Rally at State House demands action on gun prevention laws
BOSTON - Moms Demand Action gathered at the State House for their annual gun violence prevention rally Wednesday. The group was joined by elected officials and survivors, demanding lawmakers take serious steps towards statewide gun violence prevention legislation like tightening firearm restrictions and updating red flags laws.
While neighbors in Nashville grieve the loss of six lives, moms in Massachusetts are picking up the advocacy baton.
"We are with the community in Nashville, saddened, and yet want to demand action now," says Moms Demand Action leader Lynn Grilli. "We're hoping for gun violence prevention and education."
The extreme risk order was passed back in 2018, allowing a judge to suspend a person's firearm if he or she exhibits red-flag behaviors. According to the advocacy group Everytown, 56% of mass shooters exhibited dangerous warning signs.
"I fell into a two-year relationship with an abuser. My boyfriend had access to guns," says survivor and president of Love Life Now Foundation Lovern Gordon.
"We need to update our laws to close some loopholes with respect to updating our assault weapons laws, and with respect to making sure that anyone who owns a gun knows how to safely use it," says State Representative David Linsky, who says he's committed to gun safety. "No one wants to take firearms away. We want to make sure anyone who has access to firearms is, first, properly trained, knows how to use them safely, and is properly vetted."
WBZ-TV did reach out to the state's Republican Party to ask about their role in creating legislation surrounding gun violence but did not immediately hear back