Patrick seeking tougher gun control laws

BOSTON (WWLP) - The mass killings in Newtown, Connecticut have renewed the gun control debate across the country, and now, Governor Deval Patrick is renewing calls for tighter gun control laws in Massachusetts.

Patrick says that he plans to reintroduce gun law proposals next year that have stalled this session.  For instance, Patrick says he will urge lawmakers to pass a bill that limits gun purchases to one per person per month. 

The Governor also hopes to enroll the state in a national mental health registry for firearm background checks.

“I expect and hope that there will be more support in the coming session than we have had in the past, and it's a shame that it takes a tragedy like Newtown for that to happen,” Patrick said.

Governor Patrick also called on Congress to pass a federal ban on assault weapons.

Massachusetts is one of the few states that continued an assault weapons ban after Congress let a similar ban expire in 2004.