Connecticut gun violence prevention advocates joined Governor Ned Lamont in demanding Republicans in the U.S. Senate to allow for voting on federal gun regulations. The Senate has not taken action on this issue for years.
“Make them fear you more than the gun lobby. It’s time, and I am optimistic. We have to change. We can’t live like this. We shouldn’t have to live like this,” said Po Murray of Newtown Action Alliance, which was formed after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown nearly 10 years ago.
She wants voters to contact Senate Republicans and put pressure on them to take action on gun regulations.
Connecticut lawmakers have passed significant bipartisan gun regulations since Sandy Hook, said Lamont. He wants this should to be an example for Congress.
“If we could just have the rest of the country put in place some of the gun safety laws, the likes of which we have here, we could make things a little bit safer,” Lamont said.
However, Lamont’s latest effort to ban unregistered ghost guns failed to win legislative approval this year.
“There are so many illegal guns on the street right now. And I’d like to think that we could have done a better job here in Connecticut and send a message far afield specially when it comes to those ghost guns,” he said.
Lamont has yet to consider whether to call lawmakers back for a special session to deal with the proposal, but said he’ll reach out to legislative leaders to discuss it.
