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Area lawmakers split on new gun violence prevention bill

Governor Dannel Malloy, who four months ago broke the news to shocked parents, is touting new restrictions on weapons and large capacity ammunition magazines similar to the ones used by the gunman.  In the hours after the shooting Dec. 14 at Sandy Hook Elementary School, as anxious family members gathered inside a firehouse and waited for news, Malloy told them their loved ones were not coming home. He said later that he didn't think it was right for the families to wait for the victims - 20 first-graders and six educators - to be formally identified.

 

Here is a tally sheet of how Greater Danbury area lawmakers voted:

 

STATE SENATORS

24th District Michael McLachlan (R) YES

26th District Toni Boucher (R) YES

30th District Clark Chapin (R) NO

28th District  John McKinney (R) YES

 

STATE REPRESENTATIVES

2nd District (R) Dan Carter NO

106th District (R) Mitch Bolinsky YES

107th District (R) David Scribner NO

108th District (R) Richard Smith YES

109tth District (D) David Arconti YES

110th District (D) Robert Godfrey YES

138th District (R) Jan Geigler NO

67th District (R) Cecilia Buck-Taylor NO

112th District (R) DebraLee Hovey YES

135th District (R) John Shaban YES

111th District (R) John Frey  YES

 

Here is a look at how the proposals compare to laws passed this year in Colorado and New York:

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AMMUNITION MAGAZINES

Connecticut would ban the sale or purchase of ammunition magazines holding more than 10 rounds. The legislation allows people to keep high-capacity magazines they already own if they're registered with the state by Jan. 1 but limits their use to the home and a shooting range.

New York restricted ammunition magazines to seven bullets and gave current owners of higher-capacity magazines a year to sell them out of state. Colorado banned ammunition magazines that hold more than 15 rounds.

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ASSAULT WEAPONS BANS

Connecticut wants to expand its assault weapons ban, adding more than 100 types of weapons in addition to those that have more than one banned military-style feature.

New York also expanded its assault weapons ban. Colorado did not pass an assault weapons ban.

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BACKGROUND CHECKS

Connecticut would require universal criminal background checks for the sale of all guns as soon as the bill passes, closing a loophole in private sales of rifles and shotguns. Background checks also would be required to buy ammunition and magazines.

Colorado expanded background checks to private and online gun sales but did not require them to buy ammunition. New York expanded background checks to private gun sales and became the first state to require background checks to buy bullets.

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DANGEROUS WEAPON OFFENDER REGISTRY

Connecticut created what officials called the first statewide dangerous weapon offender registry in the nation. Individuals who have been convicted of any of 40 weapons offenses must register with the state for five years after their release.

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MENTAL ILLNESS

People involuntarily committed by court order to a hospital for psychiatric disabilities within five years would not be allowed to possess a gun, up from one year under current Connecticut law.

New York required mental health professionals to tell state authorities if a patient threatens to use a gun illegally.

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FIREARMS STORAGE

Connecticut wants to expand the legal duty to securely store a firearm to cover situations where a resident of the premises poses a risk of personal injury to themselves or others.

New York requires locked storage of guns if you live with someone prohibited from them because of a crime, commitment to a mental institution or court protection order and made the unsafe storage of assault weapons a misdemeanor.

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