Earlier this week, multiple gun related bills had advanced from the Legislative Commissioners’ Office and were ready to be heard before the Connecticut General Assembly.
As of today, HB 7042 was amended with wording from several other bills that could have been heard before the House. A short summary of the keys points in HB 7042 can be seen below.
The initial wording of the bill made it so everyone from firearms manufactures to mom-and-pop gun stores could be liable for the actions of those they’ve sold firearms to, instead of placing liability on those who actually use the firearms. This is a clear attempt to hold the firearms industry liable for actions that criminals commit.
The second portion of this bill, with wording from HB 7137, adds certain misdemeanor convictions that occur in other jurisdictions to the list of offenses that disqualify a person from being issued long gun and handgun eligibility certificates and handgun permits.
Lastly, wording from HB 7194 was added to the bill in an attempt of “compromise.” It clarifies that you cannot be convicted of negligently or carelessly discharging a firearm if you are doing so in self-defense. While this wording is good on its own, we don’t support it being added to an overwhelmingly anti-gun bill as a form of “compromise.”
There are MANY other concerns with HB 7042, including wording in the bill that states:
“A firearm industry member shall establish, implement and enforce reasonable controls,” with “reasonable controls” meaning “procedures, acts and practices that are designed, implemented and enforced to … prevent the sale or distribution in this state of a firearm industry product that is designed in a manner that is reasonably foreseeable to promote conversion of a legal firearm industry product into an illegal firearm industry product.”
Using this section of the language, Representative Stafstrom argued on the House floor that Glock could have known about “design flaws” that would have allowed for attachment of devices that increase the rate of fire when Glock originally designed their pistol, and after the passage of this bill, Glock would possibly need to alter their design to prevent any future attachment of “Glock switches” or other accessories that could increase the rate of fire.
At the end of the day, this bill would be awful for gun owners. If HB 7042 were to pass, it would outright ban some of the most commonly owned firearms in Connecticut on the basis that those models of firearms are simply capable of receiving fire-rate altering devices.
We are asking that you contact your State Senator immediately using the form above, or by clicking here, to tell them to OPPOSE HB 7042 when it comes up in their half of the legislature
