HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) – Governor Dannel P. Malloy is urging the Trump administration to consider using Connecticut’s legislation on firearm bump stocks when drafting revisions of federal laws.
In a letter he wrote to United States Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Gov. Malloy stated that the federal reforms should adopt statutory language to provide more options than are currently available under regulatory authority.
“As you undertake this effort, it is critically important that your regulations be drafted in a comprehensive and inclusive manner in order to increase their effectiveness for improving public safety and saving lives,” Gov. Malloy wrote, in part.Related: Trump says more must be done to protect children
Connecticut’s legislation, which Gov. Malloy announced last month, bans any type of enhancement that increases the rate of fire of a semiautomatic weapon, including but not limited to bump stocks, trigger cranks, and binary trigger systems. If the legislation passes in Connecticut, anyone in violation of this law will be guilty of a class D felony, punishable by between one to five years in prison and up to a $5,000 fine. During the first two years the law is in effect, permit holders who are found in violation will be cited with an infraction and receive a fine of $90 for their first offense.
The Governor’s legislation is Senate Bill 18, An Act Banning Rate of Fire Enhancements. It is currently pending in the General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Public Safety and Security.