Governor Dannel Malloy signed a bill into law today banning bump stocks in Connecticut.
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.
“It was that aberrational act, by a disturbed individual that really focused, again, the United States on the issue of these weapons of mass destruction,” Malloy said.
The Governor signed the bill at Bulkeley High School in Hartford, where he was surrounded by gun control activists, including representatives from the Newtown Action Alliance, Connecticut Against Gun Violence, and Moms Demand Action.
“Let us not forget the individuals who lost their lives or whose lives were changed in Las Vegas, and certainly let us not forget the students that were lost in Florida, and the inspirational leadership of their surviving classmates as well as students across this country, for what they have helped us in our state accomplish and other states accomplish as well.”
Bulkeley student Zahir Akbar said recent protests over gun violence have galvanized the school community.
“Students all over the country have begun to rise up and take action against matters that affect us all,” he said. “It’s very important for us as students to speak and enact change within our communities. As students to whom this issue is hugely important, the ability to voice our concerns is always valued, because our voices are also part of the national conversation, no matter our political beliefs.”
Several other states have passed or are considering passing a ban on the devices.
