BOSTON (AP) — The recent school shooting that left 20 children and six adults dead in neighboring Connecticut has prompted Massachusetts lawmakers to reexamine the Bay State’s gun laws.
State Rep. David Linsky, a Natick Democrat, plans to meet with other House and Senate lawmakers at the Statehouse on Thursday to discuss possible legislation aimed at reducing gun violence.
On Wednesday, House Speaker Robert DeLeo named Jack McDevitt, an associate dean at Northeastern University, to lead a special commission on gun violence with a possible focus on keeping weapons out of the hands of the mentally ill.
McDevitt said the tragedy in Newtown, Conn., has galvanized interest in protecting innocent people from gun violence.
Massachusetts already has some of the nation’s toughest gun laws, including a ban on assault-style weapons.
