Dorchester shooting sends one to the hospital in critical condition

NorthEnd.Patch:

The Boston Police Department announced on Wednesday that to date [Dec. 19] in 2012, police have confiscated more than 500 illegal guns from the streets of Boston.

Boston Police have also seized several of the deadly, high powered weapons and high capacity magazines used in the tragic mass shootings in Tucson, AZ, Aurora, CO and, most recently, in Newtown, CT. Those include four Bushmaster rifles, eight Glock handguns, three Sig Sauer handguns and seven AK variant-type rifles.

Police seized a small stockpile of weapons just days ago. On Saturday, Dec. 15, a search of an East Boston residence resulted in seizure of one shotgun, two rifles and three semi-automatic pistols. An Oct. 4 search of a Roslindale home also resulted in the seizure of seven firearms, including two assault type weapons, five handguns, and 1,000 plus rounds of ammunition.

Also on Wednesday, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, co-chairs of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, joined more than 750 mayors across the United States to call for President Barack Obama’s leadership on common sense reform to the nation’s gun laws.

“It’s unfortunate that it’s taken such a heinous crime like the one in Newtown for our voices to be heard. The ache that is being felt by Newtown families is being felt every day by Boston families whose loved ones have fallen victim to gun violence,” Menino said.

SacBee.com:

March 22, 2013 - Despite a strong push for tighter gun restrictions by the White House and others, common ground continues to elude lawmakers, even in the wake of the December massacre at a Connecticut elementary school that left 20 children dead and a nation horrified.

With a ban on assault weapons all but certain to lack the necessary votes, gun control advocates are hoping that Congress will at least consider stronger background checks and a crackdown on gun trafficking. But in spite of polls that show overwhelming support for such measures, those, too, will be a struggle.