Boston Globe: Local NRA group calls for state to review ‘gun-free zones’
Steve Annear for the Boston Globe reports:
The local affiliate of the National Rifle Association is calling for a statewide review of properties and facilities where people are barred from carrying weapons for the purposes of self defense, arguing that existing laws may not fully protect the public.
Following the shooting in Chattanooga, Tenn., that killed four Marines — one of whom had ties to Massachusetts— and a sailor, the Gun Owners’ Action League is pushing for a study of potential “soft targets” and “gun free zones” that could be vulnerable to attack.
“If you look around the country . . . it’s pretty evident that murderers and potential terrorists are attacking soft targets,” said Jim Wallace, executive director of the Gun Owners’ Action League. “Are there laws or policies in place that we need to address to make sure we don’t have soft targets? Those are the things we think the commission should look at.”
State Representative John Velis, a Westfield Democrat, has introduced “An Act Relative to ‘Gun Free’ Zones,” which would set up a special commission on the issue. Its findings could lay the groundwork for future legislation related to the state’s gun laws and policies.
Read the full story at the Globe.
