On Thursday, April 4, Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy signed a bill giving the state some of the toughest gun laws in the country, among it new restrictions on weapons and large capacity ammunition magazines.
The House and the Senate approved the bill 105-44 and 26-10 respectively, during marathon sessions, including weeks of hearings and four weeks of private negotiations, according to the Connecticut Post. The goal: to strike a bipartisan deal between the parties, and show that they could work together in Connecticut, and also the country.
Coming 110 days after the tragedy in Newtown on Dec. 14, family members of many Sandy Hook School victims were in attendance at the capital in Hartford while Malloy signed the bill.
Fairfield students and faculty sounded off regarding the parts of the bill took effect immediately after Malloy’s signature.
“I am hopeful that ‘the Connecticut effect’ will not be what was originally taken as the idea that the support for reforming gun legislation would fade in time as we moved on from the recent tragedy,” Nicole Davidow ’15 stated, “Instead, I hope that ‘the Connecticut effect’ is more like a domino effect, helping other states and fellow Americans understand how important it is to continue to put pressure on politicians to continue to have these discussions and make changes concerning gun legislation.”
Earlier in the week, after asking Sen. Joe Markley to support gun violence prevention legislation through email, Davidow received a response saying he would not support the legislation.
“The compulsion to do something, regardless of its wisdom, is a dangerous tendency,” Markley told Davidow.
All in all, Davidow is “happy that Connecticut is taking initiative.”
Danielle Corea, Program Coordinator for the Office of Faith and Public Life, organized the Fairfield delegation that attended the February’s March for Change rally at the state capital building in Hartford.
“I am pleased with the decision. I believe Connecticut will stand as a strong model for the rest of the country to follow. Now, more than ever, our country needs reform around this issue,” she told The Mirror.
In a press release following Malloy’s signature, Sen. Chris Murphy, emphasized the need for the rest of the country to react as Connecticut did.
“Connecticut has proven that Republicans and Democrats can come together to pass tough, common sense gun laws, and I hope my colleagues in Congress will join me in the coming weeks to get this done for our country,” he said.
Critics of anti-gun regulations say that guns are not the problem, but the individuals possessing them are, and crowds of pro-gun activists were at the capital on Thursday, shouting, “Just vote no.”
Sen. Catherine Osten warns that this kind of legislation is a “false sense of security,” and she was among only one other democratic senator who voted against it.
Republican State Sen. Art Linares told reporters he feels the bill will pose unnecessary harm on gun owners and that this was a missed opportunity to reform the mental health system.
Still, there may be room for conversation between those for and against this kind of legislation, and only time will tell.
“I welcome the opportunity to discuss gun control and I hope that people across our country can open up their hearts and minds to do the same,” Davidow said.
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