BRIDGEPORT — Ghost guns, straw purchases, social media and more took center stage Monday at a roundtable discussion on gun violence featuring U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, state and local officials and prevention advocates.
Murphy cited the new federal Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, saying the new law would combat gun trafficking from states with less strict laws on gun purchases than Connecticut.
“What you have is gun traffickers, sometimes part of formal operations, sometimes very informal, going and buying guns in states with loose gun laws and then bringing them and selling them in states with tighter gun laws,” Murphy said.
Murphy said the bill will impose tough federal penalties for gun traffickers and those known as “straw purchasers” who buy guns for people who can't pass background checks.
In 2020, 58 percent (458 out of 786) of firearms recovered and traced in Connecticut by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were originally sold in other states, according to the federal agency. The ATF found that the top three states those firearms came from were Georgia (72), South Carolina (53) and Florida (49), all of which don’t require background checks or permits to purchase guns, according to gun control group, Everytown for Gun Safety.
Bridgeport’s Acting Police Chief Rebeca Garcia touted Operation Wingspan, a $5 million collaboration between the city, the suburban towns and the FBI that recovered 84 stolen cars in two months last year. Of the recovered vehicles, 11 were found in connection with another crime. She also mentioned the department’s use of a NIBN machine to test shell casings and match them with others across the country.
Steve Stafstrom, a Bridgeport state representative who has served as chair of the General Assembly's Judiciary Committee, said the issue of gun trafficking is a priority for the Connecticut General Assembly. He said the committee plans to prioritize tightening a “ghost-gun” ban that Gov. Ned Lamont signed into law three years ago.
Bridgeport police Lt. Jason Amato said the proliferation of guns in social media images was trickling down to youths.
“Today, kids aren’t afraid to show anything,” Amato said. “This is just out in front of everybody now. Go onto Youtube and type in some of these kids’ names and they are not afraid to sit there all day long and show all the weapons they have.”
He said police try to engage the city's youths in conversations about the issue.
“We sit down with all these kids because we want to know what’s in their head, why they think the way they think, why they’re doing what they do,” Amato said.
Last year, Amato said there were about 4,600 shots fired in the city. So far this year, that number is about 2,100, he said.
"That's a lot of rounds to go off," he said.
Harold Dimbo, Bridgeport program manager of Project Longevity and a former Bridgeport detective, said his group visits the families of those with illegal firearms. He highlighted other area anti-gun violence initiatives, including the school-based "FED-UP: Working Together For A Safer Community.”
Speakers for the program’s presentations, he said, include a trauma nurse who describes what happens after somebody gets shot and a mother who lost her son to gun violence.
“We’re bringing reality to the kids who may not be in the group, but we may lose them later on as they get older,” Dimbo said. “We have to stop it before it even starts.”
