BOSTON (WWLP) – More than half of Massachusetts gun deaths in 2015 were suicides, and now, lawmakers are considering a bill to expand the state’s gun restrictions; a proposal some say could help save lives.
The bill would allow police, physicians, and family members to temporarily keep firearms out of the hands of someone with an elevated risk of harming themselves or others.
Jenna Youille lost her parents to gun violence. Her mother died in a mall shooting in Oregon in 2012. Four years later, her father purchased a gun and took his own life.
“I think that would have been able to prevent him from going and buying a gun on the day that he did, and just bought us more time to get him the help that he really needed,” Youille said.
Some critics of the proposal, however, question whether it would restrict the rights of law-abiding gun owners.
This proposal is one of hundreds of bills currently under review by the judiciary committee.
Several states have passed similar legislation, including California, Washington, and Connecticut.
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