Submitted by Jonathan Perloe, Cos Cob
With two exceptions, every legislator who has represented Greenwich in the CT General Assembly since the Sandy Hook School shooting has voted in favor of strengthening Connecticut’s gun laws, Democrats and Republicans alike.
One exception is Kim Fiorello who was voted out of office after just one term, unseated by Rachel Khanna who is an unequivocal champion of common-sense gun laws.
The other exception is Ryan Fazio, currently representing the 36th State Senate district. So it came as quite a surprise to see his recent mailer claiming he is a “bipartisan leader reducing gun violence.” A surprise because his record shows just the opposite.
Let’s set the stage with the fact that strong gun laws reduce gun death and injury. According to the Giffords Law Center, Connecticut has the third strongest gun laws in the nation, and the sixth lowest rate of gun death, 51 percent lower than the national average.
Now consider that Fazio is endorsed by the CT Citizens Defense League, the gun rights group that has opposed every gun bill since Sandy Hook and that has filed lawsuits to overturn Connecticut gun laws, including our assault weapons ban. Confirming his support of gun rights at the expense of protecting us from gun violence, Fazio received a failing grade from CT Against Gun Violence (CAGV).
Sen. Fazio is not a “leader” on reducing gun violence and he is misrepresenting his record. Contrary to what his mailer claims, the bill he co-sponsored, HB-5467, did not strengthen background checks. It merely brought Connecticut in compliance with stronger federal background checks for purchasers under 21 by allowing access to juvenile records. In the entire legislature, only one lawmaker voted against it.
Offered a clear opportunity to demonstrate his support for measures that reduce gun violence, Sen. Fazio chose not to. Last year, he voted against the Governor’s Act Addressing Gun Violence, HB-6667, the most comprehensive package of anti-gun violence measures since the post Sandy Hook bill that Sen. Frantz voted for in 2013.
As a way to make schools safer, Fazio talks about the bill he introduced to support more school resource officers. But research shows that SROs have no impact on preventing school shootings. What would help stop school shootings? Getting firearm owners to secure their weapons, since three-quarters of school shooters use a family member’s gun. But Sen. Fazio voted against last year’s “no exceptions” firearm storage provision. As for saying he’ll “fight gun crime,” that same provision will prevent gun theft, which the ATF reports “is a significant avenue through which firearms are illegally diverted…into criminal hands.”
Sen. Fazio frequently touts his support for law enforcement, but the bill he voted against had the “strong support” of the Commissioner of the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP), who oversees the state police. Commissioner Rovella testified that the bill is a “comprehensive approach that will make Connecticut residents safer…”
The Act banned open carry which the head of the CT Police Chiefs Association said would make their job “easier”; it increased bail, probation and parole for individuals with repeated serious firearm offenses; it created a firearm-related crime court docket to expedite the prosecution of those crimes and it gave the DESPP enforcement power over irresponsible gun dealers. Fazio voted in opposition to all these measures designed to reduce gun crime.
Challenger Nick Simmons has taken a strong stand in support of measures to reduce gun violence, including investing in community-based anti-violence programs that complement gun laws. Unlike his opponent, who declined to share with CAGV where he stands on specific gun violence prevention measures, Simmons completed the CAGV candidate questionnaire, indicating his support for policies including “no exceptions” firearm storage, requiring home-based childcare centers to let parents know if there are guns in the home, regulating backyard shooting ranges to keep neighbors safe and making it easier for gun violence victims to hold firearm industry “bad actors” accountable for illegal actions.
To continue the record of Greenwich lawmakers from both sides of the aisle who have voted for measures that make Connecticut a leader in gun violence prevention (we’re one of only three states to be graded “A” by the Giffords Law Center), in the race for the 36th district State Senator, voters should cast their ballot for Nick Simmons.
The author is communications director for CT Against Gun Violence. The views expressed here are his own, although CAGV has endorsed Nick Simmons in the 36th State Senate district.