CAGV Expresses Suprise that Public Safety Committee Refuses to Hold Vote on Governor’s Bill to Ban Bump Stocks

 

Jeremy Stein, Executive Director of CT Against Gun Violence, Inc. released a following statement in reaction to the Public Safety Committee’s refusal to vote on Governor Malloy’s  “Rate of Fire Enhancements” bill, S.B. 18.

“We were in full support of the Governor’s bill that would ban bump stocks, binary trigger systems, trigger cranks and other devices used to dramatically increase the rate of fire of semi-automatic firearms to rates similar to those of machine guns. It is alarming, in the wake of tragedies such as Las Vegas, Sutherland Springs and Parkland that the Public Safety Committee would not even vote on the measure. It is clear that the people of Connecticut, and the rest of the country, do not want bump stocks in our society. Four states now ban bump stocks: California, Massachusetts, New Jersey and most recently Washington State. Other states are considering bans and President Trump has agreed that bump stocks should be banned. We can do better. We should do better.”

The Las Vegas shooter used bump stocks to fire more than 1,100 rounds in just 10 minutes, killing 58 and injuring more than 500 concertgoers in the worst mass shooting in U.S. history. Devices that increase the rate of fire such as bump stocks and trigger cranks have been responsible for at least 2 mass shootings in the U.S.

According to an October, 2017 poll by Quinnipiac University, three-quarters of voters nationwide support a ban on bump stocks, including 62% of Republicans, 82% of Democrats, 76% of Independents, and 67% of households with guns.

“Our legislators will have a second chance to do the right and sensible thing” Stein said. “A similar bill in the Judiciary Committee, H.B. 5542, which also bans bump stocks, is scheduled for a public hearing on March 23 in Hartford. We encourage citizens to come forward to have their voices heard, to tell our legislators that it is their responsibility to ensure the safety of our families and children. Connecticut should continue to lead the way on common-sense gun laws that save lives, and be the change the country wants to see.”

CT Against Gun Violence, Inc. is a non-profit organization dedicated to making Connecticut communities, families, and children safe from gun violence through public education and legislative advocacy.