While Massachusetts lawmakers are busy imposing new restrictions on the right to bear arms, actual criminals aren’t experiencing any difficulty in violating the state’s gun laws, even after repeated contacts with law enforcement.
Take this incident in West Springfield, Massachusetts, for instance. Early this morning police responded to reports of shots fired in a residential area not far from three local schools. Once they arrived on scene, it didn’t take long for officers to discover they’d encountered the suspect before. Dozens of times before, to be precise.
Michale Lyncosky was arrested and charged with one count of unlawful carrying of a firearm, two counts of discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling, three counts of unlawful possession of ammunition without an FID, four counts of possession of a class “B” substance and five counts of disorderly person, according to police.
At approximately 5:39 a.m. West Springfield Police responded to the area of 577 Piper Rd. for a person in crisis/family disturbance call. This property is a large, open field area with direct access to multiple school properties within close proximity, police said.
Police received multiple 911 calls reporting shots fired from a vehicle that was driving around the field of the family property and adjacent property, according to officials.
A neighbor living on the corner of Piper Road and Lyncosky Drive said he was awoken Thursday morning to a man honking his pickup truck horn — “just laying down on it,” according to resident Arber Lamaj, who said he imagined it was a case of road rage until three gunshots rang out.
Prior to authorities’ arrival, police said they thought they knew the identity of the subject in question. The department said they’ve encountered Lyncosky multiple times in the past, and said they had received 63 calls for service related to him since 2018.
Say what now? For the past five years officers have been averaging almost one call per month about Lyncosky and his behavior, and yet apparently in all that time the Massachusetts man has apparently been able to avoid serious criminal charges… at least until today.
So far authorities haven’t released any details about those previous encounters with Lyncosky, including whether he’s ever been taken into custody, charged with a crime, or held for a mental health evaluation, but a quick perusal of other recent news stories from Massachusetts shows that Lyncosky isn’t the only resident who’s had more than his share of interactions with police. A resident of neighboring Springfield was recently in court for the 104th time in his adult life.
A 51-year-old Springfield man with 104 arraignments was released from Hampden County Correctional Facility in Ludlow after posting a $500 bail on Wednesday.
Springfield police arrested John Larder on Sunday morning for allegedly stealing a catalytic converter from a car on School Street — bringing the total number of criminal charges in his life to over 100.
“Over 100 adult arraignments and once again out on bail for only $500,” Mayor Domenic Sarno said in a statement. “I wish I could say that I am surprised but once again our court system is sending a message to our residents and businesses that the criminal has more considerations than the victims. This individual is beyond being a repeat criminal offender!”
And just a week ago, a man in his early 30s was arrested and charged with his third gun offense in Boston.
On Sunday, September 11 2022, at approximately 12:35 hours, members of the Boston Police Youth Violence Strike Force, more commonly called the Gang Unit, arrested repeat gun offender Antwaun McCollin of 84 Alleghany Street in Roxbury on numerous firearm related charges stemming from a traffic stop on Morton Street in Jamaica Plain. McCollin is charged with Carrying a firearm without a license 3rd offense.
Officers initially made contact with the vehicle while on directed patrol in the area of Harvard Street due to a recent increase in firearm related activities including but not limited to multiple instances of shootings and shots fired. While at a red light, Officers noted a vehicle pass through a red light at an excessively high rate of speed. They immediately pursued the vehicle and initiated a traffic stop. The vehicle quickly pulled over, activating their hazard lights and officers approached the vehicle on foot.
It was at this point that officers noted the vehicle was occupied two times and the individuals were repeatedly bending over as to conceal something, and the windows were tinted in “shooter style” meaning that only the side windows were tinted and not the rear, a common practice among gang members and other criminals. The driver of the vehicle, McCollin, was unlicensed and was clearly distressed.
He and the female occupant were removed from the vehicle at which point officers conducted a frisk of both occupants for weapons. It was at this point Officers located a black firearm inside of the female’s purse. The pair were both handcuffed and Mirandized. The operator, McCollin then told officers, “that’s my firearm, that’s my firearm. I don’t have a license to carry a firearm. C’mon man I put that thing in her bag.”
The politicians making policy in the state are doing everything possible to try to prevent law-abiding citizens from protecting themselves against career criminals and violent offenders, but there doesn’t seem to be nearly as much urgency when it comes to taking these bad actors off the streets and holding them accountable for their actions. No wonder so many Massachusetts residents appear to be fleeing the state at the first opportunity, and why many of them are headed for more Second Amendment-friendly locations like New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine; all states that have both lower violent crime rates than Massachusetts and far more respect for the right to bear arms than the anti-gun politicians in the Bay State.
