Governor Announces Legislative Proposal: Improve Gun Safety Laws To Prevent Suicides, Accidents, and Domestic Violence
Governor Ned Lamont’s OfficeGovernor Ned Lamont today announced the third and final set of proposals he will introduce during the 2023 legislative session that are focused on strengthening Connecticut’s efforts to eliminate gun violence. This set is concentrated on preventing suicides, accidents, and domestic violence, and it includes:
Requiring a ten-day waiting period before purchasing a firearm;
Increasing education requirements for firearm licenses;
Requiring safe storage regardless of who lives at a given residence;
Improving the design safety standards for semiautomatic handguns;
Making commission of a family violence crime or being a fugitive an automatic disqualifier for holding a pistol permit;
Prohibiting the carrying of any loaded long gun in a vehicle; and
Requiring trigger locks for all firearm purchases.
The proposals will be included as part of the governor’s package of priorities for the 2023 legislative session that he will present to the Connecticut General Assembly on February 8. Last week, he announced two other sets of gun violence prevention proposals, one of which is focused on eliminating community gun violence, and the other on preventing mass shootings.
“The overwhelming majority of Connecticut residents want commonsense measures enacted that encourage gun safety and prevent harm from impacting our homes and our communities,” Governor Lamont said. “This is especially needed to prevent tragic accidents, as well as instances of domestic violence and suicide.”
Requiring a ten-day waiting period before purchasing a firearm
Current state law allows residents with the appropriate documentation to walk into a gun store, purchase an unlimited number of firearms, and walk out with them immediately. In conjunction with the bulk purchasing limit announced last week, Governor Lamont is proposing a ten-day waiting period on sales of all firearms in Connecticut. This proposal has been proven by numerous academic studies to save lives by preventing suicide and domestic violence.
Increasing education requirements for firearm licenses
Firearm permits can currently be obtained with only a short course approved by the NRA. Crucially, there is no requirement that these courses inform users on how to follow Connecticut’s high standards for responsible gun ownership. Governor Lamont is proposing to modestly expand the requirements for the initial application for a pistol permit to four hours of classroom training and two hours of shooting practice, and set a one-year deadline so knowledge must be fresh.
Requiring safe storage regardless of who lives at a given residence
In 2019, Governor Lamont and the General Assembly enacted Ethan’s Law (Public Act 19-5), which was a crucial step towards ensuring that all firearms are stored safely. That law currently applies when minors, people prohibited from possessing firearms, or people likely to cause harm have access to a residence. Governor Lamont’s proposal, which seeks to avoid firearms from being stolen and used in crimes, expands this landmark law by making all firearm owners responsible for storing firearms safely, regardless of who else has access to the residence.
Improving the design safety standards for semiautomatic handguns
Users sometimes miss that a semiautomatic pistol may still have a round chambered when the magazine is removed. This issue can lead to accidents when a gun is being disassembled or cleaned. Modern models can have a “loaded chamber indicator,” a visual indication that a round is chambered, and a “magazine disconnect lockout,” a switch that prevents the trigger being pulled if the magazine has been removed. Governor Lamont is proposing to require that all semiautomatic handguns sold in the state after January 1, 2024, have both features.
Making commission of a family violence crime or being a fugitive an automatic disqualifier for holding a pistol permit
Anyone who has been convicted of domestic violence is automatically disqualified from owning a gun under federal law, but not from holding a state permit, and the definitions differ. Consequently, the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection must hold a time-consuming suitability hearing in each case. Instead, Governor Lamont is proposing to automatically disqualify anyone who has been convicted of a family violence crime from holding a state gun permit.
Prohibiting the carrying of any loaded long gun in a vehicle
Governor Lamont is proposing to enact a law clarifying that all long guns, including ones categorized as “other,” must be carried unloaded in a vehicle.
Requiring trigger locks for all firearm purchases
Governor Lamont is proposing to require that all guns, not only handguns, be sold with a trigger lock to enable safe storage.
Westport Weston YMCA Thanks Outgoing Junior Board members while Seeking Candidates
The Westport Weston Family YMCA (WWFY) is seeking candidates for two Junior Board of Director positions for the board year starting in June 2023. Interested applicants should have a desire to make a positive impact in their community and align with WWFY’s mission to develop and nurture the potential of youth, motivate healthy living and lifestyles, and inspire care for and commitment to those in need regardless of their challenges or goals.
The WWFY strives to provide leadership opportunities to empower youth to reach their full potential. Junior Board Directors enjoy full voting rights and participate actively in the governance process, including having the opportunity to share fresh ideas, learn from seasoned Directors who provide insight and perspective into non-profit management, and become aligned with the Y’s mission to strengthen community. The two-year term runs from June to June of each year.
Candidates must be a rising high school junior with a minimum 3.5 GPA (unweighted), must be active WWFY members, be able to attend monthly board meetings, and commit to a two-year term, starting June 2023.
Current Junior Board of Directors, Ava DeDomenico, and Riley Twiss will both graduate this May from Staples High School. Ava has been actively involved with the gymnastics program and Riley is a competitive swimmer on the WRAT team.
“Being a junior board member has been a special experience. I contributed to the Y community through my support of and shared my opinions on specific matters of the board, conducted research to help advance projects, and worked with other board members on other agenda items. I am grateful for the new information I learned ranging from marketing to human resources, and just the best ways in which a non-profit organization should be run. I would recommend this position to anyone who values the Y community. It will not only expand your knowledge, but it will help you become an engaged community member.”, says Ava.
“The team, the coaches, and the Y community have played a huge role in forming me into the person that I am today. The organization has fostered my commitment to swimming, dedication to the team, and the appreciation of all my coaches who assist me in achieving my goals. The sense of belonging to a community greets me every time I walk through the front doors. The staff is welcoming and sincerely happy to see you.”, says Riley.
As Riley and Ava complete their two-year term, the WWFY Board of Directors thank them for volunteering their time, energy, and ideas and wish them the best as they head off to college.
To be considered, interested candidates should complete and submit the online Application by February 27, 2023.
Morning Weather Report
Today
Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 35. Wind chill values between 25 and 30. Light and variable wind becoming northwest 5 to 9 mph in the morning.
Tonight
Mostly clear, with a low around 22. West wind 5 to 7 mph.
Tomorrow
Mostly sunny, with a high near 38. Wind chill values between 15 and 25. Southwest wind 5 to 13 mph.
Tomorrow Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 25. Southwest wind 14 to 16 mph.
Police: Error in Connecticut Post Article, “I'm deeply apologetic for this mistake” says Response
Press Release
On January 31st, 2023 Connecticut Post newspaper published an article titled “Advocates call for policing reforms, as Lamont questions whether Tyre Nichols incident could happen in CT.” This article discussed the recent events in Memphis and how that incident translates to Connecticut. The author of the article, Alex Putterman, quoted Scot X. Esdaile, President of Connecticut’s NAACP chapter, “What we saw is what’s going on in America”. The article goes on to quote Mr. Esdaile “It’s not only happening in Memphis, we’ve seen it in New Haven, we’ve seen it in Westport (hyperlink attached), we’ve seen it in Hartford, we’ve seen it in Bridgeport. The same thing that we saw there we’re also seeing in Connecticut.” The link associated with “Westport” references a case from 2011 in Westport, MA. Understandably, members of the Westport Police Department were disappointed by this article because we feel we have worked hard to build relationships and have never had any incident that resembles what we saw in Memphis.
Initially, we reached out to Hearst Media and they admitted that the link was incorrect and should not be linked to Westport, CT. Hearst Media deleted all mention of Westport from the article. We reached out to Scot X. Esdaile and he provided the following statement:
“I Scot X. Esdaile the President of the CT NAACP State Conference, would like to apologize to Chief Foti Koskinas, the Westport Police Department and the Town of Westport. During my interview with Alex Putterman from the CT Post, I misquoted stating Westport, CT when I should have said West Haven, CT. I'm deeply apologetic for this mistake, I have had a conversation with the Chief along with Harold Bailey the Chairman of the Westport Civilian Review Panel, and we had a wonderful and energetic conversation. I apologized during the call several times and we are looking forward to working together in the future.”
Chief Koskinas would like to highlight that once this article was brought our attention, the conversations between Mr. Esdaile and Chief Koskinas, were productive and brought about a positive resolution.