Federal Law Keeping Gun Trafficking Information from Public

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Boston police say that increasing numbers of guns used in crimes are being traced back to sales in Maine and other northern New England states, but the Portland Press Herald reported the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms won’t provide statistical information on gun trafficking because of a 2003 federal law,. The National Rifle Association, which pushed the legislation, says it protects police. The Press Herald report quotes others saying it handcuffs police and makes it impossible for the public to understand the issue. (8/7/06)