Boston City Council passes trafficking ordinance to target gun violence

The City Council passed an ordinance Wednesday that requires police to submit an annual report on gun trafficking data, a measure aimed at cutting down on the “150-200 shootings” that occur each year in Boston.

The ordinance, effective immediately after passage, gives the Boston Police Department three months to “conduct a study on reducing the flow of firearms into the city” and submit a report on that data to the City Council, mayor and the Boston Public Health Commission, the legislation states.

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A report will then be submitted to those three entities on an annual basis, with the study and final document including information for the preceding calendar year, according to the ordinance, which the Council expects will inform policy changes.

“I believe that this ordinance not only gets us closer to addressing gun violence in our communities, but reinforces our commitment to having evidence-based policymaking,” said Councilor Brian Worrell, who co-sponsored the measure with Council President Ed Flynn.

Worrell pointed to a report released earlier this year by the Boston Public Health Commission, which found homicide to be the leading cause of death among children, ages 1-17.

The newly-required report comes out of discussions with residents and the mayor’s office around exploring “solutions backed by data so we can address the root causes of violence,” Worrell said.

Further, he cited prior action taken by the City Council, which declared gun violence as a public health emergency 13 months ago.

“I want to thank my colleagues for taking another step forward to addressing it,” Worrell said.

Among the data that will be collected, as part of an annual report, is whether the gun was involved in a crime, where it originated, when it was last sold legally, where it was seized, the age of the person with the gun when it was recovered, and whether the dealer or weapon was registered.

The ordinance states that only 10% of firearms recovered at city crime scenes in 2021 were purchased in Massachusetts, while the rest were brought in by 18 other states.

“The annual report on the flow of illegal firearms into Boston will assist law enforcement and policymakers better understand the impact of illegal gun trafficking, and help us develop strategies on gun violence prevention and education,” Flynn said in a statement.

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