Free Daily Headlines :

  • COVID-19
  • Vaccine Info
  • Money
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Health
  • Justice
  • More
    • Environment
    • Economic Development
    • Gaming
    • Investigations
    • Social Services
    • TRANSPORTATION
  • Opinion
    • CT Viewpoints
    • CT Artpoints
DONATE
Reflecting Connecticut’s Reality.
    COVID-19
    Vaccine Info
    Money
    Politics
    Education
    Health
    Justice
    More
    Environment
    Economic Development
    Gaming
    Investigations
    Social Services
    TRANSPORTATION
    Opinion
    CT Viewpoints
    CT Artpoints

LET�S GET SOCIAL

Show your love for great stories and out standing journalism

With sharp elbows, Malloy jumps into gun debate

  • by Mark Pazniokas
  • February 20, 2013
  • View as "Clean Read" "Exit Clean Read"

With a veiled swipe at Republican leaders, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is ready to pronounce the legislature’s bipartisan task force on gun violence a failure and propose his own comprehensive package of gun-control measures.

Malloy’s proposal is expected to be released Thursday at 10 a.m., before he shares a national stage with Vice President Joe Biden at a symposium on gun violence at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury.

The governor’s entrance into the legislative gun debate came without the careful stagecraft of previous proposals. Instead, the Democratic governor first mentioned his intention Tuesday in a meeting with reporters and editors at the Journal Inquirer, which published his remarks Wednesday.

His comments, especially a personal swipe at the legislature’s Republican minority leaders, generated immediate criticism from House Speaker J. Brendan Sharkey, D-Hamden, and the GOP leaders, Rep. Lawrence F. Cafero Jr. of Norwalk and Sen. John McKinney of Fairfield.

Andrew Doba, the communication director for Malloy, said the governor felt an opportunity for significant gun control was slipping away.

“At this critical juncture, in the wake of unspeakable tragedy in our own state, the governor believes that we cannot let the chance to affect real, positive change pass us by,” Doba said. “He thinks we should act quickly and decisively to make Connecticut safer.”

Malloy

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy (file photo)

Based on past comments, Malloy is expected to propose a ban on high-capacity magazines, universal background checks for all firearm purchases and, most likely, a stronger ban on firearms defined as assault weapons.

A state assault-weapons ban passed in 1993 has proved porous, as evidenced by the legal purchase of the AR-15 semiautomatic rifle used by Adama Lanza in his attack on Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, killing 26 students and staff.

With legislative leaders saying they are days or even weeks away from knowing if the bipartisan process will succeed or fail, it was unclear what prompted Malloy to act now, other than he was asked at the Journal Inquirer. While the governor’s staff has been working on a package of legislation, his comments were said to have caught his own staff by surprise.

“It’s apparent to me that the legislature will not reach bipartisan consensus on this issue,” Malloy told the newspaper.

The comments, which Malloy’s staff confirmed, reflect a reversal for the governor, whose own reaction to Sandy Hook has been measured on the question of a legislative response.

Malloy quickly endorsed several gun-control measures, including expanded permitting and background checks and a ban on high-capacity magazines. But he created a study commission with the charge of making interim recommendations in mid-March.

Doba said that commission will be given a new charge: It will be asked to continue developing policies and proposals on school safety and mental health, but the governor intends to narrow its focus regarding gun control.

“He just disregarded the work of his own task force and ours,” Cafero said. “He just dissed all of us.”

The legislature has assembled a bipartisan legislative task force to recommend legislation, with the original goal of voting on the first bill by the end of February.

Gun-control lobbyists had viewed the bipartisan process with reservations, fearing that it might produce legislation aimed at giving the greatest number of lawmakers something they could support, as opposed to the strongest possible restrictions.

“We would welcome the governor’s voice in this debate and his willingess to outline a very aggressive agenda,” said Betty Gallo, a lobbyist for Connecticut Against Gun Violence.

But Malloy did more than involve himself in a legislative process: Without naming them, he criticized Cafero and McKinney.

“I’m now looking at leaders bailing out on hearings or rallies and people coming to talk about their own personal pain instead of gun control at a gun control rally,” Malloy told the Journal Inquirer.

Cafero declined to appear at a gun-control rally at the Capitol last week, and McKinney talked about the impact of the shooting, rather than endorse gun-control measures.

“I am not at all ashamed to say what happened that day has affected me personally and changed me,” said McKinney, who represents Newtown and is friends with one of the surviving teachers.

On the day of the shooting, he was with Malloy at the firehouse in Newtown, where parents gathered to learn if their children had survived.

“I would never think of stooping as low as that comment,” McKinney said.

“It’s so petty. It’s not befitting a governor,” Cafero said.

Malloy’s comments generated a mixed reaction from Democrats.

Senate President Pro Tem Donald E. Williams Jr., D-Brooklyn, welcomed the governor’s plans to propose strong gun controls, while declining comment on Malloy’s gibes at Cafero and McKinney.

“If you are looking for insight on that, you’ll have to ask the governor about that,” Williams said.

Williams said he agreed with the governor’s statement that the legislative process must be accelerated.

“I read the governor’s comments. I agree. I think the process should not be dragged out. We’ve had a productive bipartisan fact-gathering process, but now it’s time to pass a strong bill. It’s time to take action.”

But Sharkey, the new House speaker, disagreed.

“I’m disappointed with the governor’s comments,” Sharkey said. “As I said before, the country is watching Connecticut to see how we react to this tragedy, and taking quick action is important, but taking smart action is more important. We are working deliberatively to be an example of how to come together on a bipartisan basis to address a very serious and complex issue.

“Our expectation was to act by the end of February or early March and we are still on that timeline.”

Follow Mark Pazniokas on Twitter @CtMirrorPaz

Sign up for CT Mirror's free daily news summary.

Free to Read. Not Free to Produce.

The Connecticut Mirror is a nonprofit newsroom. 90% of our revenue comes from people like you. If you value our reporting please consider making a donation. You'll enjoy reading CT Mirror even more knowing you helped make it happen.

YES, I'LL DONATE TODAY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mark Pazniokas

SEE WHAT READERS SAID

RELATED STORIES
Bills to repeal motor vehicle tax and cap property taxes are in political limbo
by Keith M. Phaneuf

The motor vehicle tax bill died in committee but could be revived; Property tax cap passed on party lines.

As COVID-19 vaccine supply begins to outpace demand, Gov. Lamont asks business and labor for help
by Kelan Lyons

More than 60% of Connecticut residents 16 and older have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Teacher who raised money through Facebook — and got a $16,000 tax bill — is off the hook
by Paul Stern

Dozens offered to help pay his $16,000 tax bill, but his plan will put the money to better use

CT finance panel approves tax cuts for poor and middle class, restaurant bailout
by Keith M. Phaneuf

The plan includes one of the largest tax breaks in state history for working class families.

Can federally qualified health centers solve CT’s vaccine equity woes?
by Kasturi Pananjady and Dave Altimari

FQHCs serve many priority ZIP codes, but reaching residents has been a process of trial and error

Support Our Work

Show your love for great stories and outstanding journalism.

$
Select One
  • Monthly
  • Yearly
  • Once
Artpoint painter
CT ViewpointsCT Artpoints
Opinion Playing politics with people’s healthcare is always wrong
by Jody Barr, Jan Hochadel, Jeff Leake, Dave Glidden, Carl Chism and Mike Holmes

For the past decade, towns, school boards and cities throughout the state have been able to provide their employees high-quality healthcare through the Connecticut Partnership […]

Opinion A pandemic lesson for CSCU leaders: affordable, accessible childcare is critical
by Brandy Sellitto

If there can be anything good that has come from the last year and the horrors of living through this pandemic, perhaps it is the renewed focus on the need for affordable and accessible childcare. As a teen mom, I know first-hand the need for access to safe, reliable, and developmentally appropriate childcare at an affordable price.

Opinion Children’s mental health needs continue to soar: The second pandemic lawmakers must address
by Gabriella Izzo

“She was my happy kid,” a parent told me when I cared for her child who was experiencing a mental health crisis. My patient recovered medically within a few days, however, she remained in the hospital for over a week waiting for placement at a psychiatric rehabilitation facility. We must improve our mental health system and you can be a critical part of making that happen.

Opinion H.B. 6620 — A closer reading of a flawed legislative proposal
by Ann M Mulready

The Connecticut Association for Reading Research (CARR) is deeply concerned regarding H.B. 6620, An Act Concerning the Right to Read and Addressing Certain Opportunity Gaps. It is based on a concept that is seriously problematic in that it subordinates comprehension to fluency.

Artwork Grand guidance
by Anne:Gogh

In a world of systemic oppression aimed towards those of darker skintones – representation matters. We are more than our equity elusive environments, more than […]

Artwork Shea
by Anthony Valentine

Shea is a story about race and social inequalities that plague America. It is a narrative that prompts the question, “Do you know what it’s […]

Artwork The Declaration of Human Rights
by Andres Chaparro

Through my artwork I strive to create an example of ideas that reflect my desire to raise social consciousness, and cultural awareness. Jazz music is […]

Artwork ‘A thing of beauty. Destroy it forever’
by Richard DiCarlo | Derby

During times like these it’s often fun to revisit something familiar and approach things with a different slant. I have been taking some Pop culture […]

Twitter Feed
A Twitter List by CTMirror

Engage

  • Reflections Tickets & Sponsorships
  • Events
  • Donate
  • Newsletter Sign-Up
  • Submit to Viewpoints
  • Submit to ArtPoints
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Commenting Guidelines
  • Legal Notices
  • Contact Us

About

  • About CT Mirror
  • Announcements
  • Board
  • Staff
  • Sponsors and Funders
  • Donors
  • Friends of CT Mirror
  • History
  • Financial
  • Policies
  • Strategic Plan

Opportunity

  • Advertising and Sponsorship
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Use of Photography
  • Work for Us

Go Deeper

  • Steady Habits Podcast
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Five Things

The Connecticut News Project, Inc. 1049 Asylum Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105. Phone: 860-218-6380

© Copyright 2021, The Connecticut News Project. All Rights Reserved. Website by Web Publisher PRO