HARTFORD, Conn. — Gov. Ned Lamont is calling for stricter gun control laws, just one day before the tenth anniversary of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown.
Legislative Republicans say this move is “misplaced,” but Lamont says more action needs to be taken to prevent mass shootings and gun violence, both in Connecticut and nationwide.
“It's very top of mind for the people of Connecticut, the violence brought by these assault weapons,” Lamont said Tuesday morning.
Monday, Lamont announced plans to introduce new gun control measures in the upcoming legislative session, starting January 4.
“That's something I'd like to work through with the legislature and see if we can tighten that up a little bit,” he said.
During the 2022 legislative session, Lamont proposed a package of gun measures including stopping the flow of ghost guns, modifying carry laws, closing loopholes in assault weapons bans, and more.
He says next year’s legislation will be similar to that introduced in 2022.
“I am proud that Connecticut is leading on gun violence prevention, but the fact of the matter is that guns are crossing state borders every single day, and a patchwork of gun safety laws in each individual state is not the solution,” Lamont said in a statement Monday. “As we’ve shown in Connecticut, we can implement laws that respect the rights of Americans to own guns for their own protection and sportsmanship while also acknowledging that firearm companies are manufacturing and selling guns that have the sole purpose of killing the largest number of humans within the shortest amount of time.”
House minority leader, Rep. Vincent Candelora said he's not surprised Lamont is making it a priority this time around.
“Right now, where Connecticut really falls short isn’t on gun bans and gun regulation, but rather enforcing the laws when people are committing crimes,” Candelora said.
Candelora said the focus should be enforcing the laws already on the books and adds minority representatives are currently working to come up with their own proposals for the next session.
“A lot of House Republicans’ focus is on public safety, so how do we give the tools to the police in order to make our communities safer,” Candelora said. “Those are the kinds of conversations we would like to have in the context of gun safety.”
Democrats still have a strong majority in the state legislature, but there could be a lot of debate around new gun control laws next session.
This conversation also comes as President Joe Biden is calling for an assault weapons ban at the federal level, something Connecticut’s congressional delegation supports.
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