It’s been just over a year since Massachusetts enacted tough gun legislation, and House Speaker Robert DeLeo visited Springfield Wednesday to talk about the law’s impact.
Springfield police have taken more than 130 guns off the streets since the beginning of the year, but the city has been plagued by sporadic gun violence this summer, as has Boston ,and other Massachusetts cities.
DeLeo said he’s persuaded the violence would be worse without the state’s gun law.
" I am not trying to pass the buck, but we have got to have the federal government do something," he said.
Springfield officials lobbied DeLeo to support bail reform legislation to make it easier to detain repeat violent offenders, and for more state money for youth violence prevention programs.