Gun Safety Advocates and Champions Rallied for Lawmakers to Hold Bad Actors in the Gun Industry Accountable, Combat Rise of Ghost Guns, Improve Gun Safety Standards, and Invest in Community Violence Intervention Programs
Over 150 volunteers representing, thirty-eight of the forty senate districts, and 16 community partners attended advocacy day
BOSTON — Today, Massachusetts Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action volunteers part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots networks, alongside survivors of gun violence, and community partners gathered for their annual advocacy day at the statehouse to meet with lawmakers and advocate for gun safety measures to be passed during this legislative session. House Judiciary Chair Michael Day and Senate Majority Leader Cynthia Creem shared the Legislature’s commitment to passing comprehensive gun safety legislation this session. This year’s advocacy day also coincides with the 10 year celebration of Moms Demand Action.
“As we advocate for gun safety laws today, we stand in solidarity with the Nashville community and the families grieving the three children and three adults who were shot and killed in the mass shooting on Monday,” said Angela Christina, a volunteer with the Massachusetts chapter of Moms Demand Action. “We are tragically reminded of the importance of passing common-sense gun safety laws at every level. We are committed to advocating for legislation to keep guns out of the wrong hands and out of our sensitive public spaces, increase training and safety standards for permit holders, hold bad actors in the gun industry accountable and continue to provide strong funding for our network of community-based violence intervention programs.”
Since the founding of the Massachusetts chapter of Moms Demand Action, the Commonwealth has made significant progress over the past several legislative cycles to combat gun violence at the local and statewide level. Nearly ten years ago, volunteers worked with lawmakers to pass a gun safety omnibus bill that reformed the state’s gun laws, with provisions focused on school safety, mental health and background checks. In 2018, the chapter worked to pass an Extreme Risk Law that empowers families and law enforcement to seek a court order to temporarily restrict access to firearms by a person in crisis. Last year, lawmakers approved a state budget that included more than $94 million in gun violence prevention funding and passed legislation to begin addressing the Supreme Court’s dangerous decision in NYSRPA v. Bruen.
This year, volunteers have also been working tirelessly to pass resolutions to require schools to send home information about secure firearm storage to improve school safety— passing eleven resolutions this year alone, most recently in the Cities of Pittsfield and Cambridge, as well as Stoneham Public Schools. When guns aren’t properly stored, tragedy can strike — whether it’s a child finding a firearm and unintentionally injuring or killing themselves or others, or someone stealing it and using it to commit a crime. Secure gun storage can help prevent both. Researchers estimate that roughly 30 million American children live in homes with firearms — up 7 million since 2015. And not all of these firearms are stored securely — unloaded, locked, and separated from ammunition.
In an average year in Massachusetts, 255 people die by guns and 557 people are wounded. Gun violence costs Massachusetts $3.5 billion each year, of which $85.4 million is paid by taxpayers. More information on gun violence in Massachusetts is available here.
