HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — Gov. Ned Lamont (D-Conn.) unveiled his second set of proposals to prevent gun violence on Thursday.
It’s been nearly ten years since Connecticut banned the sale of so-called assault-style weapons in the wake of the December 2012 Sandy Hook shooting. The Lamont administration says it’s time to close some loopholes in a 2013 assault rifle ban.
The administration claims firearm manufacturers have skirted the law by modifying assault weapons that get around the ban. Opponents say a lot of the measures will not change what criminals do.
“This can’t be normalized,” said Jackie Hegarty, a Sandy Hook survivor. “And there is no reason people should live in fear.”
“Every day, there are tragedies,” Lamont said. “Especially in our cities of kids getting killed.”
The Lamont administration says there are several loopholes in the 2013 assault weapons ban that leave some weapons unregulated. For example, guns confiscated by Connecticut State Police are legal under the current definition.
The governor’s proposal aims to close the loopholes, including allowing current owners of pre-ban, other, and rimfire rifles to register and bar future purchases and sales.
“We want these weapons to come out of the dark,” said Marc Pelka, undersecretary for criminal justice policy and planning at the Office of Policy and Management.
In addition to closing loopholes, there would be stiffer penalties if caught with large-capacity magazines that are not registered with the state. Right now, it is a $90 fine. The governor wants to make it a felony.
The proposal also involves increasing the age to purchase firearms to 21.
“You can’t buy cannabis under the age of 21, but you can buy a long-arm rifle,” Judiciary Committee Co-Chair Rep. Steve Stafstrom (D-Bridgeport). “Seriously?”
Under this proposal, you could still be permitted to have a gun and hunt with it under the age of 21. You could not buy one. Opponents say raising the age is arbitrary.
“I am aware of kids less than 18 who are in shooting clubs and that kind of stuff through their schools,” Republican state Rep. Craig Fishbein, a ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, said. “They are respectful. They get good grades.”
Fishbein has a bill to open registration up too.
“Those individuals who have perhaps moved into an anti-gun state not knowing what the laws are,” he said. “It would allow them to be able to register those instruments that they have lawfully acquired.”
Fishbein added the governor should be focused on strengthening penalties for illegal firearm use.
“The criminal, on the other end, is not going to be constrained by more laws,” he said. “So, it’s like a solution looking for more problems.”
Advocates say there have been 39 mass shootings around the country in the first month of the new year. This legislation will go before the Judiciary Committee for a public hearing in March.