Connecticut lawmakers announced a deal on Monday, on what they called some of the toughest gun laws in the country, the Associated Press reported. This announcement followed three grueling months for families and friends connected to the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.
The proposal called for background checks for private gun sales and a new registry for existing magazines that carry 10 or more bullets. Some family members from Sandy Hook sought a complete ban on the possession of all high-capacity magazines.
The package also created what lawmakers said is the nation's first statewide dangerous weapon offender registry, which will create a new "ammunition eligibility certificate." This imposes immediate universal background checks for all firearms sales, and extends the state's assault weapons ban to 100 new types of firearms, requiring that a weapon has only one of several features in order to be banned, the AP also reported.
"In Connecticut, we've broken the mold," Senate President Donald Williams Jr. said. "Democrats and Republicans were able to come to an agreement on a strong, comprehensive bill. That is a message that should resound in 49 other states and in Washington, D.C. And the message is: We can get it done here and they should get it done in their respective states and nationally in Congress."
The proposal was revealed to lawmakers on Monday, following weeks of bipartisan negotiations among legislative leaders. A vote was expected Wednesday in the General Assembly, where Democrats control both chambers. It is expected that these measures will pass.
The bill would then be sent to Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy, who has helped lead efforts to strengthen the state's gun laws but has yet to sign off on the proposed legislation. Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper signed landmark new gun laws two weeks ago, expanding background checks on gun purchases and limiting the size of ammunition magazines
Six relatives of Newtown victims visited the Capitol also on Monday. They asked for lawmakers to ban existing high-capacity magazines. Some even handed out cards with photographs of their young children murdered.
