Hearings On Gun Safety, Immigration Bills

March 5, 2019

The Judiciary Committee, which I chair, has held six public hearings on legislation since the start of the 2019 General Assembly session nearly two months ago and we are definitely not done. The committee has important hearings scheduled for this Friday, March 8, and Monday, March 11 which I wanted to alert you to.

On Friday, the public is invited to comment on proposed legislation aimed at protecting immigrants living in our community.

  • Senate Bill 992 would close loopholes in the "Trust Act," fostering trust between residents and local and state officials by allowing immigrants to seek help without fear of deportation
  • Senate Bill 948 enacts a recommendation from the Connecticut Sentencing Commission which would limit the Federal Government's ability to deport an immigrant that is charged with only a minor crime, thus giving a second change to those who seek to make a better life in our state

Click here for the agenda and more details about the immigration bills.

GUN SAFETY LEGISLATION

On Monday, there will be a public hearing on several common-sense gun-safety bills that I’ve introduced.

  • House Bill 7218, known as Ethan’s Law, would require the safe storage of all firearms in a home with a minor under age 18
  • House Bill 7223 would require that a gun left unattended in a car be locked in a safe
  • House Bill 7219 seeks to ban "ghost guns" which contain no serial numbers and circumvent our background check laws. The bill also regulates guns made on a 3-D printer
  • Senate Bill 60 requires individuals who are openly carrying a firearm to show a state permit if requested by a law enforcement officer

The public hearing agenda and details about these bills can be found here.

I hope you are able to offer your opinion by submitting written testimony or by delivering your comments in person on the day of the hearings. Details about testimony procedures can be found here.

As always, please feel free to reach me with any questions, comments or concerns at Steve.Stafstrom@cga.ct.gov or 860-240-1371.