At least one
of Bristol’s four lawmakers plans to vote for the bipartisan gun control
measure before the General Assembly today.
 |
| Rep. Chris Wright |
State Rep.
Chris Wright, a Bristol Democrat, said he favors the proposal because he’s
convinced it will bring down the number of gun deaths in Connecticut without
intruding on the rights of law-abiding citizens.
Another
Bristol lawmaker, Republican Whit Betts, said he plans to vote against the
bill. He said it would further reduce gun owne
rs’ rights. He said it doesn’t address the root cause of the Sandy Hook Elementary School killings that left 20 students and six educators dead in Newtown on Dec. 14.
rs’ rights. He said it doesn’t address the root cause of the Sandy Hook Elementary School killings that left 20 students and six educators dead in Newtown on Dec. 14.
The other
two legislators from Bristol, Democratic state Rep. Frank Nicastro and
Republican state Sen. Jason Welch, haven’t yet said how they’ll vote. But both
generally favor the positions of gun advocates.
 |
| State Rep. Whit Betts |
He said he
watched one day as a 20-year-old was pronounced dead. Another time, he said, he
stood by as doctors told the mother of a 15-year-old that her son had died
after being gunned down at the end of his driveway.
“It’s such a
waste of life,” Wright said. “I’m tired of it and the people in my district
that I hear from are tired of it.”
Betts said, “My
heart goes out to those who’ve lost loved ones as a result of the senseless
tragedy at Sandy Hook. However, I don’t
think this proposed legislation could ever prevent another Sandy Hook tragedy."
“Unfortunately,
criminals and those wishing to do harm to others will find a way, regardless of
what legislation is adopted,” he said. “I believe we should be putting a
primary focus on addressing mental health, which is what I believe to be the
root cause of the terribly shooting tragedies.”
Wright said
he understands the measure agreed on by legislative leaders won’t bring an end
to the gun violence. But, he said, “it will bring the numbers down. And I think
that that is important.”
Betts said
his constituents oppose the measure because they believe it curtails their
constitutional right to bear arms.
Wright said
he doesn’t believe there is a Second Amendment issue involved.
He said the
provision in the Bill of Rights was designed to ensure the government had “an
armed, trained militia” ready in case it had to put down rebellions, not to
provide the people a right to arm themselves against the government itself, as
so many believe nowadays.
He said many
people have “a fundamental misunderstanding” of the nature of the Second
Amendment.
Wright said
the new provisions included in the measure “are not the most intrusive things
in the world.”
Requiring a
permit to purchase to buy ammunition is “a logical next step” that “makes it
just a little bit harder for the criminal” to get hold of bullets. Those who
have a permit already won’t have any trouble, he said.
“We’re not
confiscating anything,” Wright said.
The only
restriction is that gun owners won’t be able to buy more high capacity
magazines in the future.
Wright also
hailed the bill’s call for the creation of a dangerous offender registry in
Connecticut to make it easier for police to know who isn’t supposed to possess
a gun.
