Press Releases
09/30/2022
Attorney General Tong Statement on Challenge to Connecticut Assault Weapons Ban
(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong released the following statement in response to a federal lawsuit filed by the Connecticut Citizens Defense League seeking to repeal Connecticut’s assault weapons ban.
“Connecticut’s gun laws save lives, and we are not going back. This latest threat is disturbing, but not surprising. The moment the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in Bruen, I knew the gun lobby was coming for Connecticut’s post-Sandy Hook gun safety laws. We will not allow weapons of war back into our schools, our houses of worship, our grocery stores, and our communities. I will vigorously defend our laws against any and every one of these baseless challenges,” said Attorney General Tong.
The U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision on June 23 in New York State Rifle & Pistol v. Bruen substantially rewriting major gun safety legal precedent. The decision, overturning a New York handgun licensing law, did not immediately impact Connecticut’s handgun licensing laws. However, Attorney General Tong warned at the time that the decision invited a wave of new litigation nationwide and in Connecticut.
This is the second such challenge filed post-Bruen. The National Association for Gun Rights has also challenged Connecticut’s assault weapon and high-capacity magazine laws. They were forced to amend their suit when their initial plaintiff withdrew, saying she neither owned nor desired to own an assault weapon, according to media reports.
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Media Contact:
Elizabeth Benton
elizabeth.benton@ct.gov
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