(SHNS- Sam Drysale ) Most lawmakers seem to agree that something needs to be done about so-called “ghost guns” that have infiltrated Massachusetts’ streets, but a fierce debate continues about the extent of additional gun regulation such as restricting where legal gun owners can carry and updating the statewide ban on assault weapons.
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Sen. John Velis said he was concerned with a lot of the legislation before the committee, with the exception of the ghost gun bill.
He described a conversation he recently had with a retired judge, where he asked how many gun-related crimes the judge presided over in his 20-year career that involved use of a legal firearm by a licensed owner.
“And his answer absolutely blew me away. The answer was one, in 20+ years, multiple years, of hearing these cases,” Velis said.
He added, “I think it’s really important as we consider all of this legislation, to kind of tackle all of the challenges that we see in the commonwealth, and really try to be bold in some of our solutions, because there is an element out there in terms of gun violence … and my concern is that a lot of this legislation, probably with the very notable exception of the ghost gun stuff… I’m not necessarily sure how it impacts that.”