HARTFORD, Conn. — Tuesday, Gov. Ned Lamont gathered with several Connecticut mayors and anti-gun violence advocates, to endorse a series of municipal recommendations they say will reduce gun violence in the state’s cities.
“Gun violence in our communities has been devastating for decades, but the last few years have been among the most difficult,” said Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin.
The group introduced 10 proposals, with the main focus on greater accountability and consequences for those committing gun-related crimes.
The mayors say gun violence in Connecticut is driven by repeat offenders and what they call these “common-sense recommendations” are just one piece of the puzzle.
“If this was in place, my last son would not have been killed,” said New Haven advocate Laquavia Jones. “He would still be here with us today.”
These recommendations come out of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities special task force, established in October 2022.
Its goal was to increase accountability for repeat offenders involved in gun violence.
“We hear statistics over and over again, but behind each statistic is a human being," Chief State’s Attorney Patrick Griffin said.
The 10 proposals include actions like establishing a definition for “serious firearm offense,” requiring those with a history of past offenses to post a higher bond percentage, and strengthening consequences for criminal possession of a firearm.
“This is just one piece of the puzzle and we tried very hard, you know, over the last few weeks, to put together a puzzle to make your community safer,” Lamont added.
However, this piece of the puzzle will need legislative support and sponsors to become law.
“I don't think anyone's going to speculate on the chances of legislation. What we're going to say is we support this legislation. We support this proposal, we look forward to working collaboratively with all legislators on both chambers, both parties to try and enact these recommendations in the law," said Bronin when asked about that Tuesday.
Emma Wulfhorst is a political reporter for FOX61 News. She can be reached at ewulfhorst@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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