(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont is applauding the Connecticut General Assembly’s Judiciary Committee for voting this afternoon to approve a comprehensive legislative proposal he introduced that seeks to prevent acts of gun violence, including mass shootings, community violence, domestic violence, suicides, and accidental shootings.
“As elected leaders, it is our responsibility to implement policies that keep our homes, our schools, our churches, and our neighborhoods safe, and the people who elected us want us to take every opportunity ensure this happens,” Governor Lamont said. “Our public safety laws need to keep up with the innovative ways firearm companies are manufacturing guns, especially those that were invented with nothing but the sole purpose of killing as many people as possible within the shortest amount of time. These policy proposals represent a fair, commonsense balance that respects the rights of Americans to own guns for their own protection and sportsmanship while also acknowledging that we must take actions to protect the people who live in our communities. I appreciate the members of the Judiciary Committee who voted today to approve this proposal, and especially its co-chairs, State Senator Gary Winfield and State Representative Steven Stafstrom, for their leadership in advancing this legislation.”
The legislation is House Bill 6667, An Act Addressing Gun Violence. Among its provisions include:
- Closing loopholes in the state’s assault weapons ban;
- Strengthening penalties related to the state’s ban on large-capacity magazines to make that ban enforceable;
- Increasing the age to purchase all firearms to 21;
- Banning the open carrying of firearms in public, while continuing to allow concealed carry with a permit except in particular locations;
- Limiting handgun purchases to one per month to discourage straw purchases;
- Updating the state’s ban on unregistered “ghost guns” to stop their illegal flow;
- Requiring a ten-day waiting period before purchasing a firearm;
- Increasing education requirements for firearm licenses;
- Requiring safe storage regardless of who lives at a given residence;
- Improving the design safety standards for semiautomatic handguns;
- Making commission of a family violence crime or being a fugitive an automatic disqualifier for holding a pistol permit;
- Prohibiting the carrying of any loaded long gun in a vehicle; and
- Requiring trigger locks for all firearm purchases.
For a fact sheet on the bill, click here.