HARTFORD -- Dozens of people came out to a Judiciary Committee hearing on Friday for two proposed bills related to gun regulations in Connecticut.
House Bill 5540 bans the sale or transfer, possession, manufacturing or use of bump stocks or other accessories to increase the rate of fire of a firearm.
“This is a device that turns a semi automatic weapon into virtual machine gun and decimated a crowd of concert goers in matter of minutes,” Connecticut Against Gun Violence Director Jeremy Stein said.
Stein’s organization along with students, and organizations like Mother’s Demand Action packed the hearing room in favor of the regulation. Another bill HB 5542 also aims to regulate ghost guns in the state.
Staples High School student Kaela Dockray said the topic of guns came too close to home after a student made a threat towards the high school last month.
Some in the room however were there to oppose the proposals. Scott Wilson, president of Connecticut Citizebs Defense League, said while he recognizes the effort, he said lawmaker are going about the wrong way.
“They are not looking at the root causes of the violence going on with the use of the firearms but instead they are looking to banning objects that of itself have nothing to do with actually crimes that are going,” Wilson said.
Many of the supporters of the bills are also planning to attend the "March for Our Lives" locally in Hartford as well as the one in Washington D.C.
The one in Hartford will be at 12:30 p.m. at the State Capitol.
