Report offers 10 steps to curb urban violence

Gee...Lots of nice suggestions but not the one that really matters - bring fathers back into the families!

It's not the guns that are illegal, it's the people who have them that are illegal. A gun made by any legal gun maker is an inanimate object and in and of itself cannot be legal or illegal. The possession is what is illegal, therefore it is the person that is culpable. Maybe if the gun laws had any teeth and the judges had any cajones they would lock up offenders for at least 5 years for pssessing a weapon in this state without a license.

Joeu,

That would mean people would actually have to accountable! And in this state we all know our state government will have none of that.

Good point Charles,

Too often, people look for the easy way out and blame the inanimate object as opposed to the person wielding it. Take a look at how violent crime has sky-rocketed in England - even after they banned handguns! Criminals will disregard the laws by their very nature. Additional "gun control" laws only serve to further disarm the law-abiding and make them potential victims of other's malfeasance.

Deploy National Guard to area hotspots. Impose 9:00pm to 5:00am curfew.

How about enforcing the laws that are on the books? The gun scenerio keeps coming up, it is a mandatory 1 year jail sentence for unlicensed posession of a handgun, stop dropping these charges as part of a plea bargin. Once the word gets out that people will serve that time then they may just think twice about carrying one.

11. Take aggressive steps to increase access to and possession of legal firearms.

12. Have Right-Wing nutjobs trot out the same failed ideas they have for the past 50 years. Have them blame judges and repeat the same moronic sayings they have for decades. Have Right-wingers call for more prisons- since this has done nothing to fix the problems. Allow them to take over the discussion and don't listen to any new ideas like the ones in this article.

Get rid of all laws requiring a person to have a license to own a gun. These are unconstitutional.
Get rid of all laws mandating the registration of a gun. These are unconstitutional.

Let criminals know that there is a much higher probability that if they try anything their victim will be able to defend themselves.

More stupid liberal ideas that will cost money and do nothing. Nothing is ever going to change in the urban areas. Sorry

Is this a joke? Kids need jobs with a path to some hope and prosperity, and heated homes with food in them (ie, parents with jobs). Take a look at the job opportunities in Springfield, and then ask why there's a high truancy rate. More "walking while black" stops/searches aren't enough, by a long shot. WHO'S ON THE TASKFORCE?

We can bicker about the order, but all of the suggestions are rational and possibly effective when worked on diligently by you and me, for the betterment of us all. All the easier to do when the violent, dangerous and inconsiderate thugs are far away from here, the Mass. State Police have had much success in that area, temporary or not.

Community policing is key and professional policing should be able to focus on the real problem drugs and offenders now that pot is being recognized as a non-violent non-vice.

trying to eradicate violence by controlling and/or banning guns is a fantasy. we have violence for the same reasons that we have a failed economy:

we want it all, we want it now, and we don't want to work for it.

to try and eradicate violence by controlling and/or banning firearms is a fantasy.

We have violence for the same reasons we have a failed economy;

we want it all, we want it now and we don't want to work for it.

Actually gun ownership is directly linked to higher rates of homicide and suicide. Getting rid of access to guns among high risk youth would not necessarily lower the violence, but would make the violence less likely to result in death or permanent disability. Guns are the means to severe injury, and only part of the problem. the real issue is structural - jobs, education, alternatives to street crime. It is not clear that fathers in the home make a difference with regard to violence perpetration but it is clear that guns in the home make a big difference with perpetration of fatal violence. let's go where we think we can make a big difference- get the guns off the streets! Get jobs and training for urban youth.

Glad to see I'm not the only one who realizes it's the state's fault for not vigorously enforcing gun laws to the fullest extent of the law instead of taking every plea deal thrown in front of them. Get those who would use guns in the comission of a crime off of the street and into prison for long stretches of time. It seems a little foolish that those who obey gun laws should have their rights neutered while many criminals are allowed to plea bargain their way into shorter sentences.

"Impose 9:00pm to 5:00am curfew"

So they can come hang out in your nieghborhood after 9?

It all boils down to having a father in the family

We all ready have great training programs. What good is training if you can't get a job.

Use the force....You still haven't addressed the real root cause. Let me try!

#11. Spend more on teachers, physical ed, nutrition, labs & music programs #12 Spend LESS on secuirty & police detail amd more on guidence counselors.

Just a guess.

I am also surprised that jobs are not mentioned here. Sure, there are jobs out there -- if you have a degree or two and several years of experience. That doesn't cut it for many urban youth. They don't see a path to those jobs. They don't see a path to anything so gangs and violence fill their void.

Why was crime down in Springfield in the late 90's? Because due to the dot-com boom, there were jobs available for people, jobs that you didn't need a college degree to get. Once the jobs disappeared, crime went up.

Wagging a finger and complaining about "personal responsibility" doesn't solve this problem. Jobs will.