BOSTON, Dec. 14, 2015—Local and state law enforcement and civic leaders joined together today at the unveiling of a new billboard pushing federal lawmakers to adopt the same common-sense firearm legislation that have made Massachusetts’ gun deaths some of the lowest in the nation.

Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley cited a 2013 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association that showed a strong correlation between the strength of a state’s gun laws and its rate of firearm-related fatalities – Massachusetts was at the top of the list for legislative strength and the bottom of the list for overall gun deaths. But hundreds of crime guns are transported from states with lax laws into Massachusetts each year, undercutting the efforts of legislators and law enforcement alike.

Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley spoke today at the unveiling of a 90-foot banner promoting common-sense gun laws to reduce the rate of gun violence as they have in Massachusetts. The Bay State ranks highest in the nation for legislative strength on firearms and lowest for overall gun deaths, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association.

“As a result, more homicides are committed with handguns than all other weapons combined – not just in Boston, but in every big city across the country,” Conley said. “No other weapon makes it easier to kill and harder to get caught.  Because the perpetrator of an outdoor shooting generally leaves no trace evidence behind, the solve rate is less than half that for any other type of homicide.”

The 90-foot billboard reads “We aren’t Anti-Gun. We’re For Life. Massachusetts Gun Laws Work.” It hangs on a parking garage at the corner of Boylston and Dalton streets in Boston’s Back Bay. It was created by the advocacy group Stop Handgun Violence.

Massachusetts Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, Boston

John Rosenthal of Stop Handgun Violence and Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley stand in front of a 90-foot banner promoting common-sense gun laws to prevent firearm-related fatalities. Massachusetts has strong gun laws and among the lowest rates of gun deaths in the nation, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Mayor Martin J. Walsh, and Boston Police Commissioner William Evans also took part in the event today, promoting the Twitter hashtag “#GunLawsWork” and urging federal lawmakers to follow the Massachusetts model, which has driven down homicides without infringing upon the rights of law-abiding gun owners.

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