DEMS/GUNS/POLITICS: “Democratic governors from four northeastern states joined forces Thursday [2-22-18] to restrict the movement of illegal guns between their states and share information about residents who have been banned from owning firearms.
A memorandum of understanding signed by the governors of Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island creates a task force of law-enforcement members from the four states who will analyze and share information on guns purchased outside of the region that were involved in crimes in the hopes of intercepting people suspected of illegally bringing guns across the four states’ borders.
The agreement also allows their law enforcement agencies to share information from their mental health registries, which aren’t included in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.
New York’s database, for example, lists more than 70,000 people who are prohibited from possessing firearms because mental health professionals have diagnosed them as likely to hurt themselves or others… New York and Connecticut strengthened gun-control measures after the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School that killed 26, and New Jersey and Rhode Island also have strict firearm laws. But the states’ four governors said they can better protect the region as a whole by sharing information and more closely cooperating between law enforcement agencies… Many of the guns used in crimes that occur in Connecticut were purchased out of state, Mr. Malloy said.”
-Kate King, “Four Governors Join Forces to Stem Movement of Illegal Guns,” The Wall Street Journal online, Feb. 22, 2018 03:59pm