Thursday was a busy day for our governor. Charlie Baker spent the morning at the Lynn Area Chamber of Commerce breakfast telling the world he liked peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and that he’d like George Clooney to portray him in the movies.
Also, he spoke optimistically about economic opportunities for Lynn.
Then he went to Lynn Tech, where students were able to demonstrate the work they do — something that impressed the governor very much.
But it was at his next stop where he got very serious about the problem of mass murders via gun in the United States. When asked at a meeting of editors and publishers in Boston about his feelings on denying guns to anyone whose name appears on a “no-fly” list, he seemed very much in favor.
“I do think if it’s possible for somebody who’s on the terrorist watch list to buy a weapon in the United States, that should get fixed. Period,” Baker told the group.
There may not be much we can do, in the long run, to totally eliminate gun violence in the United States. But we do everything we can to reduce the odds of it happening. And if that means denying guns to those whose names appear on terrorist watch lists, so be it.
Baker also struck a note of moderation, saying that as far as he’s concerned, he’s just concerned about terrorism, period.
Obviously, he said, that his No. 1 priority is to ensure the safety of the people of Massachusetts.
For the most part, Baker has been a voice of calm reassurance and determination since taking over. His insistence on holding those accountable for the very bad MBTA snags last winter was refreshing.
We agree with Baker that anything, even if it’s that one step, that can stop these horrible shootings is worth trying.
