Gun registration bill unveiled
03/23/2006
Gun registration bill unveiled
By Keith M. Phaneuf , Journal Inquirer
HARTFORD - Leaders of the legislature's Judiciary and Public Safety committees and other state and municipal leaders called Wednesday for a law penalizing gun owners who fail to notify authorities if their weapons are stolen or lost.
Under the bill, owners failing to report a lost or stolen firearm within 72 hours could be found guilty of a Class A misdemeanor and face a $500 fine. A second offense would be classified as a Class D felony, and could involve up to five years in prison.
"Quite frankly, there's only one reason why a law-abiding firearms owner would not report the loss or theft of their firearm: because they are fronting for criminals," said Sen. Andrew J. McDonald, D-Stamford, co-chairman of the Judiciary Committee. "This bill is going to crack down on one of the major sources of illegal firearms on the street, and soon after it is passed I predict we'll see a real reduction in inner-city gun violence."
"No conscientious or responsible gun owner has anything to fear from this bill," added Senate Majority Leader Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven, who predicted the proposal would attract a broad base of support in both the House and Senate.
The measure also received endorsements from Chief State's Attorney Christopher L. Morano, Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez, and from West Hartford Police Chief James Strillacci, who is legislative liaison for the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association.
"Prosecutors have asked us to take appropriate action concerning any loopholes concerning the need to report stolen or lost firearms," said Rep. Michael P. Lawlor, D-East Haven, the Judiciary Committee's other co-chairman.
Sen. Andrea L. Stillman, D-Waterford, whose district includes New London, said gun violence is a problem not just in Connecticut's largest cities, but also in many of its smaller urban centers, such as New London. "This is not a big-city problem," she said. "It is a problem for the state of Connecticut."
Angie Sutton of Hartford, co-chairwoman of the Hartford-based Mothers United Against Violence, told reporters during a news conference at the Legislative Office Building how her step-father, James Washington, was shot and killed by an unknown assailant in February 2002 in his store, J & J Market on Enfield Street.
"My family lives every day with his loss," she said, adding her group was formed by those who lost loved ones to violence, usually through gun crimes.
Police still have not learned the identity of the gunman, Sutton said, adding, "Odds are he was someone who should not have had a gun to begin with."
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