In what is being described as the toughest gun control laws in the nation, Connecticut lawmakers yesterday agreed that the murder… no, slaughter of kids by crazed lunatics in their state will not be tolerated.
The proposal also called for background checks for private gun sales and a new registry for existing magazines that carry 10 or more bullets, something of a compromise for parents of Newtown victims who had wanted an outright ban on them, while legislators had proposed grandfathering them into the law.
The package also creates what lawmakers said is the nation’s first statewide dangerous weapon offender registry, immediate universal background checks for all firearms sales and expansion of Connecticut’s assault weapons ban.
A new state-issued eligibility certificate would also be needed to purchase any rifle, shotgun or ammunition under the legislation. To get the certificate, a buyer would need to be fingerprinted, take a firearms training course and undergo a national criminal background check and involuntary commitment or voluntary admission check.
The deal is “the most comprehensive package in the country because of its breadth,” said Senate Minority Leader John McKinney, a Fairfield Republican whose district includes Newtown.
The NRA and their Republican supporters in Congress will not be happy.
