A controversial new bill calling for the surrender of firearms owned by anyone accused of domestic violence won final approval in the CT state Senate.
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Connecticut’s other Democratic senator, Chris Murphy, a co-sponsor of Blumenthal’s bill, faults Congress for its inaction.
The bill was debated for almost three hours with three failed attempts by Republicans to amend it because they said it would infringe on the constitutional rights of lawful gun owners by seizing weapons without due process.
Despite Wednesday’s adjournment deadline, CT legislators planned to return, possibly early next week, to vote on a new budget for fiscal year 2017, budget-related bills and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s criminal justice bill.
Following the vote, Malloy made a statement, saying, “We have a moral obligation to work to prevent needless tragedy and to make this the law”. CT averaged 14 intimate partner homicides annually from 2000 to 2012, said Malloy, and firearms were the most frequently utilized weapons in those cases.
If Governor Malloy signs the temporary gun restraining order as expected, citizens would have just 24 hours to turn in their guns to the government or face legal consequences. The bill also requires a hearing on a full order to take place within seven days to usher along the process in a timely fashion, instead of the two week time allotment.
Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney argued the “possible inconvenience to gun owners” should not come at the “expense of the great danger to victims of domestic violence”. The link between guns and domestic violence is a deadly one.
“I do believe we have to honor the Constitution, we have to honor the Second Amendment and we have to honor the rights of individuals”, said Sen.
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The bill creates a new quasi-public entity responsible for implementing a retirement-savings program through contracts with private-sector providers.
