Building a gun safety majority
Policies that could prevent future gun violence in Connecticut include: increasing funding for gun violence intervention and prevention programs, modernizing laws to temporarily keep guns out of the hands of those in crisis when there is evidence that they pose a risk to themselves or others, and ending bulk purchasing of firearms.
Connecticut has some of the strongest gun safety laws in the country. With a rate of five deaths per 100,000 people, our state has the third lowest firearm mortality rate in the nation. It maintains this position largely because of persistent vigilance and readiness to blunt new threats to public safety as they emerge. Even so, as recent shootings in Bridgeport and Stamford have made clear, our state is not immune to gun violence.
As an organization with thousands of activists, advocates, and voters, the Connecticut Chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America remains steadfast in our commitment to electing candidates who share our determination to put an end to gun violence.
This election year we will be even more tenacious in our campaign to return a gun sense majority to Hartford. We join 6 million Moms Demand Action supporters across the country working to elect Joe Biden as president and to build a gun safety majority in the U.S Senate. As efforts continue to appoint another Supreme Court Justice with extreme views of the Second Amendment, and with voting already underway across much of the country, we are even more driven to take this battle to the ballot box.
In Connecticut, the Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate distinction has been awarded to 88 candidates (and counting) running for the state legislature and all five incumbent members of Congress — a signal that candidates will continue to take action against gun violence.
This nonpartisan designation is not bestowed lightly. Candidates complete a detailed questionnaire that thoroughly evaluates their position on issues important to the gun violence prevention movement. Where applicable, we look closely at their voting record, both in committees and on the floor, and seek input from the community. Our decision is not made based on one bill or one vote; it results from a solid record of support for gun safety legislation.
We are proud of the candidates who have earned the Gun Sense Candidate distinction. They have stood resolute in their backing of the common-sense laws that advanced through the Connecticut legislature over the past two years. As a result, three new gun safety measures became law: Ethan’s Law, requiring the safe storage of guns in homes; a law requiring the safe storage of guns in cars; and a ban on ghost guns and 3-D printed guns. We also saw passage of a police reform bill that brings more accountability and transparency, increasing protections for all communities, especially communities of color, and law enforcement.
These laws were made possible because we elected a gun sense majority to the Connecticut House of Representatives and Senate, and a likeminded governor in 2018.
The gun safety movement has never been stronger. Once a third-rail issue, it is now a kitchen-table issue, particularly among women voters who often decide elections. Virtually every poll shows Americans across the political spectrum support common-sense gun safety laws. Nearly 90 percent of Americans, including gun owners, agree we need action now to reduce gun violence.
This is even more of an imperative given the gun buying spree set off by the COVID-19 pandemic. From March to May 2020 an estimated 5.9 million guns were sold, putting unbelievable stress on the background check system. And while Americans rushed out to buy guns thinking they were buying safety, research shows they were instead exposing themselves and their families to higher rates of homicide, suicide, unintentional shootings, and domestic violence.
In the midst of the pandemic, Moms Demand Action volunteers have taken more than 2,000 actions across the state to fight for public safety measures that keep our communities safe. Yet more work remains.
Policies that could prevent future gun violence in Connecticut include: increasing funding for gun violence intervention and prevention programs, modernizing laws to temporarily keep guns out of the hands of those in crisis when there is evidence that they pose a risk to themselves or others, and ending bulk purchasing of firearms.
Securing passage of common-sense policies in the coming session is a priority and hinges on re-electing a gun sense majority in Hartford.
We are committed to electing Gun Sense Candidates. Our army of volunteers — mothers and others — is working in communities across the state; knocking on doors, making calls, planting lawn signs, and writing letters and postcards in support of these candidates.
Over the next several weeks, voters in Connecticut will cast their ballots by mail, secure dropbox, and in-person on Nov. 3. We urge you to ask candidates where they stand on gun safety. When you vote, we urge you to be a gun sense voter and choose the candidate who has earned the Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate distinction.