HARTFORD, Conn. — One day after the one-year anniversary of the tragic school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, Connecticut legislators passed the state’s most comprehensive gun-control package since the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings more than a decade ago.
After a debate that lasted 3 1/2 hours, the state House of Representatives voted 96-51 on a bipartisan basis as seven Republicans joined with Democrats to pass the measure, which now heads to the Democratic-controlled state Senate.
Pushed by Gov. Ned Lamont and Democratic legislators, the controversial measure would ban the “open carry” of guns in public, limit purchases of handguns to three per month per person, increase penalties for failing to report that a gun was stolen, and update pistol permit training requirements. The 93-page bill also expands safe storage requirements and mandates state police to adopt a mass shooting response plan that includes the use of counselors regarding the psychological impacts.
The bill also mandates registration of all “ghost guns,” which are handmade weapons that have no serial numbers and that can be constructed with parts and instructions that are available over the internet or with 3D printers. The new restriction would apply to ghost guns that were manufactured before 2019, while the newer ones were already covered under current law.
The purchasing restriction to three handguns per month is designed to reduce “straw” purchases in which an individual might buy 20 guns and then sell them on the streets — often to convicted criminals who are not eligible to purchase guns legally due to their criminal record.
State Rep. Steven Stafstrom, a Bridgeport Democrat who co-chairs the judiciary committee, said the bill is important because the United States has “more gun violence and more gun deaths than any civilized country in the world.” He predicted that the measure “will save lives” by restricting various aspects of guns.
“Are we going to stop all gun violence in the state of Connecticut because of this bill? Of course not,” Stafstrom said on the House floor. “Yes, gun violence is still going to plague our state even after we pass this bill. … The next mass shooting is going to happen in America. … But thoughts and prayers are not enough. … We need to act. We’re taking action.”
Rep. Greg Howard, a Republican who has served as a police officer for more than 20 years in his hometown of Stonington, said the final bill was significantly improved since its original version due to bipartisan efforts by Lamont, Democrats, and Republicans.
“They kept politics largely out of it,” said Howard, who voted against the measure that he described as “a bit of government overreach” overall. “There’s not a great correlation between gun restrictions and gun crime.”
Lamont, who was unable to pass gun restrictions last year during a short legislative session in an election year, praised the move immediately after passage.
“The provisions included in this legislation are supported by the overwhelming majority of Connecticut residents – including many gun owners – because they want to live in a community that has commonsense measures that encourage gun safety and prevent harm from impacting our neighborhoods and homes,” Lamont said.
But some conservative Republicans blasted the bill, including its five-word title.
“An act addressing gun violence. That is a joke of a name,” said Rep. Doug Dubitsky, a Republican attorney from Chaplin. “This bill does not address gun violence. This bill should be called an act attacking law-abiding citizens’ right to possess firearms. That’s what this bill does. All it does is it makes the lawful, safe, and effective possession of firearms by the good people of this state far more difficult. … This bill, like all those like it, are slow tyranny.”
The three safest states in the nation, he said, are Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont with the lowest violent crime and lowest gun violence. Those three states are “constitutional carry” states — meaning that a permit is not needed to carry a gun.
Dubitsky predicted that some portions of Connecticut’s bill will be struck down in the future in federal court.
“Most of this country is making it easier for law-abiding citizens to protect themselves. Not Connecticut,” Dubitsky said. “New Jersey has an assault weapons ban, just like Connecticut. New Jersey’s assault weapons ban is going down in the courts … just like they’re going down all over the country.”
House Republican leader Vincent Candelora of North Branford said the measure was “yet another bill that misses the mark.”
A proponent of “Ethan’s Law” regarding gun storage, he said the bill was now being expanded to essentially mandate safes in homes because safe storage would apply more broadly, not just when there is a minor in the home.
“I think it will do absolutely nothing for the state of Connecticut to make them safer,” Candelora said, adding that the passage was “a sad day for Connecticut.”
House majority leader Jason Rojas of East Hartford said many Democrats believe in the Second Amendment but also believe the bill “strikes that careful balance” with constitutional rights.
Rep. Holly Cheeseman, a East Lyme Republican who said she once had five gun safes as her late husband was a competitive marksman with multiple guns, mentioned Se’Cret Pierce, a 12-year-old girl who was accidentally shot on April 20 during a drive-by shooting not far from the state Capitol in Hartford.
“Every child, every life, in this state is valid,” Cheeseman said. “We should commit that there are no more Sandy Hooks, but that there are no more Se’Cret Pierces who die by gun violence.”
Cheeseman was among seven Republicans who voted for the bill, along with Rep. Thomas O’Dea of New Canaan, Rachel Chaleski of Danbury, and Rep. Tracy Marra of Darien. Fairfield County Republicans have a tradition of voting for gun restrictions – in contrast to conservative Republicans who are strong Second Amendment supporters.
At the same time, five House Democrats broke with their party and voted against the measure, including deputy Speaker Robert Sanchez of New Britain and Rep. Travis Simms of Norwalk.
Open carry
The ban on “open carry” is designed to stop “flaunting the gun” and not for minor mistakes in which someone spotted a person with a gun in their waistband, Stafstrom said.
“It’s not to stop someone from helping someone by reaching up and grabbing something on the top shelf,” Stafstrom said. “You can openly carry on your property. … A fleeting glance of a gun is not prohibited. Or temporarily pulling your gun out because someone is approaching your car.”
Gun owners would still be allowed to openly carry a gun on their property or place of business, lawmakers said.
Far more Republicans spoke against the bill than Democrats spoke for the measure.
Rep. Steve Weir, a former police officer from Hebron who owns guns, said the right to carry a gun “is baked into our Constitution.”
“Why are we not targeting more criminals?” Weir asked. “I think this is a feel-good bill with a misleading title. It will get a caption in a newspaper or online, but it’s going to do nothing to reduce gun violence.”
Rep. Mitch Bolinsky, a Republican lawmaker since 2013, said he has a unique perspective because he represents Newtown, the town of the Sandy Hook School massacre.
“The level of disrespect for law-abiding citizens in Connecticut nauseates me,” Bolinsky said, noting that many in the House chamber were not listening to his speech. “We don’t listen to each other. We absolutely don’t listen to each other. … Firearms don’t fire themselves. They don’t hate. They don’t even murder. … For God’s sake, the problem is people. … Every session, we have a need to punish law-abiding citizens and take their stuff away.”
Bolinsky, one of dozens of Republicans who voted against the bill, said he was concerned about mental illness, a lack of civility, and other societal problems.
“We have flung open our prisons and basically depopulated them,” Bolinsky said. “We’re not doing a good job with our red-flag laws on who should or should not own a firearm. … The good proponent of the bill is checking his messages, anyway.”
Democrats in favor
Deputy House Speaker Pro Tem Robert Godfrey told colleagues that he was angry Thursday because there had been an active shooter in his legislative district this week who is now in custody.
“I’m just tired of these kind of stories, and now it’s in my neighborhood,” said Godfrey, a Democrat who was first elected in 1988. “These are my neighbors who are being affected, who are frightened, are scared. … I’m sick and tired, bone weary, about the thoughts and prayers and we don’t have to do anything about it. … This proposal is another step in the evolution of gun responsibility laws in Connecticut.”
Rep. Mary Mushinsky, a Wallingford Democrat who is the longest-serving member of the House, noted that half of gun deaths in the state are suicides. She told colleagues about a relative who suffered from bipolar disorder and had access to a weapon that was not protected by a gun safe.
“He went to my brother’s house, took my brother’s gun, and killed himself,” Mushinsky said. “We will save the lives of people who are temporarily depressed.”
But Rep. Francis Cooley, a Plainville freshman, and other Republicans said the bill was not a serious attempt at solving crimes plaguing the state.
“This wouldn’t sell as a comic book, and this should not sell as actual legislation dealing with gun violence in the cities,” Cooley said.
Rep. Kara Pavalock-D’Amato, a Bristol Republican, told her colleagues on the House floor that she stands 4 foot 10 ½ inches tall and cannot overpower anyone in a fight as she tries to protect herself.
“I’m not going to karate chop someone,” she said. “I’m not going to wrestle them to the ground. Having a firearm is my only shot. … At least with a gun, I have a shot. … Every person is going to be taller than me, bigger than me. That’s how I keep myself safe. … As a woman, I beg don’t take away my rights and don’t prevent me from protecting myself.”
Several legislators said the legislation was not perfect but was a reasonable compromise after months of work.
Rep. Larry Butler, a Waterbury Democrat who voted for the bill, said the measure marked an important step forward.
“We know this isn’t going to be the cure-all to all our Connecticut neighborhoods,” he said, “but we have to address this.”
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