Boston Police Commissioner Bill Evans praised President Obama's call last week for expanded background checks for gun sellers, saying: "I believe it does a lot of good."
Obama unveiled his executive action last week at an emotional press conference in Washington , flanked by survivors of gun violence.
In his monthly segment on "Boston Public Radio," Evans echoed Attorney General Eric Holder's comments last week that there may have been more support for gun control legislation had the public seen images of the Sandy Hook shootings, where 20 young children were fatally shot.
"If every family, every elected official, or anyone who's a gun advocate had to meet with those families after they lost a loved one, I think they'd have the same opinion we do," he said.
Evans advocated for standardizing gun legislation to stem the flow of guns purchased in states with more lax laws into Massachusetts. He also pointed toward a recent incident in Chicago —where a convenience store owner shot and killed two teenagers during an attempted robbery—as an example of how guns can escalate situations that wouldn't otherwise end in death.
"It's a tragedy, it really is," Evans said. "I know they were wrong, but a 15 and 17 year old dead because everyone had guns?"
"The more guns we have out there, the more tragedy we're going to have," he continued.
Evans also joked that he's probably "the worst shot" in the Boston Police Department:
Commish Evans says he was a "terrible" shot on @BosPublicRadio : "I could probably hit you or Jim." #bospoli
To hear more from Boston Police Commissioner William Evans, tune in to Boston Public Radio above.
