John Rosenthal of Stop Handgun Violence at the State House press conference, flanked by House Speaker Robert DeLeo (left) and Rep. Harold Naughton Jr. of Clinton.

House Speaker Robert DeLeo, regarded as the most conservative Democratic leader on Beacon Hill, ventured into one of the most divisive political issues in American politics on Tuesday by unveiling what he is calling gun violence legislation.

DeLeo’s bill, based on the recommendations of a commission he appointed last year, eschews more radical approaches to gun control floated on Beacon Hill after the Newtown, Connecticut, school shootings in favor of incremental changes across a wide variety of fronts. DeLeo said he hopes to win passage of the legislation in the House and then in the more liberal Senate in the two months remaining in the current legislative session. He said it would be fitting if the bill could be the final piece of legislation signed by Gov. Deval Patrick before he leaves office.

DeLeo shied away from using fiery rhetoric, at every turn adopting a tone that underscored the need for changes while respecting the rights of gun owners. Asked if his bill would give Massachusetts the toughest gun control laws in the nation, he said he was seeking “the most effective gun laws in the country.”

John Rosenthal, the developer who founded the organization Stop Handgun Violence and whose billboard overlooking the Massachusetts Turnpike highlights the daily toll of gun-related deaths, hugged the Speaker after his press conference in the House lounge. He called DeLeo’s bill smart and thoughtful and beamed when asked about the middle-of-the-road Democrat’s embrace of gun control.

“How about that? He gets it. He realizes he can save lives,” Rosenthal said. “This is his baby. That speaks volumes.”

DeLeo crafted the legislation very deliberately. He first said gun control legislation was needed in January 2013, less than a month after the Newtown shootings. He then appointed an eight-member commission to examine the state’s laws and recommend changes. That group, headed by Jack McDevitt, a dean at Northeastern University, spent 10 months studying the issue, and in February offered up 44 unanimous recommendations.

McDevitt said on Tuesday that DeLeo put no restrictions on the commission. He said the members debated issues intensely and respectfully. “It showed me you can have a civil, thoughtful debate about the issues of guns and violence,” he said.

Perhaps the most controversial aspect of the bill is its call for the same “suitability standards” that police chiefs use to decide whether someone should be licensed to carry a handgun to be extended to licenses to own rifles and shotguns. The bill tasks state officials with developing a set of standards that police chiefs could use to establish more uniformity in licensing from community to community. The bill also speeds up licensing and license renewals.

Jim Wallace, the executive director of the state’s Gun Owners’ Action League, said the wide disparity in the way police chiefs currently determine suitability for carrying a handgun has made that program a disaster. He saw no need to expand it to long guns, particularly since there is no evidence of someone being turned down for a handgun license rushing out to buy rifles or shotguns to use in committing crimes. “It sounds like an issue that doesn’t exist,” he said.

DeLeo said Congress would need to address the flow of guns coming in from out of state, where as many as half the weapons used in crimes in Massachusetts originate. But he said his bill would try to address the growing number of weapons originating in Massachusetts that are used in crimes. The legislation requires all private gun sales to be processed by licensed dealers who could do background checks on the new owners. It also requires every municipality in the state to track the origin of guns used in crimes and imposes tougher penalties on those who fail to report a lost or stolen firearm. Gun owners seeking a license renewal would also be required to verify how many guns they currently own.

Massachusetts would join the National Instant Background Check System under DeLeo’s bill, requiring Bay State officials to pass along to federal authorities the names of those committed for using controlled substances, those committed for mental illness, and those forced to relinquish a firearm because of domestic abuse.

The legislation also imposes tougher punishments for possessing a firearm during a carjacking or a breaking and entering or while visiting a school. New penalties would be created for those carrying a firearm while intoxicated.

DeLeo’s bill would also encourage public schools to purchase two-way communication devices for contacting police and fire officials during an emergency and to develop plans to address the mental health needs of students. With nearly two-thirds of Massachusetts suicides committed using guns, DeLeo’s bill calls for a number of measures to make gun owners, physicians, and firearms dealers more aware of suicide prevention efforts.

Rep. Harold Naughton Jr. of Clinton, cochair of the Legislature’s Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security, said DeLeo’s bill would be taken up by his panel in a week. He vowed that more legislative action might come in the future.

“This is the next step in preventing violence in our Commonwealth. It’s not the last step,” he said.