Gun rights supporters have their day
Proponents of second amendment rally in Hartford partly in response to National School Walkout
Hartford — They sported shirts and signs with messages like, “If guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns,” “I am not a criminal” and “You are not for women’s rights when you want to strip them of their right to self-defense.”
They waved American flags and yellow Gadsden flags with the rattlesnake and words “Don’t tread on me.” They booed at most mentions of the names Murphy, Blumenthal and Malloy. They chanted “Vote them out” and “We’re not the problem.”
According to Connecticut State Capitol Police, about 1,500 people gathered on the north side of the State Capitol on Saturday for Rally for Our Rights, held by the Connecticut Citizens Defense League, a pro-Second Amendment grass-roots organization.
“That gun in my hand empowers me with the ability to say no: No you can’t come into my home, no you can’t hurt me, no you can’t hurt my family,” said gun rights activist Dom Basile. “That’s pretty much it. Whether I choose to exercise that right is my prerogative.”
Basile was among 13 speakers, a lineup that included CCDL leaders, state legislators and high school students.
CCDL President Scott Wilson told The Day the rally was planned in part because there were a lot of requests to respond to what happened last month, between the National School Walkout on March 14 and March for Our Lives on March 24.
“I’ve talked to some people who have gone to the event, and for the most part, we like them,” said Wilson, a New London resident. “We all want our children protected and safe.”
But he said that “mixed in with the everyday people” were “hardcore individuals” with signs stating messages like, “Repeal the Second Amendment,” “Kill the NRA” and
“That gun in my hand empowers me with the ability to say no: No you can’t come into my home, no you can’t hurt me, no you can’t hurt my family.” DOM BASILE, GUN RIGHTS ACTIVIST
New York — The progressive Working Families Party endorsed “Sex and the City” actress Cynthia Nixon against Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Saturday, potentially giving Nixon a ballot line in the general election even if Cuomo is the Democratic candidate.
“I am honored to receive the endorsement of the Working Families Party and inspired by the enthusiasm of progressive working-class members of the party,” Nixon said after party members endorsed her during a meeting at an Albany hotel.
Abbey Fashouer, a spokeswoman for Cuomo’s re-election campaign, said the governor’s “record of progressive accomplishment is unmatched.”