Free Daily Headlines :

  • COVID-19
  • Money
  • Election 2020
  • 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
    Money
    Election 2020
    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

Sandy Hook activist: Trump win puts us in ‘a defensive stance’

  • Politics
  • by Ana Radelat
  • November 25, 2016
  • View as "Clean Read" "Exit Clean Read"
The photo accompanying Erica Lafferty Smegielski's letter to President-elect Donald Trump.

Twitter

The photo accompanying Erica Lafferty Smegielski’s letter to President-elect Donald Trump.

Washington – Donald Trump’s election to the White House has ushered in a political reality that puts gun control advocates on the defensive as the National Rifle Association proclaims “this is our time” to weaken or eliminate gun regulations.

Perhaps nothing illustrates the sea-change better than Trump’s relationship with Alex Jones, the founder of the hard-right news site InfoWars.com, who was widely rebuked for calling the Sandy Hook massacre “completely faked” and “manufactured.”

Trump has appeared on Jones’s show, telling him he would never let Jones down. Jones also said he received a phone call from Trump after the election, thanking him for his efforts and promising to appear on his show again.

That has infuriated Erica Lafferty Smegielski, the daughter of Sandy Hook Principal Dawn Hochsprung, who was killed in the shooting that left 20 first graders and six educators dead.

Last week, Smegielski wrote an open letter to Trump, asking him to repudiate Jones. She said she’s received no response.

“I’m not surprised,” Smegielski told the Connecticut Mirror. “I think Trump has a long history of going along with conspiracy theories… and he’s in the pocket of the NRA.”

The Trump transition team did not respond to requests for comment and has neither confirmed nor denied a post-election call to Jones.

The NRA pumped $38 million into electing Trump, spending that money mostly on ads attacking Hillary Clinton. It also spent another $24 million to ensure the GOP remained in control of the Senate.

Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the NRA, has told his group’s members they are the reason for Trump’s victory.

“You did this. Don’t let anybody tell you otherwise,” LaPierre said. “Gun owners made this election happen.”

He called the election a “truly extraordinary, historic and even heroic accomplishment,” and said the NRA now has a mandate to press Congress to approve a national right-to-carry law. That is legislation that would extend the right to carry a concealed firearm in any one state, no matter how minimal the licensing standards, to all 50.

LaPierre also is calling for an end to gun-free zones. The NRA’s new slogan is “Our Time is Now.”

In his book “Crippled America: How to Make our Country Great Again,” Trump said he supports a national right-to-carry law.

“I’m very much in favor of making all concealed-carry permits valid in every state. Every state has its own driving test that residents have to pass before becoming licensed to drive,” Trump wrote. “Those tests are different in many states, but once a state licenses you to drive, every other state recognizes that license as valid. If we can do that for driving – which is a privilege, not a right – then surely we can do that for concealed carry, which is a right, not a privilege. That seems logical to me.”

A defensive crouch

Smegielski is concerned the NRA’s new push also will result in guns in schools and on college campuses.

“There’s not a question in my mind we will be in a defensive stance,” she said.

Gun control advocates like Smegielski have made dozens of lobbying trips to Congress to press for an expansion of FBI background checks and a ban on gun sales to those on the federal government’s lists of  suspected terrorists.

Those efforts appear dead, at least for now, as the House and Senate remain in GOP hands and Trump and Indiana Gov. Mike Pence replace President Obama and Vice President Biden, two men who have used their “bully pulpit” to press for new gun restrictions.

Smegielski said those lobbying trips to Capitol Hill will continue, even if the mission now is to stop legislation that would weaken gun laws.

“We are going to be on the front lines fighting this stuff,” she said.

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who represented Newtown when he was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, is also defiant. He said he is “not just going to be on the defensive.”

“I’m going to continue on offense,” Murphy said. “I’ll play defense when I have to, but I won’t be in a defensive crouch for two years.”

Democrats hope to turn the tide in midterm elections in 2018, but there’s no guarantee they’ll win control of the House or Senate.

Meanwhile, Murphy said he did not believe Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., will do the NRA’s bidding and put national open-carry legislation or any other bill that would weaken gun regulations on the Senate floor.

“My guess is that Republicans stay pretty quiet on guns,” he said.

Murphy disputes the NRA’s narrative about the election and says the voters sent the opposite message, approving three out of four gun-control ballot initiatives and defeating Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H.

Ayotte had been targeted by gun control groups for her 2013 vote against background check legislation in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook shootings. Her race against Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan was considered by some a referendum on gun control

In addition, California voters approved an initiative requiring background checks for ammunition purchases and banning high-capacity magazines. Nevada approved an initiative expanding background checks on gun purchases and Washington state one that creates a legal mechanism to keep guns way from people who are a danger to themselves or others.

But the election dims the chances of approval for legislation introduced by Murphy and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., that would repeal the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, or PLCAA. That law, promoted by the NRA, partially shields gun dealers and gun manufacturers from liability.

The families of 10 Sandy Hook victims are suing the maker of the Bushmaster AR-15 rifle used by the shooter, Adam Lanza, arguing that selling an assault weapon designed for military use to the general public poses a risk the gun will be misused.

Last month, a Connecticut Superior Court threw out the case. Superior Court Judge Barbara Bellis agreed with attorneys for Remington Outdoor Co. that the lawsuit  “falls squarely within the broad immunity” provided to gun manufacturers and dealers by PLCCA.

Last week, however, the Sandy Hook families appealed the decision to the Appellate Court, with the hope it will be heard by the state Supreme Court. They argue the case should be decided under the Connecticut common law relating to negligent entrustment – when one party is negligent because it provided another party with a dangerous instrument – and the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act.

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

Ana Radelat Ana has written about politics and policy in Washington, D.C.. for Gannett, Thompson Reuters and UPI. She was a special correspondent for the Miami Herald, and a regular contributor to The New York TImes, Advertising Age and several other publications. She has also worked in broadcast journalism, for CNN and several local NPR stations. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland School of Journalism.

SEE WHAT READERS SAID

RELATED STORIES
Legislative leaders support extension of Lamont’s emergency powers during COVID
by Jacqueline Rabe Thomas

The governor's emergency powers expire Feb. 9 unless he asks lawmakers for an extension within 72 hours of that date.

Sunday in Hartford: Massive show of police, not protesters
by Mark Pazniokas and Dave Altimari

Reporters outnumbered protesters. Cops outnumbered everyone. Sunday at the Connecticut Capitol was peaceful and well-documented.

‘No one took us seriously:’ Black cops warned about racist Capitol Police officers for years
by Joshua Kaplan and Joaquin Sapien | ProPublica

While many officers were filmed fighting off Capitol rioters, at least 12 others are under investigation for possibly assisting them.

Donald Trump built a national debt so big (even before the pandemic) that it’ll weigh down the economy for years
by Allan Sloan and Cezary Podkul | ProPublica

The national debt has risen by almost $7.8 trillion during President Trump’s time in office.

Connecticut’s $90M lobbying industry has a new player: former Speaker Joe Aresimowicz
by Mark Pazniokas

Former House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz is becoming a lobbyist, but a revolving-door law limits him for a year.

Support Our Work

Show your love for great stories and outstanding journalism.

$
Select One
  • Monthly
  • Yearly
  • Once
Artpoint painter
CT ViewpointsCT Artpoints
Opinion The change in leadership must not lead to complacency
by Jenna Van Donselaar

We are beginning 2021, and most people are far done with election talk. Sure, the polls are closed, and the results are in, and it is time to move on. I am weary from the hours I spent texting voters this fall, and I’d like to think all my efforts were worth it. But the work is far from done.

Opinion Treason is in the air
by David Holahan

Abraham Lincoln had been elected but had yet to assume the presidency when southern states started seceding from the Union in the months before his March 4, 1961 inauguration. Four others would follow that spring. American soldiers —like Robert E. Lee, who had taken an oath of loyalty to the nation that he had served since 1825— defected to the Confederacy. By joining the rebellion Lee and fellow travellers became, in effect, traitors.

Opinion Trump’s reaction to defeat further confirms urgency for school focus on social emotional skills 
by Sandra M. Chafouleas 

Imagine what would happen if a preschooler didn’t “use their words” when they got upset about sharing, instead stomping around yelling while adults simply observed in silence. Think about what the school climate would feel like if a student punched another during recess while others watched without seeking help.  Now consider the actions – and inactions – by Trump Jan. 6 as the electoral vote counts occurred at the U.S. Capitol.

Opinion Is Trump leading a cult?
by Elena Sada

My experience as a former cult member and researcher in the field of Social Sciences earned me the ability to identify narcissism and cultish tendencies. Furthermore, as a former  New York City resident who kept abreast of interviews with the city’s apparent “movers and shakers,” I often questioned Trump’s qualifications as a leader, let alone as national presidential leader.

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 numbers in a prison and much more than victims of societal dispositions. This piece depicts a melanated young man draped in a cape ascending high above multiple forms of oppression. […]

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 like to wake up in new skin?”

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 the catalyst to all my work, and plays a major influence in each piece of work.”

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 and Art masterpieces and applying the vintage 1960’s and 70’s classic figures (Fisher Price, little people) to the make an amusing pieces. Here is my homage to Fisher -Price, Yellow […]

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