Steven Mace
02-20-2002, 09:19 PM
Wednesday, February 20, 2002
Violent week revives debate over gun safety
By JOSIE HUANG, Portland Press Herald Writer
Copyright © 2002 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.
Maine experienced its most violent spate of gun-related crimes in recent memory last week, leaving two men dead and a teen-age boy critically injured.
Safety advocates say the violence shows that Maine needs more gun regulation and public education. But some gun enthusiasts and law enforcement officers question the usefulness of more laws, noting that two of the three incidents involved stolen guns.
Maine has a lower incidence of gun violence than the nation as a whole, leading to a more muted discussion over guns than in other parts of the country.
But last week's incidents have added steam to the gun debate that has been developing in Maine. Police say guns are growing more accessible and more common in incidents that range from domestic abuse to road rage.
"We're a fairly safe state, but when you look at the data and the tragedies that occur, more and more firearms are a part of the tragedies, and (last) week alone bears that out," said Portland Police Chief Michael Chitwood. He said his department comes across two to three illegally obtained guns at drug raids and domestic disputes each week.
"It's as easy to get a handgun in this city, or state, as it is to go to the store and buy a cup of coffee, even though they talk about background checks," said Chitwood.
Law-abiding citizens go to licensed dealers and must pass a background check by the FBI before being allowed to make a purchase. Somebody who fails a background check could obtain a firearm through theft or by purchasing a gun through unregulated sales, like those advertised in classified advertising section of a newspaper, according to Lt. Col. Jeffrey Harmon of the Maine State Police.
"You can't sell to a felon, but most people doing private sales have no way of knowing whether somebody is a felon," Harmon said.
Criminals also get guns from friends and families, according to a recent national study. Nearly 40 percent of state prison inmates in 1997 who used or possessed a gun during their crime got it from a friend or relative, compared to 34 percent in 1991, according to the federal Justice Department.
The federal background check system itself has been far from perfect. A study by the Americans for Gun Safety Foundation showed that during a recent 30-month period, 65 Mainers bought firearms when they shouldn't have been allowed to do so. The state is working to expand its database of people who are not supposed to purchase a gun.
Neither registration of guns nor licensing of gun owners is required in Maine - about a dozen states mandate one of the measures or both - so the exact number of firearms in Maine is unknown. Estimates range as high as 2 million or more.
To prevent theft and accidents, gun enthusiasts and control advocates alike stress the safe storage of guns, which means that firearms and the ammunition should be locked away separately. Last week's events show what can happen when weapons are stolen.
On Feb. 12, police said, the Gardiner man shot and killed by Portland police was threatening a Portland cab driver with a gun he had stolen from an Augusta acquaintance. On Feb. 14, a Topsham teen-ager shot another teen-ager in the face with a gun he had stolen from an out-of-state relative, police said.
The third incident last week involved a Portland bus station employee who is accused of killing a cab driver. State police said the gun belonged to the accused killer, though they would not how he got it.
The Million Mom March, an anti-handgun-violence group, favors licensing gun owners, gun registration and requiring that gun sellers at gun shows in Maine be federally licensed. Their customers would then be subject to background checks.
Brenda DiDonato, president of the group's Maine chapter, admitted that a criminal could find a way to get around the rules but said the state should not give up on new laws.
"If we could put every stop or safety measure that we can in place then we are much better off and we're a stronger, safer state because we did everything we can to stop the purchase and getting the guns into the wrong hands," DiDonato said .
Jeff Weinstein, president of the Pine Tree State Rifle & Pistol Association, said he agrees that more needs to be done to teach gun owners about storing guns and gun safety education for children. But he said no law can stop somebody determined to have a gun from getting one. More regulatory efforts, he said, will only hurt law-abiding gun owners and encourage illegal gun trafficking.
"You have to go after the criminals and treat them like criminals," said Weinstein, whose organization is the state affiliate for the National Rifle Association. "They have to be much more closely monitored and monitored not just by the occasional visit by a parole officer."
Chitwood said he has no "magic wand" approach to stop handgun violence. "There are just too many guns in society," he said.
http://www.portland.com/news/local/020220guns.shtml
Steve Mace
Violent week revives debate over gun safety
By JOSIE HUANG, Portland Press Herald Writer
Copyright © 2002 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.
Maine experienced its most violent spate of gun-related crimes in recent memory last week, leaving two men dead and a teen-age boy critically injured.
Safety advocates say the violence shows that Maine needs more gun regulation and public education. But some gun enthusiasts and law enforcement officers question the usefulness of more laws, noting that two of the three incidents involved stolen guns.
Maine has a lower incidence of gun violence than the nation as a whole, leading to a more muted discussion over guns than in other parts of the country.
But last week's incidents have added steam to the gun debate that has been developing in Maine. Police say guns are growing more accessible and more common in incidents that range from domestic abuse to road rage.
"We're a fairly safe state, but when you look at the data and the tragedies that occur, more and more firearms are a part of the tragedies, and (last) week alone bears that out," said Portland Police Chief Michael Chitwood. He said his department comes across two to three illegally obtained guns at drug raids and domestic disputes each week.
"It's as easy to get a handgun in this city, or state, as it is to go to the store and buy a cup of coffee, even though they talk about background checks," said Chitwood.
Law-abiding citizens go to licensed dealers and must pass a background check by the FBI before being allowed to make a purchase. Somebody who fails a background check could obtain a firearm through theft or by purchasing a gun through unregulated sales, like those advertised in classified advertising section of a newspaper, according to Lt. Col. Jeffrey Harmon of the Maine State Police.
"You can't sell to a felon, but most people doing private sales have no way of knowing whether somebody is a felon," Harmon said.
Criminals also get guns from friends and families, according to a recent national study. Nearly 40 percent of state prison inmates in 1997 who used or possessed a gun during their crime got it from a friend or relative, compared to 34 percent in 1991, according to the federal Justice Department.
The federal background check system itself has been far from perfect. A study by the Americans for Gun Safety Foundation showed that during a recent 30-month period, 65 Mainers bought firearms when they shouldn't have been allowed to do so. The state is working to expand its database of people who are not supposed to purchase a gun.
Neither registration of guns nor licensing of gun owners is required in Maine - about a dozen states mandate one of the measures or both - so the exact number of firearms in Maine is unknown. Estimates range as high as 2 million or more.
To prevent theft and accidents, gun enthusiasts and control advocates alike stress the safe storage of guns, which means that firearms and the ammunition should be locked away separately. Last week's events show what can happen when weapons are stolen.
On Feb. 12, police said, the Gardiner man shot and killed by Portland police was threatening a Portland cab driver with a gun he had stolen from an Augusta acquaintance. On Feb. 14, a Topsham teen-ager shot another teen-ager in the face with a gun he had stolen from an out-of-state relative, police said.
The third incident last week involved a Portland bus station employee who is accused of killing a cab driver. State police said the gun belonged to the accused killer, though they would not how he got it.
The Million Mom March, an anti-handgun-violence group, favors licensing gun owners, gun registration and requiring that gun sellers at gun shows in Maine be federally licensed. Their customers would then be subject to background checks.
Brenda DiDonato, president of the group's Maine chapter, admitted that a criminal could find a way to get around the rules but said the state should not give up on new laws.
"If we could put every stop or safety measure that we can in place then we are much better off and we're a stronger, safer state because we did everything we can to stop the purchase and getting the guns into the wrong hands," DiDonato said .
Jeff Weinstein, president of the Pine Tree State Rifle & Pistol Association, said he agrees that more needs to be done to teach gun owners about storing guns and gun safety education for children. But he said no law can stop somebody determined to have a gun from getting one. More regulatory efforts, he said, will only hurt law-abiding gun owners and encourage illegal gun trafficking.
"You have to go after the criminals and treat them like criminals," said Weinstein, whose organization is the state affiliate for the National Rifle Association. "They have to be much more closely monitored and monitored not just by the occasional visit by a parole officer."
Chitwood said he has no "magic wand" approach to stop handgun violence. "There are just too many guns in society," he said.
http://www.portland.com/news/local/020220guns.shtml
Steve Mace