McKinney talks guns to Bristol Republicans

More than a year after the Newtown massacre, children are still feeling its impact in the town's classrooms. Senate Minority Leader John McKinney, a Republican who represents the town, said that when a door is slammed or a book dropped hard on the floor, "kids are in tears" because it brings back memories of the shootings that claimed the lives of 20 classmates and six educators. Defending his vote in favor of last year's gun control measure before the Bristol GOP recently, McKinney said he spent that entire day in the Sandy Hook fire station with parents who lost their children, some of whom he already knew. "It had a huge impact on me," he said. He said he knows many Republicans oppose the measure approved  by the General Assembly, but he is sure his district backed it. "I've always believed that my obligation is to represent my constituents," said McKinney, who is running for governor. He said that if he and other Republicans hadn't gotten behind the bill, the Democrats would have pushed through one with even tougher rules on guns, including an insurance requirement, annual registration and the confiscation of magazines holding more than 10 bullets. McKinney said Democrats also wanted everyone who purchased a gun to get a permit, subject to the same "suitability" standard police use in determining whether someone should be eligible to carry a hidden gun.
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