“THE NATION’S STRICTEST GUN LAW”
by Sharon Rondeau
(Apr. 4, 2013) — The Connecticut House of Representatives passed its own version of new firearms restrictions in the early hours of Thursday following the Senate’s passage of SB 1160 on Wednesday.
The two versions must be reconciled in order to go to Gov. Dannel Malloy, who is expected to sign the new bill at noon on Thursday.
The new laws limit magazine clips to ten rounds, expand the assault weapons ban to apply to more than 100 different types of firearms, and require background checks on all gun sales.
Obama has pushed for legislation to “plug holes” in the system which he alleges allow people who might be criminals access to firearms.
The perpetrator of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a mentally-ill young man whose mother allowed him access to firearms and violent online material. Adam Lanza reportedly had Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism, of which his mother was aware but perhaps could not or did not find proper treatment.
None of the new regulations would have stopped Lanza, as his mother reportedly allowed him access to guns, target practice within her home, and gun range shooting practice. Existing state laws at the time prohibited him from owning a handgun because he was not yet 21.
Colorado, New York, and Connecticut have passed stricter laws since the shooting at Sandy Hook, which Obama and Biden have encouraged. The Maryland Senate has passed a stricter gun bill which the House is presently considering.
Gun manufacturers from Maryland and Connecticut have had invitations from gun-friendly states such as West Virginia, Virginia and New Hampshire to move there.
A Colorado sheriff commented on Obama’s visit to his state on Wednesday stating that the new laws are “punitive” to law-abiding citizens and accusing Obama of “political showmanship.” He also contended that a “culture of violence” must be addressed.
While Obama has said that he supports the Second Amendment, while in the Illinois Senate, he voted in favor of restrictions. Illinois is the only state which does not have a concealed-carry law, although a recent federal ruling ordered the legislature to craft one, contending that depriving citizens the right to a firearm to defend themselves on the street violates the Second Amendment. Chicago has become one of the most dangerous of American cities.
Hartford and New Haven, CT are among the top six most dangerous cities in the nation, even with strict gun laws already in place. A Hartford representative acknowledged that murders in the cities do not receive the same amount of scrutiny as the shootings at Sandy Hook, which took place in suburban Newtown.
As gun laws become stricter, Obama’s Department of Homeland Security is arming itself with unprecedented amounts of ammunition and military-style tanks without explaining to the public the reasons for its purchases.
Gun manufacturers which have been in Connecticut for decades or more are considering leaving amidst concerns that their employees or middlemen will be handling materials which will have been prohibited by the new laws. One firearms company owner cited a lack of “transparency” in Malloy’s rush to sign a bill.
Connecticut’s new law is being promoted as an example for the rest of the nation. Critics say the bill does not address the mental health issues that caused Lanza to erupt last December.
Donald Williams, President of the Connecticut Senate, said that the bill is “the most comprehensive in the country.”
Scott Wilson, President of the Connecticut Citizens Defense League (CCDL), said of the bill’s passage:
Considering the tragedy in Newtown that took the lives of young children and adults, it is not a stretch that a bill like this passed. The vote tally is what it is, and it is a sad reality that the true meaning of the 2nd Amendment in our Bill of Rights was marginalized throughout the legislative process.”
Though this is a very sad day for the Constitution State, we will renew our efforts to fight for liberty through litigation.
Obama plans to visit Connecticut on Monday to “use the trip to build pressure on Congress to pass legislation.”
Of the new legislation, the National Rifle Association (NRA) issued a statement which reads, in part:
Today, Governor Dan Malloy (D) disregarded the constitutional rights of the residents in Connecticut and signed Senate Bill 1160 into law, the most sweeping and radical “gun control” bill in our nation’s history. This measure was approved in the state Senate by a 26-10 vote and in the state House by a 105-44 vote, only hours after both chambers received the bill language.
Governor Malloy and his “Gang of Six”—Senate President Pro Tempore Donald Williams, Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney, Senate Minority Leader John McKinney, Speaker Brendan Sharkey, House Majority Leader Joe Aresimowicz, and House Minority Leader Larry Cafero—led the charge to hastily enact legislation that will forever change your Second Amendment rights and sporting heritage in Connecticut.
Labeled an “Emergency Certification Bill,” SB 1160 was approved by both legislative chambers without a public hearing or allowing adequate time for committee review. The foundation of the democratic process was effectively eliminated, and state legislators were not permitted enough time to become fully versed on the bill language before voting on it. The anti-gun elite did the same thing in New York in January and are only now finding and admitting their mistakes, problems and “unintended consequences.”
In less than 24 hours, a bill was passed by both legislative chambers and signed into law by the Governor. Regardless of one’s views on gun control issues, the general public should be outraged at politicians enacting laws in this manner. Important policy should not be decided like this in America and especially in a state nicknamed the “Constitution State.”
The NRA release went on to say that legal action is being prepared against the new laws. “This new gun control law is not going to stop a future act of violence by a street criminal, gang member or madman who misuses a firearm,” it concluded.