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Conn. Supreme Court: State Law Violates U.S. Second Amendment

The Connecticut Supreme Court has ruled that a state law banning people from transporting weapons between residences violates the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

The ruling was in a case involving a former Army medic arrested in 2010 when police seized a collection of knives and swords from his SUV.

In 2012, former Clinton, Connecticut resident Jason DeCiccio was convicted by a jury of two counts of having weapons in a motor vehicle and sentenced to 15 months in prison.

Police discovered DeCiccio's knife and sword collection in his Jeep after he got into an accident in Clinton while moving to Bolton, Massachusetts, to take a job with the U.S. Veterans Health Administration.The weapons were mementos from DecIccio’s military service in Afghanistan, Germany, and Kosovo.

In acquitting DeCiccio, the high court ruled that he had a Second Amendment right to posses the weapons in his home for self-defense and the right to transport the weapons to his new home.

Prison was a nightmare for his client, said DeCiccio’s lawyer, Michael Zariphes.

“It basically ruined his reputation, his employment opportunities, his integrity with his friends and with his family members,” Zariphes said.

The criminal case also cost DeCiccio his job at the VA, the lawyer said. His client is considering a lawsuit over DeCiccio’s arrest and imprisonment. 

As WSHU Public Radio’s award-winning senior political reporter, Ebong Udoma draws on his extensive tenure to delve deep into state politics during a major election year.
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