Cities Tackle National Gun Control

East Coast cities from Boston to Washington plan to sue out-of-state gun dealers in an effort to cut the influx of guns --used in 85 percent of city crimes -- that are bought legally in other states.

1 minute read

February 21, 2006, 8:00 AM PST

By David Gest


"New York and other major cities are preparing to take on Congress and the gun lobby.

The reason: They're tired of their streets being flooded with guns bought somewhere else. In New York City, for instance, 85 percent of the guns used in crimes are bought legally in other states with far less stringent gun-control laws, most of them in the South.

Other East Coast metropolises, from Boston to Washington, face a similar gun influx. And so, despite a recent federal law that protects gun dealers and manufacturers from litigation, city leaders have signaled the start of a national movement to sue out-of-state gun dealers they consider 'bad apples' -- those who knowingly sell to so-called straw buyers and others who traffic in illegal guns."

Thanks to Criminal Justice Journalists

Thursday, February 16, 2006 in The Christian Science Monitor

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