The Hartford Courant is reporting that the state Senate Republican Leader in Connecticut is sponsoring a bill to ban ammunition magazines for rifles that contain more than 10 bullets.
In a bipartisan effort, Senator John McKinney (R-Fairfield), whose district includes the town of Newtown, is joining with state Senator Gary LeBeau (D-East Hartford) to co-sponsor the legislation, one of many bills proposed by Connecticut lawmakers in response to the Sandy Hook massacre. McKinney and LeBeau told the Courant that their bipartisan sponsorship of the legislation is an indication of their confidence that the ban on high-capacity magazines will pass the state legislature this year.
Despite the fact that Connecticut is already among the states with the toughest gun control laws, Adam Lanza, the presumed Newtown shooter, reportedly stole his mother’s legally owned guns and used numerous 30-round magazines during his rampage. In light of this, a key state leader last week referred to the legislation co-sponsored by McKinney and LeBeau as “low-hanging fruit.”
As the Courant points out, however, legislative records indicate that the same bill was defeated in 2011 when LeBeau proposed it in the wake of the Arizona shootings that killed six people and severely injured former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Giffords has met with the families of the Newtown victims and initiated a gun control political action group. The majority of witnesses who testified during a public hearing on the 2011 bill were against it.
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In a bipartisan effort, Senator John McKinney (R-Fairfield), whose district includes the town of Newtown, is joining with state Senator Gary LeBeau (D-East Hartford) to co-sponsor the legislation, one of many bills proposed by Connecticut lawmakers in response to the Sandy Hook massacre. McKinney and LeBeau told the Courant that their bipartisan sponsorship of the legislation is an indication of their confidence that the ban on high-capacity magazines will pass the state legislature this year.
Despite the fact that Connecticut is already among the states with the toughest gun control laws, Adam Lanza, the presumed Newtown shooter, reportedly stole his mother’s legally owned guns and used numerous 30-round magazines during his rampage. In light of this, a key state leader last week referred to the legislation co-sponsored by McKinney and LeBeau as “low-hanging fruit.”
As the Courant points out, however, legislative records indicate that the same bill was defeated in 2011 when LeBeau proposed it in the wake of the Arizona shootings that killed six people and severely injured former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Giffords has met with the families of the Newtown victims and initiated a gun control political action group. The majority of witnesses who testified during a public hearing on the 2011 bill were against it.
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