West Hartford Legislative Delegation Unanimously Supports Gun Bill

All four members of West Hartford's legislative delegation voted in favor of Connecticut's historic gun bill which Gov. Dannel P. Malloy signed into law at noon on Thursday.

The bill passed the State Senate Wednesday evening, approved by a vote of 26-10.

State Sen. Beth Bye, who represents West Hartford was pleased that several public safety provisions she advocated for were included in the bill, which according to a release from her office include: prohibiting the sale of any rifle or pistol magazine with a capacity of more than 10 rounds; expanding the definition of an "assault weapon"; requiring a permit to purchase ammunition; and prohibiting the storage of firearms and ammunition in a manner that allows access by persons under age 18.  

“This bill makes Connecticut different, and it and shines a light on how we are different,” Sen. Bye told her colleagues in the Senate chamber, according to a news release from her office.

“Sandy Hook brought us together. Our collective grief, our collective love for the families of the victims, our collective resolve addresses all the facets of this horrible mass murder. And our grief, our love, and our resolve for change does not know party labels,” Bye said in the release.  

The house version of the bill was passed at 2:26 a.m. Thursday, with West Hartford's three state representatives, Brian Becker, Andrew Fleischmann, and Joe Verrengia all voting in favor of it.

"I thought long and hard about the effect any potential legislation might have. In the Talmud it is said, 'When you save one life, it is as if you saved the entire world.' Accordingly, if the provisions of HB 1160 can save even one life, I think it was incumbent upon us to pass it," said Becker in an email about his decision to support the bill. 

"We know that some children escaped from Sandy Hook Elementary School when the shooter had to reload. If he had to reload more often (because of the magazine limits that are part of the bill), perhaps more children would have survived the attack," Becker said.  

According to the Hartford Courant, the final vote was 105 to 44, with 2 absent. Ninety-eight Democrats were present for the vote, the Courant reported, and 85 of them voted in favor while 13 were opposed. Of the 51 Republicans voting, 20 voted in favor of the bill and 31 were opposed, according to the Courant.

For the complete Senate vote as reported by the Courant, click here. The House vote tally according to the Courant can be found here.