Mass. House to take up ‘red flag’ gun bill after latest tragedy

The Massachusetts House is expected to take up the “red flag” gun bill this week after a 17-year-old gunman opened fire at Santa Fe High School in Texas, killing 10 people and wounding 13 more.

The House is scheduled to take up the bill Wednesday pending reports from the Committee on Ways and Means.

The legislation, originally filed by Rep. Marjorie Decker of Cambridge, would allow a family member, roommate or law enforcement official to petition the court to bar someone from owning a gun if they are deemed extremely dangerous.

But Jim Wallace of Gun Owners Action League Massachusetts said the legislation won’t stop a mentally unhinged person bent on harming others.

“If we want to identify the next monster,” Wallace said, “we need to make sure people are actually committed other than just taking their gun away and sending them home.”

He said the state should put mental health first and create a commission to look at what needs to be done in the Bay State to address mental health needs.

“All this bill does it take the legal gun away,” Wallace added. “If you’re trying to identify the next monster, there are one thousand things we could look at to identify the next extremely dangerous person. The current bill does none of that.”

Calls for tougher gun laws across the nation have been growing louder after 17 people were fatally shot at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida in February. Those students have sparked national protests and led school walkouts to push for tougher laws.