AG Campbell pledges to create new anti-gun violence unit

Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell said her office will form a new unit focused on strengthening municipal police departments' enforcement of weapon laws and responses to gun violence.

Speaking with WBUR's Radio Boston Wednesday, Campbell said the unit reflects a broader effort by her office to preserve the state's existing gun control laws, including its ban on assault weapons. In the past several months, her office has filed several briefs related to the ban.

"That means actual lawyers and staff where their sole responsibility is to work with municipalities, to work with local law enforcement to enforce our gun laws," said Campbell. "Some may have the resources and human capital to do that, others may not. We can provide assistance there, best practices and sharing of information."

The unit, Campbell said, also would focus on how to reduce gun violence and help community members heal from traumatic experiences.

"There's a role for this unit in this office to play and to bridge those conversations," Campbell said. "They go hand in hand."

The attorney general also discussed several other issues, including a federal court case out of Texas that could ban medication abortion across the U.S. She also spoke about another court battle related to the spread of misinformation on social media platforms.

To hear the full conversation, click the play button above.