Connecticut: Committee Votes Today For Gun Bills

[Charlie T Waite]

On March 20^th, the Connecticut state Joint Judiciary Committee will be voting on a number of bills before them that would affect your Second Amendment rights, including bills to continue the never-ending push for more gun control in Connecticut.  Details may be found here.  Please contact committee members and urge them to OPPOSE Senate Bill 60 and House Bills 7218, 7219, and 7223, and SUPPORT Senate Bill 940 and House Bills 5227 and 5870.  Click the “Take Action” button below to contact committee members.

Anti-Gun Bills

Senate Bill 60 would allow law enforcement officers to demand that Connecticut handgun permit holders present their permit if the officer had reason to believe they were carrying a handgun.  Current law already allows police officers to request proof of a permit, but only when they have a “reasonable suspicion” that a crime is being committed, supported by articulable facts that criminal activity is occurring. 

House Bill 7218 would require any adult with a minor in their household to make their firearms unavailable for self-defense.  Gun safety and storage is a matter of personal responsibility and every person’s situation is different.  It is unreasonable to impose a one-size-fits-all government solution.  Such poorly thought out schemes are without any consideration for personal circumstances.

House Bill 7219 would essentially end the centuries old practice of manufacturing firearms for personal use by imposing requirements that far exceed those in federal law.  The bill language is so broad that nearly any solid, raw materials could also be considered a “firearm.”  Manufacturing or transferring a “firearm” without a serial number would be a Class C felony with a mandatory sentence of at least two years imprisonment and a fine of $5000.  It would require serial numbers be applied to “firearms” in a manner requiring equipment that hobbyists do not usually have and cannot afford, and that federal regulations only require from licensed manufacturers.  It also imposes a requirement that firearms made from plastic contain an arbitrary steel alloy that has no effect on the detectability.  Federal law already mandates that firearms contain a certain amount of metal content.

House Bill 7223 would require handguns to be stored in a locked safe whenever in an unattended vehicle.  Such an unreasonable requirement would require gun owners to fit their vehicles with a locking safe separate from any carrying cases they already use to transport handguns.

Pro-Gun Bills

Senate Bill 940 would allow pistol permit holders to carry a handgun for self-defense in state parks and forests.  So called “gun-free zones” are arbitrary boundaries that only disarm law-abiding citizens while doing nothing to hinder criminals.

House Bill 5227 would prevent a patchwork of laws in Connecticut by prohibiting municipalities from enacting their own gun control regulations, making it easier for law-abiding citizens to follow the law.  This would ensure that all Connecticut residents would have equal Second Amendment rights regardless of where they reside.

House Bill 5870 would allow law-abiding citizens who already own registered, banned firearms and magazines to transfer them among themselves. 

Again, please click the “Take Action” button above to urge committee members to OPPOSE Senate Bill 60, House Bill 7218, House Bill 7219, and House Bill 7223, and SUPPORT Senate Bill 940, House Bill 5227 and House Bill 5870.