A lifelong resident of Sharon, Massachusetts, Ted is a proud graduate of Sharon High School and earned his undergraduate degree in Political Science from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He also holds a Master's Degree in Public Administration from the Sawyer School of Business at Suffolk University.
Massachusetts has long been a national leader on responsible gun policies. The Giffords Law Center gives Massachusetts an A- on its gun policy, ranks us 7th in the country for gun law strength, and rates us 49th for gun deaths per year. While I’m very proud of Massachusetts for being far ahead of the national average on gun control legislation, I believe our Commonwealth has not reached its full potential in its efforts to combat gun violence.
I support the Second Amendment, but I believe the right to bear arms comes with responsibilities, and when these responsibilities are abdicated – by a gun owner or by the government – lives are lost. We’ve seen the results of guns getting into bad hands far too many times: mass shootings, community and domestic violence, and our country’s disproportionately high gun death rate compared to other developed nations. That’s why I believe it is critical for our state to continue implementing common-sense gun reforms, because no one should ever have to lose a loved one to gun violence.
Here in Massachusetts, the Commonwealth can further ensure that guns are in the hands of responsible owners by enhancing our gun data-gathering systems and using that data to draft and enact comprehensive gun sense legislation. The Giffords Law Center has also laid out three important steps Massachusetts can take in its fight against gun violence, which I have adopted as part of my gun sense action plan below. By following these reforms, we can continue to fight gun violence and maintain our state’s standing as a national leader on gun laws.
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As your State Representative, I will work to:
Crack down on gun violence while protecting the rights of responsible gun owners.
Advance and support the Crime Gun Trace Data Reporting and Analysis bill currently under consideration at the State House.
It's important to have data around gun violence to make effective, long lasting-legislation that protects our citizens.
Ban the purchase and sale of weapons of war, like 50-caliber rifles, which no civilian should ever be able to own.
Impose a waiting period to prevent spur-of-the-moment firearm purchases.
Implement a restriction on the number of guns that can be bought at one time.
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I am proud to have been designated as a Moms Demand Action Gun Sense candidate.