Massachusetts’ comprehensive approach to minimizing gun violence could serve as a model for other states, according to gun policy researchers, law enforcement officials, and experts who are familiar with gun policies around the country.
A combination of policies—including a robust licensing system, a safe storage law, a requirement that all purchased firearms be registered, legal requirements for reporting lost or stolen guns, restrictions on private sellers, and bans on assault weapons and large-capacity ammunition magazines—work together to make Massachusetts one of the safest states in the U.S. when it comes to gun deaths, according to a November 13, 2018 article in Vox.
David Hemenway, director of the Harvard Injury Control Center at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, told Vox, “All other things equal, [places] where there’s strong laws and with few guns do much better than places where there’s weak laws and lots of guns.” Massachusetts “is just a lot safer,” he said.
Read the Vox article: I looked for a state that’s taking gun violence seriously. I found Massachusetts.