HARTFORD, Conn. — President Joe Biden signed an executive order Tuesday seeking to tighten gun laws. But what difference does the move make in the Nutmeg State, which already has some of the strictest gun laws on record?
“I think he’s following our lead. I’m sure Chris Murphy’s been very influential there," Lamont said Wednesday after touting environmental legislation in Berlin.
Biden said his order doesn’t go as far as he wants. He wants a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines and is calling on Congress to take that up. But gun rights supporters in Connecticut said Biden isn’t being transparent.
“This executive order helps keep firearms out of dangerous hands as I continue to call on Congress to require background checks for all firearm sales," Biden said Tuesday in Monterey Park, California where 11 people were killed in a January mass shooting.
But the impact of the executive order remains relatively unclear. Biden said it’s an effort to strengthen federal gun laws already on the books. It calls for compliance with existing laws to increase the number of background checks to buy guns and promotes more secure firearm storage.
Both issues are already on the books in Connecticut.
The order specifically calls on the attorney general to fortify rules for federally licensed gun dealers to ensure they do background checks and asks the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to report how gun manufacturers market to minors. It also calls for better cross-agency reporting of law enforcement ballistics data.
Holly Sullivan, President of the Connecticut Citizens Defense League, said Biden is sidestepping Congress.
“It really is a lack of transparency by the administration. What’s in it, who’s involved, how’s it going to be monitored," Sullivan said.
CCDL has specific concerns about calls to release violation information saying it could be misleading.
Sullivan added, “People might say oh my gosh there’s a gun store in my neighborhood that got a violation, but they might not realize that’s a paperwork, a clerical error. It doesn’t mean that they’re doing anything nefarious.”
The executive order also directs Biden's cabinet to come up with a better plan for the federal government to support communities suffering from gun violence. Last year, CT created a commission, which is overseen by the state Department of Public Health, to make similar recommendations specific to Connecticut.
Now, members of that committee want state lawmakers to set aside $20 million to combat urban gun violence. Members testified last week in front of the appropriations committee.
“I do the funerals for 3-year-olds who’ve been caught in the crossfire. I’ve buried 16-, 17-year-old men," said Hartford's Rev. A.J. Johnson of Greater Hartford Interfaith Action Alliance. “The question is how serious are we taking gun violence."
Johnson said he’s grateful Lamont created a commission, but community advocates on DPH's committee want the state budget to invest $20 million in intervention and prevention programs.
"To sustain these organizations that are trying to prevent and intervene. It’s going to take more money to do it in Bridgeport, in Waterbury, in Hartford—across the state in our inner cities.”
Johnson saw firsthand the toll of one of Hartford’s most violent summers in 2022. He believes more lives could have been saved if more support went to organizations on the ground.
Samaia Hernandez is a reporter for FOX61 News. She can be reached at shernandez@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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