Hampshire ("A sense of duty meets senseless violence; Alleged shooter found dead; had long history of mayhem," Page A1, April 14). Meanwhile, Mitt Romney pandered to the NRA, helping perpetuate the gun industry-funded myth that we citizens are safer owning guns. When will this madness stop? Alan Wright Dedham

It is worth noting that the New Hampshire shooter, Cullen Mutrie, reportedly owned several guns, likely due to the permissive gun laws in New Hampshire ("A sense of duty meets senseless violence; Alleged shooter found dead; had long history of mayhem," Page A1, April 14). Meanwhile, Mitt Romney pandered to the NRA, helping perpetuate the gun industry-funded myth that we citizens are safer owning guns. When will this madness stop? Alan Wright Dedham

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich previewed a new line of attack against former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney: hitting him on gun rights. In a new web site, romneyguns.com, Gingrich poked fun at Romney for his much-ridiculed 2008 comment that he hunts "small varmints. " The site features a graphic of a suit-wearing Romney holding a gun and wearing a hunting cap. The site charges that Romney supported the Brady Bill, which mandated federal background checks on gun buyers, raised fees for Massachusetts gun owners, and supported tough gun laws in...

By Patrick D. Rosso, Town Correspondent The national conversation over race, justice and self-defense sparked by the fatal shooting of a black teenager in Florida will come to Roxbury later this week. A "town hall" is being held in Roxbury Friday to discuss the death of Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida, and the violence that plagues some of Boston's poorest neighborhoods. "These are things that need to be examined," said Jamarhl Crawford, a Roxbury community activist.

Neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman shot Trayvon Martin from very close range, according to documents a Florida prosecutor released Thursday that indicate a hand-to-hand struggle occurred before the teenager was killed. A lab report found holes and gunshot residue on the two sweatshirts Martin was wearing that were consistent with a "contact shot," meaning the muzzle of the gun was pressed against Martin's chest. An autopsy report said that the wound in Martin's chest indicated that he...

CONCORD, N.H. -- The US attorney for New Hampshire has disputed an accusation by Boston police that lax gun laws in northern New England are partly responsible for an increase in Concord gun crimes. The US attorney, Thomas Colantuono, was quoted as saying in Foster's Sunday Citizen, a newspaper covering the Lakes Region of New Hampshire, that the accusation was an "urban myth" that does not stand up to the facts. Data collected by the federal "Project Safe Neighborhoods" have found that most of the guns used in Massachusetts crimes come from within that state, Colantuono...

A tourist from Tennessee reportedly thought she could check her loaded gun at New York City's Sept. 11 memorial. The New York Post says ( http://nyp.st/tqnERC) 39-year-old Meredith Graves was visiting the memorial at the World Trade Center site on Dec. 22 and noticed a sign that said "No guns allowed. " The Post reports that Graves asked police where she could check her loaded pistol. She was arrested on a gun-possession charge. Graves has a legal permit to carry a weapon in Tennessee, but New York's gun laws are stricter.

WASHINGTON - Twice convicted of felonies, James Francis Barton Jr. faces charges of violating a federal law barring felons from owning guns after police found seven pistols, three shotguns, and five rifles at his home south of Pittsburgh. As a defense, Barton and several other defendants in federal gun cases argue that last month's Supreme Court ruling allows them to keep loaded handguns at home for self-defense. "Felons, such as Barton, have the need and the right to protect themselves and their families by keeping firearms in their home," said David Chontos, Barton's court-appointed...

Mitt Romney, hoping to woo wary conservatives at the annual convention of the National Rifle Association, accused President Obama on Friday of denigrating gun owners' rights but avoided any mention of his own history of supporting tough gun-control laws. Romney used the word "gun" only once in a closely watched speech that mixed praise for the Constitution with dire warnings that Americans could lose their freedoms in a second Obama term. "In his first term, we've seen the president try to browbeat the Supreme Court," Romney said.

By Patrick D. Rosso, Town Correspondent The national conversation over race, justice and self-defense sparked by the fatal shooting of a black teenager in Florida will come to Roxbury later this week. A "town hall" is being held in Roxbury Friday to discuss the death of Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida, and the violence that plagues some of Boston's poorest neighborhoods. "These are things that need to be examined," said Jamarhl Crawford, a Roxbury community activist.

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich previewed a new line of attack against former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney: hitting him on gun rights. In a new web site, romneyguns.com, Gingrich poked fun at Romney for his much-ridiculed 2008 comment that he hunts "small varmints. " The site features a graphic of a suit-wearing Romney holding a gun and wearing a hunting cap. The site charges that Romney supported the Brady Bill, which mandated federal background checks on gun buyers, raised fees for Massachusetts gun...

By Matt Byrne, Town Correspondent Malden Mayor Gary Christenson joined a group of 600-plus mayors nationwide who oppose illegal handguns, Christenson's office said today. Christenson is among nine other state leaders who have joined the coalition, Mayors Against Illegal Handguns , which was cofounded in 2006 by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. "I am so proud to be a part of this coalition," Christenson said in a statement. "As mayors, we respect the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens.

YVONNE ABRAHAM'S Jan. 15 Metro column "Don't mix guns, colleges" justifiably criticizes gun bills recently passed by members of the New Hampshire House, including one that would effectively allow guns on college campuses as well as other state property. She notes that National Rifle Association advocates believe that if students were allowed to be armed, they could lessen the body count of a Virginia Tech-style massacre by taking out the perp early on. I guess they assume that freaked-out, panicked students would have good aim and naturally not...

A tourist from Tennessee reportedly thought she could check her loaded gun at New York City's Sept. 11 memorial. The New York Post says ( http://nyp.st/tqnERC) 39-year-old Meredith Graves was visiting the memorial at the World Trade Center site on Dec. 22 and noticed a sign that said "No guns allowed. " The Post reports that Graves asked police where she could check her loaded pistol. She was arrested on a gun-possession charge. Graves has a legal permit to carry a weapon in Tennessee, but New York's gun laws are stricter.

WASHINGTON - Supporters of President Bush's pick to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives are renewing efforts to persuade Idaho's Republican senators to drop their opposition. The nomination of Michael J. Sullivan, US attorney for the District of Massachusetts, has been in limbo since mid-December when Senators Larry Craig and Mike Crapo issued separate holds, a procedural move that blocks the Senate from considering a nominee. They are concerned that the ATF has become overly aggressive in enforcing gun laws.

YVONNE ABRAHAM'S Jan. 15 Metro column "Don't mix guns, colleges" justifiably criticizes gun bills recently passed by members of the New Hampshire House, including one that would effectively allow guns on college campuses as well as other state property. She notes that National Rifle Association advocates believe that if students were allowed to be armed, they could lessen the body count of a Virginia Tech-style massacre by taking out the perp early on. I guess they assume that freaked-out, panicked students would have good aim and naturally not shoot other students during the...

WASHINGTON - Attorney General Eric Holder yesterday acknowledged serious mistakes in an arms trafficking investigation that allowed AK-47s and other weapons to leak into the black market, but he insisted the Justice Department was taking steps to ensure that never happens again. Under pointed questioning by Republicans, Holder also expressed regret that the Justice Department had denied allegations of "gun walking" in a letter to Iowa Senator Charles Grassley sent earlier this year.

By Ben Jacobs Although the riots in the United Kingdom have caused approximately $200 million in property damage so far and engulfed almost every major city in England in violence, there has been one small silver lining: Compared to similar outbreaks of unrest in the United States, like the 1992 riots in Los Angeles after the Rodney King verdict, there has been relatively little loss of life. In LA, 53 people died; in the UK, four were dead as of Wednesday afternoon. This likely can be attributed to one major...