Gov. Dannel P. Malloy speaks with reporters during a press conference Tuesday morning. Paul Hughes / Republican-American
MIDDLETOWN – Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is proposing Connecticut ban “bump stocks” and other rapid-fire attachments that that allow a semi-automatic rifle to mimic a fully automatic weapon.
Malloy on Tuesday announced his intention to ask the legislature to approve a total ban on sale and possession of the targeted devices to avoid a repeat of the mass shooting in Las Vegas that killed 58 people and wounded hundreds more here.
“I don’t want to see that happen in my state. We can’t absolutely guarantee it won’t happen in our state, but we can make it less likely to happen in our state,” Malloy said.
Connecticut Against Gun Violence and other organizations that advocate stronger gun laws backed Malloy, while the Connecticut Citizens Defense League came out against the governor.
The proposed ban would apply to bump stocks, pull-and-release trigger systems and trigger cranks that increase the rate of fire of semi-automatic rifles.
Possession and sale of the banned attachments would be a felony punishable by up to five years in prison, but there would be a two-year grace period where a first-time offense would be an infraction that carries a $90 fine.
The ban would take effect July 1, 2020.
Bump stocks and the other rapid-fire attachments were not covered under the sweeping changes to the state’s firearms laws that were enacted in 2013 following the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown that claimed the lives of 20 first-graders and six educators in December 2012.
“Now, in the aftermath of the Las Vegas shooting, it is clear bump stocks have no place in our society,” Malloy said.
He said he expects the legislature will approve the ban that he outlined Tuesday.
“I believe that people in the legislature will do the right thing, that you don’t need a second, third or fourth Las Vegas-type shooting,” Malloy said.
The Las Vegas gunman had weapons modified with the bump stocks.
Bump stocks have been around for less than a decade, and they were originally created with the idea of making it easier for people with disabilities to shoot a gun.
The federal government concluded in 2010 that bump stocks do not violate federal law.
The device basically replaces the gun’s shoulder rest with a “support step” that covers the trigger opening. By holding the pistol grip with one hand and pushing forward on the barrel with the other, the shooter’s finger comes in contact with the trigger. The recoil then causes the gun to buck back and forth, repeatedly “bumping” the trigger against the finger.
Technically, that means the finger is pulling the trigger for each round fired, keeping the weapon a legal semi-automatic.
The rapid fire does not necessarily make the weapon any more lethal, but it does allow the person firing the weapon to get off more shots more quickly.
A pull-and-release trigger system modifies a semi-automatic rifle to fire one round when the trigger is pulled and one round when the trigger is released.
A trigger crank bolts on the trigger guard of a semi-automatic rifle, and rotating the crank usually depresses the trigger three times per rotation.
Sign into rep-am.com and the E-Edition with one click access
