Setti Warren, Mayors Form Coalition in Support of Assault Weapons Ban

NEWTON, MA – Mayor Setti Warren is among 19 Massachusetts mayors who have formed a coalition in support of Attorney General Maura Healey's enforcement of the assault weapons ban.

The mayors signed a statement of support for Healey, writing:

As mayors from across Massachusetts, the safety and well-being of our residents and neighborhoods is our top priority. In the wake of the mass shooting at Orlando’s Pulse nightclub and incidents of violence against civilians and law enforcement in cities across the country, our positions demand that we speak out. We have called again and again for national solutions to gun violence, to increase mental health funding, and to end the sale of military-style weapons to civilians, because our cities are not war zones. But we are as frustrated as our neighbors with inaction and empty words. Much more is demanded of those empowered to address any part of this crisis.

For this reason, we have come together to express our strong support for Attorney General Maura Healey’s recently announced effort to enforce the state’s ban on the sale of assault weapons. We back her push to end the sale of copycat assault weapons and to give our residents what the attorney general calls “the full protection” of our state laws.

The Commonwealth has had an assault weapons ban on the books for a long time. But for the law to work, it should be more than words on a page, it should actually ban assault weapons. We know that some residents oppose any restrictions on guns. Many more people, including gun owners, believe that sensible limits make our streets, our schools, our parks, and our workplaces that much safer. We wholeheartedly agree and offer the Attorney General our full support.

Warren and several other signees will hold a conference call tomorrow morning to discuss the effort.

Photo: Setti Warren (Flickr: 675DSC_2132) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons