Lynn lands gun court

LYNN – Fast tracked court sessions for individuals charged with firearms offenses have shifted from Peabody to Lynn District Court under a plan pushed by District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett and approved by local judges.District Court Chief Justice Lynda Connolly approved the move after presiding justices Robert Brennan and Michael Lauranzano signed off on it.”It’s easier for witnesses, especially police witnesses, to come here,” Lauranzano said Thursday.The court holds trials on Wednesdays and pretrial conferences on Wednesdays and Fridays with motion hearings on both days.Blodgett in September said moving gun court from Peabody Square to the Lynn courthouse would bring firearms sessions closer to the police officers and witnesses to firearms crimes who are instrumental in prosecuting cases.Blodgett worked with Brennan and North Shore police chiefs to launch gun court two and a half years ago in Peabody. Over 200 cases have been prosecuted since February 2006. There are 15 active cases.Space restrictions have thwarted plans to move the session to Lynn District Court, but Blodgett said renewed discussions between Brennan and Lauranzano revived the plan for a move to Lynn.The court’s objective is to “fast track” illegal firearms cases in 120 days, with the goal of getting guns off local streets and defendants behind bars on firearms convictions.In approving the move, Connolly ordered any unresolved firearms cases in Lynn District to be heard in gun court once the session moves to Lynn.Lynn saw a rash of firearms violence through the first half of this year that abated in the summer when police intensified a violent crime crackdown. The lull ended with the fatal shooting of a Lynn man on Aug. 27.Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley launched a Boston area gun court at roughly the same time as its North Shore counterpart.In the wake of the court’s formation, Conley called for an end to restrictions that bar federal law enforcement agencies from sharing information that would help state and local police to trace guns used in local crimes back to dealers or past owners outside of their own jurisdiction.