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Blumenthal, Finch Vow To Crack Down On Illegal Guns In Bridgeport

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — Less than three weeks after a shooting at the Trumbull Gardens housing complex left one man dead and eight others wounded, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Mayor Bill Finch vowed to crack down on gun violence at a roundtable Monday morning.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) holds up a newspaper referencing the shooting at a city housing complex this month during a roundtable Monday morning in Bridgeport with Mayor Bill Finch.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) holds up a newspaper referencing the shooting at a city housing complex this month during a roundtable Monday morning in Bridgeport with Mayor Bill Finch.

Photo Credit: Jay Polansky
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Mayor Bill Finch and community members pose for a photo during a roundtable Monday morning.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Mayor Bill Finch and community members pose for a photo during a roundtable Monday morning.

Photo Credit: Contributed
Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Mayor Bill Finch participate in a roundtable Monday morning.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Mayor Bill Finch participate in a roundtable Monday morning.

Photo Credit: Contributed

Although crime is down in the city, Finch said, shootings have increased. And the city welcomes more support from Washington in combatting the problem, he said.

“We need help from the federal government,” Finch said. “This is something no city can do alone.”

Anyone purchasing a weapon at a gun show should undergo a background check, he said, adding that technology would allow a gun seller to check a purchaser’s background wirelessly. 

Currently, many states don’t require private individuals at gun shows to run background checks on purchasers. The federal government mandates checks only by licensed dealers. 

“If I had the right program, I could do background checks on anyone here,” Finch said, referring to the civic leaders gathered around six tables at the meeting and those sitting or standing behind them.

But not all approaches to reducing gun violence involve the federal government. Some involve grassroots movements, too.

One group is StreetSafe Bridgeport, which has some employees who have served prison time. It seeks to guide young residents away from violence and toward college and jobs. 

Many with StreetSafe Bridgeport said they feel an obligation to prevent the younger generation from making the same mistakes they made. They also have credibility with young people, they said, because they have been in their shoes.

Those who work for StreetSafe often pay work expenses out of pocket, covering for their own gas and meals for those they serve. One member told the group, “We take most of our paycheck and spend it right back.”

But amid StreetSafe’s calls for increased funding, the program has opened the eyes of not only those they seek to help. It has also lifted up the spirits of the helpers themselves.

“I didn’t realize the impact I had in the community,” said StreetSafe's Kavan Weise. “People look up to me.”

Finch also noted the good news that school arrests have decreased significantly since the city merged its school security with the police department.

Robert Francis, executive director of the Regional Youth Adult Social Action Partnership, said only 41 arrests occurred in city schools the last school year. In the 2007-08 school year, he said, that statistic was over 200.

In the end, civic and government leaders said the best approach to preventing violence is a proactive one. 

“The best way to do law enforcement,” Blumenthal said, “is to to prevent the behavior that results in law enforcement.” 

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