State Senator Eric D. Coleman
January 16, 2007
Coleman, Looney and Police Chiefs Endorse Anti-gun Violence Initiative
Senate Majority Leader Martin M. Looney (D-New Haven), and Senator Eric Coleman (D-Bloomfield) joined with other lawmakers, and representatives of the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association in announcing support for an initiative to help fight increasing gun violence in the cities across Connecticut.
Sen. Looney said it is increasingly clear that the state must act. "Gun violence is a plague on our cities and results in tragic and unnecessary deaths, tearing families apart. The state must adopt measures to prevent and punish the illicit flow of guns and ammunition into the wrong hands. These proposals will provide law enforcement with the resources they need to address this problem."
Among the measures Sen. Looney is proposing is a version of a bill proposed last year that requires private gun owners to report lost or stolen firearms in a reasonable amount of time. The bill passed the state Senate but not the House. Other proposals would:
- Require licensed dealers to report lost or stolen firearms
- Limit Connecticut residents to purchasing at most one handgun per month
- Require presentation of a handgun permit to purchase (and possess) handgun ammunition (which would also indirectly impose a state age requirement)
- Punish "straw purchases" of ammunition
- Require a license to sell ammunition (thus prohibiting the private sale of ammunition)
"One of the things that plague poor urban communities, is the chaos and the gun play that takes place in the streets, and part of that is attributable to the apparent unfettered free flow of guns and drugs into such communities," said Senator Coleman. "The bills that are sponsored by Senator Looney will be a very important step in reducing illegal access to guns in such communities, and hopefully would bring, as a result some greater sense of order to such communities."
West Hartford Police Chief James Strillacci, legislative co-chair of the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association, said gun violence must be addressed. "When we seize a gun at a crime scene, it's too late. We need to do more to stop gun violence and keep guns off the streets."
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