WASHINGTON – Every year gun control activists from Newtown gather here to condemn congressional inaction on legislation they think will keep Americans safe. This year the mood at the gathering was quite different as gun control advocates are counting on the support of new members who ran — and won — on gun control and helped flip the U.S. House to Democratic control..
bump stocks
Posted inPolitics
Parkland students bringing campaign for gun law changes to Newtown
When a busload of Parkland, Fla., high school gun control activists arrives in Newtown on Sunday, they will be completing an emotional tour of 50 cities, some the sites of the nation’s grisliest mass shootings, in an effort to create political change. Besides influencing public opinion, the students are also seeking to register young voters who will help their cause.
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Students, teachers bear witness to Malloy’s signing of bump stock ban
Students spearheading the effort to reduce gun violence in schools joined teachers and activists Thursday to watch Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s sign a law making Connecticut one of only a few states to have made the use of bump stocks illegal.
Posted inPolitics
On bipartisan vote, Connecticut bans bump stocks
The state Senate voted 26 to 10 Tuesday night for final passage of a bill that bans the sale and ownership of bump stocks in Connecticut, joining a growing number of states that have prohibited the rapid-fire rifle accessory used by the Las Vegas shooter who killed 58 people and injured hundreds last October.
Posted inPolitics
Connecticut moves closer to banning bump stocks
The state House of Representatives approved a bill Tuesday that would ban bump stocks, moving Connecticut one step closer to a number of other states that have prohibited the devices used in the deadly Las Vegas shooting last October.
Posted inPolitics
Lawmakers advance bills banning bump stocks, ‘ghost guns’
Connecticut lawmakers on both sides of the aisle voted Tuesday to move forward legislation that would ban bump stocks and untraceable firearms called “ghost guns.” The measures, passed by the Judiciary Committee, will now move to the floor of the legislature.
Posted inPolitics
Bills to ban bump stocks, ‘ghost guns’ pack a hearing
Supporters and opponents of two bills that would ban bump stocks and untraceable “ghost guns” packed a public hearing at the state Capitol complex Friday, testifying all day and into the night over the devices. Several states already have enacted or are considering their own bans on bump stocks.
Posted inJustice
Trump asks Murphy to help draft ‘comprehensive’ gun bill
President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he wanted Sen. Chris Murphy to join three Senate colleagues in drafting a “comprehensive” gun bill that is “very powerful” on expansion of the FBI background check system for gun buyers. “We are determined to turn grief into action,” Trump said at a White House gathering with lawmakers to discuss ways to combat gun violence.
Posted inJustice, Politics
Despite Parkland, gun control push faces wave of opposition in Congress
WASHINGTON — Despite President Donald Trump’s willingness to support modest tweaks to the nation’s gun laws, Congress may not approve much change as lawmakers remain entrenched in a mostly partisan split over the issue, despite the national debate touched off over the Parkland, Fla., massacre.
Posted inJustice, Politics
Sandy Hook parents tell Trump there’s no need to arm teachers
WASHINGTON — The parents of two children who lost their lives in the Sandy Hook school shooting told President Donald Trump the nation does not need to arm teachers, but should prevent mass shootings by training teachers to respond when a child displays certain signs of trouble. “Sandy Hook Promise has created something that works,” said Mark Barden, holding up a photo of his slain 6-year-old son Daniel.
Posted inJustice, Politics
Another mass shooting? CT lawmakers say don’t expect Congress to act
WASHINGTON – Once again there’s been a mass shooting, at another school no less, and Washington once again has become the center of the debate on how to respond to these continuing massacres. But few expect any action.
Posted inJustice, Politics
Malloy, a lame duck, takes aim at ‘bump stocks’
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy on Tuesday rolled out the first legislative initiative of his last year in office: A ban on the bump-stock accessories that enabled the Las Vegas shooter to convert a dozen semi-automatic rifles into machine guns he used in an assault that killed 58 and wounded 500 in 11 minutes.
Posted inJustice, Politics
Texas shooting leads to move to reform gun buyer background checks
WASHINGTON – Texas shooter Devin Kelly is a prime example of a failure of the the existing gun background check system, and his killing spree on Sunday may bring small reforms. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., says he has a commitment from a key GOP leader to work toward a bipartisan fix to the law that should have prevented Kelly from buying the guns he may have used in his attack.
Posted inPolitics
Murphy introduces background-check gun bill as ‘long-haul strategy’
WASHINGTON — Sen. Chris Murphy on Wednesday reintroduced a background-check gun bill he’s been trying to make law since a gunman killed 20 first graders and six educators in Newtown at the end of 2012. The political climate for the bill is no better now, however, than when the Senate rejected it in 2013 and 2016.
Posted inJustice, Politics
GOP blasts Dems for ‘politicizing’ Las Vegas as CT lawmakers continue gun control push
WASHINGTON — The Las Vegas shooting on Sunday has widened the fissure between congressional Democrats – who have renewed a push for gun control legislation – and Republicans who are condemning their political rivals for “politicizing” the issue.