Access to Firearms
Easier access to firearms is linked to more violence. Massachusetts has some of the strongest gun safety laws in the country and among the lowest rates of gun deaths.[] Even so, hundreds of residents die by gun violence each year.[] Factors that can protect against gun violence include:
- Limited access to firearms
- Background checks
- Restricted access to firearms by people who are abusive to their intimate partners
- Extreme Risk Protection Orders[]
[VSE26] Giffords Law Center. (n.d.). Annual Gun Law Scorecard. https://giffords.org/lawcenter/resources/scorecard/?scorecard=MA https://giffords.org/lawcenter/resources/scorecard/?scorecard=MA
[VSE27] National Center for Health Statistics. (2022). Firearm Mortality by State. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/sosmap/firearm_mortality/firearm.htm https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/sosmap/firearm_mortality/firearm.html
[VSE61] Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs) are orders from a judge that directs a person to surrender their license to possess/carry a gun and any firearms, rifles, shotguns, machine guns, stun guns, or ammunition that they possess, control, or own.