The following bills pertaining to firearms and/or self defense are now pending in the 2002 (winter-spring) session of the Connecticut General Assembly. Each bill has a hyperlink; click on it to open a new browser window that will display the text of the bill, on the General Assembly's own web site.

The good...

RB (Raised Bill) 366, An Act Concerning Reciprocity with Other States Concerning Permits to Carry Pistols and Revolvers. Would allow for recognition of permits from other states where requirements are at least as stringent as Connecticut's. State Police here would be responsible for determining which states meet that criterion.

HB 5298, An Act Modifying the Grounds for Refusal to Issue Permits to Carry a Pistol or Revolver. Would limit to five years the period during which misdemeanors (the 11 misdemeanors listed in the statutes) would absolutely disqualify a person from holding a pistol permit. Five years after the conviction, the disqualification would disappear.

SB 225, An Act Concerning the Sale or Delivery of Rifles and Shotguns. Would eliminate the 14-day waiting period that remains for persons who don't hold pistol permits or hunting licenses. With the instant background check now done at the time of sale, the waiting period makes no sense. Waiting periods have never been shown to prevent crime; in some cases defenseless victims have been assaulted or even murdered while they "waited" to purchase a firearm for self defense.

HB 5299, An Act Eliminating the Requirement that Vendors Keep a Record of Pistol and Revolver Sales. Would eliminate the redundant handgun-only book that dealers must now keep.

And the bad...

H.B. 5742, An Act Concerning the Possession or Use of Certain Firearms for Purposes Other Than Hunting or Self-Defense. Would require the Department
of Public Safety (State Police) to determine annually if there are firearms that are "not suitable for hunting or self-defense and whose possession and use should be treated like the possession and use of machine guns." Could be used to ban .50-caliber...antique firearms...or almost anything.

Judiciary Committee "concepts" (bills to be written; no language or links yet) from committee meeting 2/20/02:

An Act Concerning Terrorism

An Act Concerning Restraining Orders and Firearms [unclear what further restrictions could be imposed]

An Act Concerning Deadly Force


H.B. 5524, An Act Concerning Possession of Edged Weapons at School. Would prohibit students possessing edged weapons on school grounds or at
school-sponsored activities. As with other weapon bans, this would be ignored by the bad guys but would be used to prosecute (and persecute) the innocent.

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