Stillman, Ritter, CT Approves Stricter Gun Controls

This article was written by Paul Petrone and Eileen McNamara.

UPDATE: Late Wednesday night, the State House of Representatives passed the bills as well. State Rep. Betsy Ritter, D-Waterford, voted for them, following State Sen. Andrea Stillman, D-Waterford. Gov. Dannel Malloy is expected to sign the bills today.

“It still can’t be measured in the face of what happened in Newtown, in terms of response or reaction, I’m not suggesting that it’s finished or even compensates, but it provides a way for us to continue to work on the clear problems we’ve been looking at," Ritter told Patch this morning.  

Original Story: 

Wednesday, State Sen. Andrea Stillman, D-Waterford, and her state senate colleagues voted to approve stricter gun controls, enhance school security provisions and increase access to mental health services.

The bills are a “direct result” of the December 14th tragedy at Newtown, according to a press release from Stillman’s office. The proposals include a ban on high-capacity gun magazines and assault-style weapons and creates a registry for gun owners.

“The collaborative process preceding today’s vote cannot be understated and in that, Connecticut sends a message to the rest of our nation that efforts toward gun violence prevention can be debated thoughtfully and common ground attained,” Stillman said in a press release. “Today’s legislative action includes a broad range of initiatives calling for greater accountability for gun ownership and a redoubled effort to address shortcomings in school security protocol.”

Gov. Dannel Malloy is expected to sign the bills into law as early as today - or the minute the Connecticut House of Representatives passes them, which is expected. The governor said the new laws will take effect immediately, as the nation’s eyes are on Connecticut and the state needs to set a national example on gun control.

"This is a good moment," the Connecticut Mirror quotes Malloy. "We have a bipartisan package that moves the ball down the field quite a distance. I think it's already being heralded as a demonstration to the rest of the country of what can be done when people work together and put aside some of their differences."

News of the vote on gun control is already sparking reaction across the state. At Hoffman’s Gun Shop in Newington Tuesday, there was a line of 50 people trying to buy weapons in advance of the new laws, Bloomberg News reports. And Gun lobbyists are promising to mount a legal challenge once the laws are passed, according to the blog Capitol Watch.