BOSTON (AP) - Massachusetts House Speaker Robert DeLeo has named an eight-member panel to advise him on the way to address gun violence.
The Winthrop Democrat said he formed the group in the wake of the shooting in Newtown, Conn., and other recent mass killings.
DeLeo said the group will suggest laws that would help avoid similar tragedies.
DeLeo said he wants to craft legislation that deals comprehensively with guns and mental illness.
The panel will be led by Northeastern University Associate Dean Jack McDevitt and will include law enforcement officials, educators and clinicians.
Gov. Deval Patrick has already filed a gun bill that would restrict gun owners to purchasing one firearm a month, tighten access to high-powered rounds of ammunition and mandate buyers undergo background checks before purchasing weapons at gun shows.