Name: As Biden pushes for gun reforms, Massachusetts advocates say state is ‘model’ for reducing gun violence
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As Biden pushes for gun reforms, Massachusetts advocates say state is ‘model’ for reducing gun violence

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By | | Boston HeraldPresident Biden on the anniversary of the Parkland school shooting pushed for “commonsense gun law reforms,” as Massachusetts advocates said the state can be a “model” for reducing gun violence, touting the Bay State’s lowest gun death rate in the nation.They also warned about the rise of gun violence in the state amid the coronavirus pandemic, and a spike in gun sales.Biden over the weekend — three years after a gunman killed 14 students and three educators at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. — cited last year’s historic increase in homicides across America, including the gun violence disproportionately impacting Black and brown individuals.“We will take action to end our epidemic of gun violence and make our schools and communities safer,” Biden said in a statement. “Today, I am calling on Congress to enact commonsense gun law reforms, including requiring background checks on all gun sales, banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and eliminating immunity for gun manufacturers who knowingly put weapons of war on our streets.“We owe it to all those we’ve lost and to all those left behind to grieve to make a change,” the president added. “The time to act is now.”Massachusetts Congressman Jake Auchincloss said he supports Biden’s calls for gun reform.“As a Marine, I slept, ate, trained, and patrolled with an assault weapon for four years. Those weapons of war have no place on our streets or near our schools,” Auchincloss said in a statement.Ruth Zakarin, executive director of the Massachusetts Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence, said the Bay State’s laws can be a “model” to help reduce gun violence across the country.“While we are glad to see Massachusetts laws having an impact, it’s not the end of the story,” she added. “We also have to put resources into community-based programs that address the root causes of violence.“I celebrate the president’s statement, and I’m excited to see what we can do on a national level,” Zakarin said. “We also need to invest in those community-based solutions that are making a difference in our communities every day.”The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently released 2019 data that ranked Massachusetts 50th in the nation for gun deaths per capita.“We are an urban state with the most effective gun laws and first in the nation consumer protection regulations for the gun industry and once again we have the LOWEST gun death rate in the Nation,” John Rosenthal, founder and chairman of Stop Handgun Violence, said in a statement. “This is no coincidence.“But we know that there is still more to do,” he added. “Early reports have shown that gun violence in Massachusetts increased during the pandemic by as much as 50% in some cities, including Boston. To make matters worse there have been a surge in gun sales since the stay-at-home orders, the effects of which will be felt for years.”Parkland parent Ryan Petty, whose daughter Alaina was 14 when she was killed in the shooting, addressed the president in a tweet over the weekend.“Mr. President, thank you for remembering the loved ones taken from us 3 years ago,” he wrote. “Alaina loved this country and the freedoms it guarantees. Common sense tells us that honoring her life does not require infringement on the rights of law-abiding citizens.”Herald wire services&nbsp;were used in this report.We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. We reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions.Sign up for email newslettersFollow UsMost PopularClose

By | | Boston HeraldPresident Biden on the anniversary of the Parkland school shooting pushed for “commonsense gun law reforms,” as Massachusetts advocates said the state can be a “model” for reducing gun violence, touting the Bay State’s lowest gun death rate in the nation.They also warned about the rise of gun violence in the state amid the coronavirus pandemic, and a spike in gun sales.Biden over the weekend — three years after a gunman killed 14 students and three educators at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. — cited last year’s historic increase in homicides...

As Biden pushes for gun reforms, Massachusetts advocates say state is ‘model’ for reducing gun violence

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