HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – A list of gun control measures was heading to Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont’s office on Saturday after an all-night Senate debate and an early morning vote to approve gun legislation. widest fire in the state since the laws that followed the Sandy Hook school shooting in 2012.
Lamont, a Democrat, plans to sign the measure. He said in a statement that the legislation would “modernize our gun safety laws in smart and strategic ways to help prevent tragedy.”
Among other things, the amendments would prohibit openly carrying firearms and selling more than three handguns within 30 days to one person, with some exceptions for instructors and others.
Other provisions include expanding Connecticut’s current assault weapons ban to include other similar weapons; tougher penalties for possession of large capacity magazines; extend secure storage rules to more settings; and adding certain domestic violence crimes to the list of disqualifications for having a firearm.
The measure passed the Senate 24-11, following a 96-51 House vote last week. Democrats control both chambers.
The measure comes as mass killings are happening at a record rate in the United States.
Nearly half of states have passed gun or school safety legislation this year, but the measures differ starkly depending on the partisan makeup of legislatures.
Democratic-led states have enacted new laws to restrict semi-automatic weapons and expand background checks and waiting periods to purchase firearms. Republican-controlled states supported the right to carry concealed weapons without a permit or for trained personnel to bring weapons to school.
In Connecticut, Republican lawmakers have complained that majority Democrats punish law-abiding gun owners, and fail to target criminals who commit gun violence.
Lamont, however, maintained that “the overwhelming majority of Connecticut residents” support the changes.
“They want to live in a community that has common sense measures that encourage gun safety and prevent harm from affecting our neighborhoods and homes,” he said.
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