AG candidate Tolman vows new gun control technology during Lynn visit

LYNN – State attorney general candidate Warren Tolman said technology that enables guns to only be fired by owners was a life-saving safety regulation, but a regulation that he was the only candidate for the state’s top law-enforcement position to endorse.”It’s one instance where the attorney general of Massachusetts can unilaterally do something to make communities in Massachusetts safer,” Tolman said while visiting the city Sunday. “I will do it. My opponents won’t.”A Watertown Democrat and former state representative and state senator, Tolman is challenging fellow Democrat Maura Healey in the Sept. 9 primary to challenge Republican John Miller in November for the office of attorney general. The incumbent, Martha Coakley, is running for governor.Tolman and City Council President Dan Cahill stopped by the North Shore Navigators game Sunday afternoon as part of Tolman’s week-long “Gateway Gunsense Policy Tour.”Tolman said the appearance, which followed similar appearances in other so-called Gateway cities, including Lawrence, Springfield, New Bedford and Salem, was due to Lynn having “more than its share” of gun violence.But Tolman said the attorney general of Massachusetts is in a unique position to stem this violence by requiring new guns incorporate smart gun technology.This technology uses microchips, fingerprint recognition software and/or other devices so that a gun can only be fired by its owner. Tolman said Sunday in an interview that requiring guns to have such technology will cut down on accidental gun deaths and gun trafficking, and it will make Massachusetts communities safer. And Tolman said the state’s regulations allows the Massachusetts attorney general to make this technology become the law.”We don’t need the Legislature, governor, anyone else,” he said.Both U.S. Rep. John Tierney (D-Salem) and U.S. Senator Edward Markey (D-Malden) have introduced legislation requiring such smart gun technology. But Tolman said the National Rifle Association has successfully put a “stranglehold” on legislation originating from Washington.Asked why his opponents for attorney general have not endorsed the technology, Tolman said he couldn’t get into other candidates’ minds. “But a lot of people have cautioned me about taking on the NRA.”But he said he successfully challenged tobacco companies, leading to the nation’s first legislation requiring tobacco companies to disclose the ingredients in tobacco products. Plus, Massachusetts has a reputation for leading the nation.”I know other states will follow,” Tolman said. “I know we can have that type of impact as we did on gay marriage and health care.”Tolman acknowledged that the technology would not completely eliminate gun violence. Guns used in crimes and recovered by local police often come from states with less stringent firearms regulations, may have been bought and sold numerous times and are often of an earlier vintage than those that would be required to have the technology.However, Tolman said older guns could be retrofitted with the technology. And although most of the candidate’s interactions with baseball fans involved pleasantries rather than policy discussions, Tolman said that voters are receptive to the technology.”I’ve even had NRA members say that makes sense,” Tolman said. “I’m not trying to take away anyone’s gun, I’m just trying to make them safer.”