The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Bill to ban bump stocks moves to House after committee vote
A bill to ban bump stocks and other enhancements that increase the rate of gunfire easily moved Tuesday to the House after surviving an attempt to instead fund mental health treatment and other anti-violence remedies.
“This about people’s lives,” said state Rep. Robyn Porter, D-New Haven, who voted to move the bill out of the General Assembly’s Judiciary Committee.
“I think we have been called here to make sure we ensure the safety of every citizen in this state,” Porter said. “Good strong guncontrol laws do decrease gun crime.”
The bill passed with some bipartisan support, gaining at least 25 of the possible 41 “yes” votes. Some members, mostly Republicans, did not vote.
Bump stocks use the recoil of the gun to turn it into an automatic weapon. The Las Vegas shooter who last year killed 58 concertgoers and injured more than 800 others used bump stocks to fire 1,100 bullets in less than 15 minutes.
The legislation survived a Republican attempt to defund either the Citizen’s Election Fund or a planned $40 million bailout for Hartford.
Republicans argued the already appropriated money could be used to fund beds for mental health patients, restore a statewide firearm tracking task force and pay
for school security officers.
“The substance of this bill should be regulated at the federal level not the state level,” said state Rep. Doug Debitsky, R-Chaplin.
“There are substantive things we can do to prevent gun violence and this bill is not one of them.”
State Rep. Rob Sampson, R-Southbury, offered an impassioned defense of the Second Amendment, saying lawmakers should not be taking away guns or accessories enjoyed by law-abiding citizens.
“I’m disappointed to see this legislation,” Sampson said. “It is not a measure of good policy. It is never good to make public policy when it’s based on emotion or taking into consideration how we treat our citizens.”
The bill grew from the Parkland, Fla., high school shooting that killed 17 students and adults. Supporters cited the Las Vegas shooting as a reason to ban bump stocks.
State Rep. Steven Stafstrom, D-Bridgeport, a supporter of the bill, said it is up to lawmakers to do what they can to protect citizens.
“Automatic firearms have no place in our state,” Staftstrom said Tuesday. “As we sit here, there is an active shooter incident at the YouTube headquarters in (California). This is the 59th mass shooting this year.”
State Rep. William Tong, D-Stamford, and a supporter of the bill, said residents want bump stocks banned.
“Much has been said about constituents and I think constituents are an important part of what we do,” Tong said. “And 10,000 of them were outside (the Capitol) clamoring for these changes.”