Guns Exchange Program – A Great Success

Illegal guns are the weapons of mass destruction in American cities.  This past weekend, the New Bedford Gun Exchange sponsored by the New Bedford Police Department, District Attorney Sam Sutter, Mayor Scott W. Lang and Nelson Hockert-Lotz of New Bedford Domino’s Pizza, collected 43 firearms consisting of long rifles, shotguns and handguns.  In addition, over a half dozen BB guns were turned in to the New Bedford Police Department. 

These weapons are those that sit in closets, drawers or are in basements.  Many of these were not used in any manner by their owners, but were subject to falling into the wrong hands, those with criminal intent, which will only result in deadly harm to our children, parents, relatives and friends.

As Mayor of the City, I would like to thank all the concerned citizens who turned in these firearms, as well as the New Bedford Police Department for carrying out this three-day operation.  A special thanks must go to Nelson Hockert-Lotz, the proprietor of Domino’s Pizza, who was the driving force behind this and several other gun exchanges in the past.  Nelson provides a small incentive to encourage our citizens to diffuse a potentially dangerous situation by surrendering unwanted firearms.

Appeal to our Citizens

Now let’s go to the real heart of the matter.  There is much more to do by our citizens to ensure our families’ safety.  Let’s stand together; let’s not waiver.  It is my hope that anyone who has a loved one or knows of anyone who is carrying an illegal firearm will call the police anonymous tip line (508) 961-4584, and share your information with the police department.

Any person carrying an illegal gun in the City of New Bedford is at great risk of physical harm, either from another individual with an illegal gun or the police carrying out their sworn duty to serve and protect our City and its families.   

If you truly love your family member or friend, please assure their safety by notifying the police of their activities and that they carry a gun.  With a pledge to adhere to all Constitutional rights, the police will carefully remove the gun from the person, and thus protect all of our loved ones.

Scott W. Lang

Attorney Scott W. Lang served as Special Assistant District Attorney in the Bristol County District Attorneys office from 1978 to 1990. He has taught Labor and Employment Law at UMass Dartmouth since 1991 as well as participating as a faculty member in many continuing legal education seminars. He currently serves as an Arbitrator with Commonwealth Mediation & Conciliation Inc.

Scott is a member of the American Bar Association, Bristol County Bar Association, Boston Bar Association, New Bedford Bar Association, the District of Columbia Bar Association and the American Trial Lawyers Association.

Scott currently serves as Mayor of New Bedford, Massachusetts.

Scott's mayoral / campaign website can be found at:
http://www.mayorscottlang.com.

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