Of Course It's Not My Fault: More Blame Game From Boston

This has been really gnawing me for a week. It doesn't seem to be getting any better either. During Thanksgiving I caught an AP report very similar to this Boston Globe bit of sophistry. (h/t Wizbang)

Guns are being brought into Boston from Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine at a stepped-up pace, according to city officials, who are grappling with a significant rise in shootings and firearms arrests this year.

The guns from northern New England tend to be old and hard to trace. And as long as buyers have enough cash, they can purchase as many handguns and shotguns as they like, authorities say.

In the early 1990s, people trying to circumvent tough Bay State laws that required a state permit to buy a handgun would travel to North Carolina or Georgia in search of guns, police said.

But in the past six months, police have recovered more and more weapons from New England states, Mayor Thomas M. Menino said.

So the start of the article is pointing out that more illegal guns appear to be coming from Northern New England. So, obviously, the gun violence is the fault of those states. It gets even better:

''The proximity of New England states with less restrictive [gun laws] makes firearms more accessible to people here in Massachusetts," said Sergeant Thomas Sexton, a Boston Police Department spokesman. He said illegal guns are still coming from other states.

No official statistics are available on how many guns are coming from northern New England. Police said they are still trying to understand exactly how the weapons arrive on the street and why many are coming from there.

More pointing of fingers, and no evidence at all. But the infuriating bit is yet to come.

Officials say more lenient gun laws in other states pose an ongoing problem.

''Massachusetts has excellent gun laws," said Larry Mayes, the city's chief of human services. ''But . . . if the neighboring states around us are lax, then we need to look at some strategies to strengthen our state borders."

Federal law requires a five-day waiting period in all 50 states for anyone seeking to buy a handgun from a federally licensed dealer, to allow for a criminal background check. In Massachusetts, in addition to passing the background check, a resident who wants a handgun must also pay $100 for a state-issued permit. Such permits are not required in New Hampshire, Vermont, or Maine, where people buying handguns need only identification that shows they are state residents.

Oh, it's the laws in other states that are the problems, not the lack of enforcement or some other issue. The other states are the reason for the violence. Where did these people learn to think? No data on the guns or how they are getting there, but it's the other states poor laws. Oh, and the statement of Federal Law is incorrect. But why bother researching the NICS system which allows for quick background checks that then circumvents the five day waiting period. But why bother putting out the complete facts?

They go on to discuss straw purchases and the "loop hole" of private sales not requiring a background check. Straw purchases may be an issue, but with no data to show where the guns actually are coming from, this is again conjecture. But the implication is that you shouldn't be allowed to have private sales.

Well, there is more, but with no actual data to back up their statements, this is just an editorial. Why should I be surprised by this from the Boston Globe?