A neighborhood wounded

A SENSE of helplessness is spreading through some Boston neighborhoods, where the crack of gunfire is unnerving adults and children alike. Police are lagging in homicide arrests, and prosecutors often can't persuade witnesses to come forward. Even school recess is risky.

Shots fired Monday by warring sides during a rolling gun battle near the John Winthrop Elementary School in Dorchester did not hit their intended targets or anyone else. But the victims are numerous, starting with about 15 fifth-graders who were just starting afternoon recess when the shooting began. Some 300 students attend the small school set back in a residential neighborhood. About two-thirds of them walk to school, notes the principal, Emily Shamieh. The school enjoys a good reputation for efforts to increase parental involvement. Shamieh is proud of its after-school dance program. But for the bullets flying nearby, it might be a model for neighborhood schools.

Even bullets that miss flesh and bone are capable of killing a neighborhood. Globe reporters spoke after the shooting with fearful and frustrated neighbors. One homeowner described the efforts underway to improve his property, including a deck and hardwood floors. Home improvements are among the best signs of confidence in urban neighborhoods. Mortgage lenders take positive notice. But now this homeowner speaks of moving away to cut his losses.

Shootings in the city are up 28 percent from last year. Police report they are seeing more guns on the streets of Boston than at any time in the past six years. Weapon trails lead into the city from New Hampshire and Vermont, where firearms laws are less strict and easy for criminals to manipulate. Mayor Menino is trying to organize a meeting of regional and national civic leaders to talk about ways to stop the flow of guns across state borders. City officials are also strategizing with the Washington, D.C.-based Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, especially on tracking how guns move from the legal to the illegal market and how the region's disparate gun laws grease that deadly route.

Such strategies could have a long-term, positive impact on gun violence in Boston. But youngsters need to go out for recess today, and residents need to know that investments in their homes will not be undermined by crime-related drops in property values. More-immediate results could be gained from the cash rewards that the mayor is promising for people who tip the police about anyone in possession of an illegal gun. ''We're going to get these bums," says the angry mayor. His rage now needs to be directed into methodical police sweeps and sure prosecutions.