WASHINGTON – Joined by several of their Democratic colleagues, Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy on Wednesday fulfilled a promise to introduce a bill aimed at closing a “loophole” in federal gun laws that allows a gun sale to proceed if an FBI background check is not completed in 72 hours.
National Rifle Association
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Malloy helps advocates craft message on gun control
WASHINGTON — Gov. Dannel P. Malloy received a standing ovation from gun safety advocates Tuesday for an impassioned speech on the need for a new push to curb gun violence.
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Connecticut’s Week in Washington
Members of the Connecticut delegation weighed in this week on gun control, Medicare and Medicaid coverage for prostheses, and the looming sale of Plum Island in Long Island Sound. But the all-Democratic delegation just sat back and watched the GOP struggle over naming a new speaker of the House.
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Democrats pushing gun control into presidential campaign
Reflecting a national strategy to make gun control an issue in the presidential election, Democrats attacked earlier remarks by Republican candidate Jeb Bush during his fund-raising visit to Connecticut Thursday.
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CT in Washington: Leadership in chaos, gun violence revisited
Chaos reigned in the House Republican ranks after Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who was favored to become the next Speaker, dropped out of the race; but there was nary a peep from Connecticut’s all-Democratic congressional delegation about that. But Senate Democrats, including Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, were eloquent and forceful in the re-launch of a campaign promoting universal background checks of gun purchasers.
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Oregon shootings spark new effort on Newtown-inspired gun control bill
WASHINGTON – Reacting to the nation’s latest mass shooting in Oregon, Senate Democrats, including Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, on Thursday said they would try once again to pass legislation first prompted by the mass slaying in Newtown.
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CT law sharply reduced gun killings, study says
WASHINGTON – Connecticut’s decision in 1995 to make it harder to purchase a hand gun has sharply reduced gun-related homicides, a new Johns Hopkins University study shows. Gun rights advocates disagreed with the finding.
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Esty, other lawmakers renew push for expanded gun background checks
WASHINGTON — Although they’ve been rebuffed by their colleagues before, a group of determined House lawmakers on Wednesday re-introduced legislation that would broaden FBI background checks of gun buyers.
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Newtown activists introduce bill banning high-capacity magazines
WASHINGTON – Newtown activists on Thursday helped introduce the first gun safety bill in this Congress, officially kicking off the gun control debate on Capitol Hill. The bill would ban large capacity ammunition clips for everyone but military members and law enforcement officers.
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NRA fails to block judicial nomination of ‘anti-gunner’
The Connecticut legislature Friday ignored an NRA campaign to block the judicial nomination of a former legislator who co-sponsored the post-Newtown gun controls, voting overwhelmingly to confirm Auden C. Grogins of Bridgeport as a judge of the Superior Court.
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Murphy breaks Senate tradition with high-profile stands
WASHINGTON – With his fight for gun control, defense of the Affordable Care Act and clashes with President Obama on foreign policy, Sen. Chris Murphy broke with a Senate tradition that freshmen should be seen and not heard. “I don’t think there’s a waiting period anymore for freshmen,” he said. “My constituents did not elect me to be a shrinking violet.” (This is the seventh and final story in a series about the roles each member of the Connecticut congressional delegation played in the 113th Congress.)
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Gun control, gun rights groups claim midterm election victories
WASHINGTON – Gun rights groups and gun control advocates are both claiming victories in this year’s midterm elections, but their political impact wasn’t as they would like you to believe.
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Super PACs make Newtown an issue in the CT governor’s race
In the final days of Connecticut’s deadlocked race for governor, two super PACs are making $2.4 million in independent expenditures on advertising praising Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s push for a sweeping gun control law after the Newtown school massacre and criticizing Tom Foley’s support for repeal.
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Guns a muted issue in Connecticut congressional races
While Connecticut has helped make guns a national issue, there’s been only a little talk of them in the state’s congressional elections so far. They’ve created some stir in the race for governor, however.
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Women emerge as forceful voice in defending firearm ownership
More women than ever before own guns, gun sales to women are booming, and they are becoming a more important voice in advocating gun ownership.