MAYOR PEREZ URGES “TOUGHEST POSSIBLE SENTENCE”

FOR COUPLE CONVICTED IN GUNS FOR DRUGS CASE

---NEWS RELEASE---

(January 23, 2007)--- As Mayor Eddie A. Perez attends the Mayors Against Illegal Guns National Summit in Washington D.C., he issues this statement regarding an East Windsor chiropractor and his wife who were found guilty in state court of illegally possessing assault weapons, a month after being found guilty in federal court of conspiring to trade guns for drugs to feed their addictions.

“I am urging state and federal prosecutors to pursue the toughest possible sentence in this case.  This is a major opportunity to send a strong message that trading illegal guns that could later be used in a deadly crime will not be tolerated.  This kind of illegal activity is a breeding ground for violence and grief on the streets of our nation.”

Mayor Perez goes on to say; “This is a chance for the criminal justice system to assist local governments to make our streets safer and to better protect innocent families.  In Hartford, our officers have retrieved more than 1700 illegal guns since 2002, including 500 in 2006.  We, as a nation, must be able to get illegal assault weapons off the market and out of the hands of criminals.  This is something that I, along with Mayors from across the nation, are striving for as we meet at today’s summit in Washington D.C. It is also imperative that law enforcement officials have the ability to track stolen guns.  This is something that I will continue to work on closely with our state lawmakers as I once again advocate for legislation requiring gun owners to report lost and stolen firearms.”