Stop Handgun Violence Lauds AG’s Win in Assault Weapon Ban Case;
Urges Participation in Tomorrow’s Town Hall for Our Lives Events
BOSTON – April 6, 2018 – The US District Court’s rejection today of a challenge to Massachusetts’ Assault Weapons Ban adds encouragement to growing support for common sense gun laws on the eve of “town hall” events Bay State teens are holding with elected officials across the state tomorrow.
“As students from Cape Cod to the Berkshires prepare to gather at Town Hall for Our Lives events this weekend, they can take renewed inspiration from District Court Judge William Young’s rejection of the gun lobby’s challenge to our state’s ban on assault weapons. This legal win is absolutely huge for the people of Massachusetts and for everyone across the country concerned about gun violence,” Stop Handgun Violence Founder John Rosenthal said. “I am extremely proud of Attorney General Healey for her courageous leadership on this issue, and for other Massachusetts elected officials who have helped save countless lives and endless grief by supporting this and other common sense gun safety laws in Massachusetts.”
The court decision comes a day before students, members of the Massachusetts Congressional delegation, and other elected officials gather at five Town Halls in Pittsfield, Millbury, Lowell, Natick and Roxbury as part of a strengthened movement to thwart gun violence in the wake of the Parkland, Florida school shooting in February. See Town Hall times and locations here
“Because of laws like the Assault Weapons Ban, urban Massachusetts is the model for effective and replicable gun laws and regulations, resulting in the lowest gun death rate in the nation,” Rosenthal said. “Tomorrow, students across the state will hold their elected officials accountable for continued strengthening of legal protections against gun violence. This passionate student movement is exactly what’s needed, and we are proud to support their events and partner with them in an effort to save lives and create lasting change.”
###
Stop Handgun Violence(SHV) is a Massachusetts based non-profit organization committed to the prevention of gun violence through education, public awareness, effective law enforcement and common sense gun laws. SHV has been the lead advocate in Massachusetts for enactment of the most effective gun violence prevention laws and first in the nation consumer protection regulations. The organization does not seek to restrict Constitutional rights, but advocates only for common sense legislation that will help save lives. For more information, go to www.stophandgunviolence.org