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Mayor Walsh, BPD Commissioner Evans Attend Regional Summit To Curb Gun Violence

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and Boston Police Commissioner William Evans are in Providence Wednesday attending a regional summit aimed at reducing gun violence.

Walsh told WBUR's Newscast Unit ahead of the summit that because Congress has not enacted legislation to curb firearms-related violence, it is up to cities to act on the issue.

"As mayors we can't wait for others to act," Walsh said. "We need to act in our own way, either taking executive actions to address gun violence, engaging with our outside partners and philanthropy and also working to try and reduce the gun violence in our cities."

In November, Walsh banned replica handguns in public spaces throughout Boston. Public safety officials voiced concern that they could be mistaken for real guns and lead to dangerous situations.

Walsh and Evans will be joined by mayors and law enforcement officials from across New England. Walsh feels confident that certain initiatives in Boston he says have worked to stem gun violence could be replicated in other areas throughout the region.

"The initiatives we've taken in Boston — like engaging in gun analysis and tracing data — are being replicated in other New England regions, and we're learning from them as well," Walsh said. "I think that's really the best part, that we share best practices, and we talk about the challenges that each of our cities have."

Last year, the mayor hosted the event, now in its third year.

This article was originally published on April 06, 2016.

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