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Rep. David Linsky, a Natick Democrat and gun control advocate, speaks at a Statehouse press conference organized by the Massachusetts Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence on June 3, 2014.

(SHIRA SCHOENBERG / THE REPUBLICAN)

BOSTON — Tonia Ortiz, 19, lives in Boston's South End and came to a State House hearing on a gun violence bill Tuesday in honor of her friend Jorge Fuentes.

Fuentes, she said, was shot in Dorchester while walking his dog outside his home. "I don't want other people to feel the pain I felt when he passed away," Ortiz said, explaining her support for tighter gun regulations.

House Speaker Robert DeLeo, a Winthrop Democrat, released a comprehensive gun violence bill last week. The bill would expand background checks for private gun sales, establish standard requirements for licenses for handguns and long guns, and prohibit a felon from getting a gun license. The bill deals with mental health reporting and suicide prevention, and would bring the state into compliance with a federal background check database.

Close to 600 people attended a public hearing before the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security. Many held signs reading "Save a life. Stop gun violence." Others wore stickers provided by the Gun Owners' Action League, a gun rights group. Generally, gun control advocates are supporting the bill, while gun rights advocates oppose it.

Jason Sawyer, of Melrose, works for a software company and was among the gun owners opposed to the bill. "It's not targeting people who are committing crimes. It's targeting people who are legitimate, legal gun owners," Sawyer said.

The hearing drew testimony from several top public officials. Treasurer Steve Grossman and Attorney General Martha Coakley, who are both Democratic candidates for governor, spoke in favor of the bill.

"I believe the bill recognizes the critical intersection between gun violence, suicide prevention, mental health care, domestic violence and school safety by tackling them together in a meaningful way in a state that has some of the toughest gun laws in the country," Coakley said.

Grossman told the committee that two principles should drive their consideration. "First, protecting the people of Massachusetts from violence is one of our most profound responsibilities as public servants," Grossman said. "Second, gun laws save lives."

Gun control advocates, many of them organized by the Massachusetts Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence, particularly support four provisions of the bill:

The bill would require private sales to take place at a federally licensed gun dealership, to ensure that the buyer undergoes a background check.

It would require the state to submit to the national background check system names of people who have been declared by the courts to have mental health or substance abuse issues.

It would expand a "suitability standard," a standard under which police chiefs have discretion to determine whether someone is suitable to get a license. Currently, the standard only applies to licenses to carry handguns, but the bill would apply it to firearms identification cards, which are required for rifles or shotguns.

It would also require local law enforcement to trace all guns used in crimes, and the state police to compile reports about the guns' origins.

Kim Sheppard, a nurse from Amherst, said she started volunteering for the group Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America after the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, where 20 students and six staff were killed. "I was so upset and horrified, I couldn't continue to be silent," Sheppard said. Sheppard said she believes the bill would reduce gun violence in Massachusetts due to its expansion of background checks.

Opponents of the bill argue that the background check provision is unnecessary since the state already requires a private seller to submit a form indicating that the buyer is licensed. They oppose expanding the suitability standard and leaving it to the discretion of the police. Several opponents said they oppose a provision that would forbid anyone from getting a license to carry who has been convicted of a misdemeanor with a maximum sentence of one year – which could include crimes such as failing to properly file a campaign finance disclosure or running unlicensed cabaret entertainment, said State Rep. Matthew Beaton, a Shrewsbury Republican.

Jim Wallace, executive director of the Gun Owners' Action League, said the suitability standard "is one of the most widely abused laws in government." He said police chiefs can use the standard to deny licenses without a clear explanation, and the applicant has no appeal process.

Rep. George Peterson, a Grafton Republican and gun rights supporter, said he does not believe the bill will curb gun violence. "I didn't find anything that will have an appreciable effect on gun violence," Peterson said. "There are more restrictions on lawful gun owners."

The bill does not include an anti-trafficking provision proposed by Gov. Deval Patrick, which would stop people from buying more than one gun a month. Patrick's Secretary of Public Safety Andrea Cabral spoke at a press conference organized by the Massachusetts Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence. Cabral said Patrick is pleased the bill includes the background check and mental health provisions, but he would like to see his one-gun-a-month provision included. "One gun a month prevents straw purchases," Cabral said. "You prevent someone from stockpiling weapons, you've prevented a tragedy."

Rep. Ellen Story, an Amherst Democrat, said Patrick's proposal was discussed by House leadership, but that provision was the most contentious, and there was no agreement on it. She said she anticipates that someone will bring up an amendment proposing it when the House debates the bill on the floor.

Story said the House could debate the bill as soon as next Wednesday.

At the beginning of the hearing, Rep. Nicholas Boldyga, a Southwick Republican, made a motion to hold hearings in Worcester and Springfield. Committee Chairman Harold Naughton, a Clinton Democrat, said he would refer the request to the House legal counsel and the House clerk, then poll the committee if necessary.