A CALL TO ACTION
Danbury Democrat pushes Boughton to back stricter gun background checks
DANBURY — The Danbury Democrat trying to unseat the city’s longestserving mayor says Republican Mark Boughton should join 250 other mayors who are calling on the Senate to pass stricter gun background checks.
“Connecticut is a leader on gun safety legislation, and our laws are models for the nation that Congress should adopt,” said Chris Setaro, a former City Council president trying to deny Boughton a record 10th term in office in November. “Every mayor should sign this letter and send a strong signal that we need federal action now.”
Boughton said he would read the letter from the U.S. Conference of Mayors and review the two background checks bills passed earlier this year by the House of Representatives that mayors are urging the Senate to adopt.
“I have supported gun safety initiatives in the past, so I will read the letter and the relevant bills and make a decision,” said Boughton. “I take (U.S.) Sen. (Mitch) McConnell at his word that he wants to get something done.”
The two bills in question would apply background checks to all firearm purchases, and extend the review deadline from three days to 10 days.
The political pressure to pass stricter gun background checks is in response to the backtoback mass shootings nearly three weeks ago in Texas and Ohio that killed 31.
As such, the pressure is more on the White House and the Republicanled Senate than on Danbury City Hall.
President Donald Trump said as recently as Wednesday that he supported tighter background checks, but not if it clears the way for more gun control, the Associated Press reported.
“You’re on that slope and all of a sudden nobody has any legal protection,” the president said, according to the Associated Press. “Our Second Amendment will remain strong.”
Setaro said the background checks bills has bipartisan support in the House and the backing of most Americans.
“With the United States plagued by mass shootings, more and more of which are based on extreme hate, this is no time for leaders to be silent,” Setaro said.