The Connecticut General Assembly’s Judiciary Committee has advanced a bill aimed at banning bump stocks and untraceable firearms called “ghost guns” that are purchased online without a background check.
The committee voted 36 to 5 to move the bill forward to the House and Senate. This comes after Republican Representative Rob Sampson, of Wolcott, led an effort to kill the bill by proposing several amendments. Sampson claimed proponents were capitalizing on the recent, very emotional situation of the mass shooting in Parkland, Fla., to disarm lawful gun owners.
“People that have pistol permits and lawfully owned firearms have a much lower crime rate than the average population. So people who own guns lawfully are not the problem.”
Speaking to reporters before the vote, Democratic Governor Dannel Malloy, said it’s the right thing to do.
“There is no reason to have them. Honestly, so why not remove them. Any step they take is a good step.”
Bump stocks allow semi-automatic rifles to fire at a rate similar to a machine gun. They were used by the shooter who killed 58 people in Las Vegas last October. Several states have already passed or are considering a ban on them.
