Senate Leadership
January 11, 2007
Looney, Police Chiefs Unveil Anti-Gun Violence Initiative
Measures designed to give police the resources to get guns off the street
Senator Looney speaks at a press conference announcing a series of legislative proposals he is championing to strengten laws aimed to fight gun violence. Behind Senator Loonere, left to right, Representative Toni Walker, Senator Anrew Maynard, and Representative William Tong. (January 11, 2007)
Senate Majority Leader Martin M. Looney (D-New Haven) today joined with representatives of the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association and other state senators to announce an initiative to fight increasing gun violence in Connecticut's cities.
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)
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."
Sen. Andrea Stillman, co-chair of the legislature's Public Safety and Security Committee, said, "The solemn and undeniable truth about guns is this: they're too easy to get, they inflict severe injuries, and they provide an inherent threat of lethal force that makes them all-too-common accomplices in criminal activity. Guns are the panic buttons that when pushed make ordinary crimes violent ones and transform routine confrontations into deadly ones. We simply must limit their presence on Connecticut streets."
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Senator Williams’ Larry Cook |
Listing of Leadership’s recent press releases. |
Senator Looney’s Larry Cook |
