Critical news of interest to our readers.

CAGV CALLS For Ban of Bumpstocks NOW

CAGV Expresses Surprise that Public Safety Committee Refuses
to Hold Vote on Governor’s Bill to Ban Bump Stocks

FAIRFIELD, CT – Jeremy Stein, Executive Director of CT Against Gun Violence, Inc. released the following statement today in reaction to the Public Safety Committee’s refusal to vote on Governor Malloy’s  “Rate of Fire Enhancements” bill, S.B. 18.

“We were in full support of the Governor’s bill that would ban bump stocks, binary trigger systems, trigger cranks and other devices used to dramatically increase the rate of fire of semi-automatic firearms to rates similar to those of machine guns. It is alarming, in the wake of tragedies such as Las Vegas, Sutherland Springs and Parkland that the Public Safety Committee would not even vote on the measure. It is clear that the people of Connecticut, and the rest of the country, do not want bump stocks in our society. Four states now ban bump stocks: California, Massachusetts, New Jersey and most recently Washington State. Other states are considering bans and President Trump has agreed that bump stocks should be banned. We can do better. We should do better.”

The Las Vegas shooter used bump stocks to fire more than 1,100 rounds in just 10 minutes, killing 58 and injuring more than 500 concertgoers in the worst mass shooting in U.S. history. Devices that increase the rate of fire such as bump stocks and trigger cranks have been responsible for at least 2 mass shootings in the U.S.

According to an October, 2017 poll by Quinnipiac University, three-quarters of voters nationwide support a ban on bump stocks, including 62% of Republicans, 82% of Democrats, 76% of Independents, and 67% of households with guns.

“Our legislators will have a second chance to do the right and sensible thing” Stein said. “A similar bill in the Judiciary Committee, H.B. 5542, which also bans bump stocks, is scheduled for a public hearing on March 23 in Hartford. We encourage citizens to come forward to have their voices heard, to tell our legislators that it is their responsibility to ensure the safety of our families and children. Connecticut should continue to lead the way on common-sense gun laws that save lives, and be the change the country wants to see.”

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CT Public Hearing on Gun Laws

Gun rights advocates will be present in force. We must show lawmakers that the outrage following Parkland translates to legislative advocacy.

The public hearing for H.B. 5540, to regulate ghost guns, and H.B. 5542, to ban bump stocks, is scheduled for 11am, Friday, March 23 in Hartford at the Legislative Office Building at 300 Capitol Avenue.

There are three ways you can participate in the public hearing:
1. Attend in person as an observer
2. Submit written testimony (with or without attending in person)
3. Testify in person at the hearing

The Judiciary Committee is now accepting written testimony, which is covered in our CAGV Public Hearing and Testimony Guide.

Please click the link below to let us know which of the above you can do, and to download our guide. It gives you everything you need to know about attending the hearing and submitting written or in-person testimony.

Thank you for all you’re doing to keep CT safe from gun violence,

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdxlM_AsYF38Uv2dQhruqRWf8jLMsc_bhaBfDONDz5gwZjJCw/viewform

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After Parkland, our supporters are asking, “what can I do?”


In the aftermath of the latest school shooting, citizens know that “thoughts and prayers” won’t save lives. Our supporters—people like you—are asking, “what can I do?”

There are many ways to support gun violence prevention, but most important for CAGV is to stay focused on our mission of making Connecticut the safest state in the nation from gun violence.

The laws we’ve worked hard to pass in Connecticut could have prevented the Parkland shooting, or at least lowered the death toll:

  • The AR-15 assault weapon and high capacity magazines used by the shooter are banned in Connecticut.
  • Permits to carry firearms in Connecticut require approval of the town’s chief of police, which would not have been granted given the shooter’s history.
  • A powerful tool to prevent mass shootings is our Gun Violence Prevention Order (GVPO) that offers a fair, legal process for law enforcement to remove guns from those who are at imminent risk of harm to themselves or others.

But there is more to do in Connecticut, for which we need your help. Public hearings will soon be held to consider bans on ghost guns and bump stocks. Ghost guns are essentially do-it-yourself kits, available on the Internet, to make firearms at homes—including the AR 15—while evading state and federal gun laws. Bump stocks dramatically increase the rate of fire of semi-automatic firearms, allowing assault weapons to practically operate as machine guns.

Please click here if you want to support our campaign to pass these two important measures.

While progress at the federal level is thwarted by Congressional allies of the gun lobby, we need to keep the pressure on. Three bills now before Congress would extend the protections we have in Connecticut to Florida and the rest of the nation:

  • An assault weapons ban (S.2095),
  • A ban on high capacity magazines (H.R.4052) and
  • Providing grant money for states to implement GVPOs (H.R. 2598)

Telling our Congressional delegation that you support these measures—and asking them to co-sponsor them if they haven’t already—is always helpful.  Click here to contact Senators Blumenthal and Murphy, and your U.S. Representative.

Your advocacy makes a difference, and your financial support is what helps us recruit new advocates. Any contribution you can make goes a long way in supporting our grassroots engagement and advocacy work.

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