Police in Connecticut have made 764 gun seizures in the last 14 years or so, since the state’s gun seizure law was passed. The law allows guns to be taken away from people who are viewed as a risk to themselves or others. That’s according to data from a research study released Thursday.
The gun seizure law was passed in 1999 following a shooting by a disgruntled employee at the Connecticut Lottery. It was the first law in the country to allow a gun to be seized before an act of violence occurs. A study by UConn, Yale, Duke, and state officials says the guns were seized mostly from men. Madelon Baranoski of Yale says most of the incidents involved people who were seen as a risk to themselves.
“It’s for ordinary people who go into crisis," said Baranoski. "So I don’t think of it as a mental health law I think of it as a 'dangerous situation and a crisis' law that is another tool that police can use to defuse a situation that could get a lot worse.”
The gun seizures took place in every city and town in Connecticut except two – Washington and Granby.
