A gun violence prevention unit Attorney General Andrea Campbell introduced Thursday will concentrate on imposing the state’s gun and client safety legal guidelines whereas working to make sure Massachusetts has the “most comprehensive” gun legal guidelines on the books.
Campbell appointed Christine Doktor, a former managing legal professional on the gun security group Everytown Law, to guide the unit and Ryan Mingo, former chief of the Major Felony Bureau on the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, to function second-in-command of the workplace.
“As senseless acts of gun violence continue to terrorize and harm children, families, and communities in Massachusetts and across the country, we must step up and ensure that each one of us has the right to live free from gun violence,” Campbell mentioned in a press release. “Our Gun Violence Prevention Unit will lead the way in holding accountable bad actors in the gun industry and others who violate our gun laws, while respecting the rights of responsible gun owners.”
The unit’s creation comes solely weeks after a lone gunman opened hearth at a bowling alley and pub in Lewiston, Maine, killing 18 and injuring 13 others.
The mass capturing in New England occurred as gun violence has plagued communities in Massachusetts this 12 months, together with a capturing at Worcester State University that left one lifeless, an alleged homicide at Salem State University, and a brazen Dorchester capturing in August that left eight folks injured.
Lawmakers on Beacon Hill are within the technique of debating gun reform, with the House passing laws final month that will sort out firearms licensing and the regulation of ghost weapons.
The Senate is crafting its personal gun reform invoice, with Senate President Karen Spilka saying earlier this 12 months that Gov. Maura Healey may have a invoice on her desk earlier than the two-year session is over.
Campbell mentioned the unit will push the Massachusetts Legislature to cross a invoice filed by Sen. Michael Moore, a Worcester-area Democrat, that will handle the legislation prohibiting the acquisition, possession, and use of silencers by amending the definition of a silencer to reflect the federal description.
“The (unit) will also promote legislative solutions to tackle other critical gun safety issues, like the proliferation of ghost guns, background check loopholes, the increasing prevalence of assault weapons, and other practical means to reduce gun violence in Massachusetts communities,” Campbell’s workplace mentioned in a press release.
Members of Campbell’s Gun Violence Prevention Unit will help community-based and legislation enforcement violence prevention efforts by offering coaching and technical help on gun legislation compliance and “exploring potential grant programs,” the Attorney General’s Office mentioned.
“The unit will enforce the state’s nation-leading commonsense gun laws, and will seek to hold bad actors accountable for misleading marketing practices as well as prosecuting illegal trafficking and straw sales that enable bad actors in the gun industry to profit from gun violence and harm in our communities,” Campbell’s workplace mentioned in a press release.
Doktor mentioned the unit’s mission is “deeply critical” throughout a time of elevated gun violence.
“Despite having some of the strongest gun safety laws in the country and the lowest rate of gun violence in America, over 800 adults and children are shot and wounded or killed in Massachusetts on average each year,” Doktor mentioned in a press release.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”