Lax Gun Laws in PA May Contribute to Rising Gang Violence

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There's also been talk of gangs in connection with last week's triple murder in Easton. Authorities are investigating a possible link to a murder in Hudson County, New Jersey. And the prosecutor there has a theory about why gangs are moving west and landing in the Lehigh Valley. WFMZ's Mike Lowe reports.

Last week's triple murder made headlines from Easton ... to Jersey City ... ... As authorities investigate a possible link between a Jersey City murder and the killings in Easton's West Ward.

DeFazio: "There is this undercurrent of gang activity -- more specifically, the Bloods. But whether they are specifically linked, I don't know."
One link between the two cities *is* clear.

DeFazio: "We have seen over the past few years, this migration."
Gang members, heading west from New Jersey and setting up shop in Pennsylvania for a variety of reasons.

Golazeski: "It's a sellers market, their drugs are much more profitable here." >> Northampton County detective Barry Golazeski says criminals recognize that the Valley is not as well equipped to deal with gangs as cities in New Jersey and New York.

"In NYC, you have 30,000 cops. When you come to the Lehigh Valley, you can go from one end to the other and not see 30,000 officers."

In Hudson County, New Jersey, prosecutor Edward DeFazio says there's one overriding reason the Lehigh Valley sees trouble moving in from the Garden State.
DeFazio: "Handguns are much more easily purchased in Pennsylvania than in New Jersey."

Statistics show that the vast majority of gun crimes in New Jersey can be traced back to Pennsylvania purchases. DeFazio says the criminals are getting their guns in Pennsylvania ... and now they're committing crimes in the Keystone State, too.
DeFazio: "When you have a triple homicide in Easton, Pennsylvania, you'd like to think it would get people more focused on the issue."

The issue of gun control is on Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell's radar screen. Last month, he tried and failed to push through tougher laws. DeFazio says he'd like to see stricter laws in Pennsylvania. He says one way to stop the flow of gang members across the border ... is to cut off the gun trafficking.

"The No. 1 concern in public safety."

In Jersey City, Mike Lowe 69 News.