Issue Position: Preventing Gun Violence

Issue Position

It's been six years since a gunman walked into Sandy Hook and killed twenty children and six educators, but the mass shootings across the United States continue from Las Vegas to Parkland, and gun violence in Connecticut towns and cities persists.

We have learned first hand the cost of unregulated gun ownership. As Governor, and as a parent and educator, I will make sure that we continue to lead the nation in gun safety, and I won't let Republicans and the NRA push us backwards.

Connecticut is a leader on ...
Requiring background checks for all firearm sales
Expanding the existing ban on assault weapons, prohibiting the possession of assault weapons including the AR-15 and Bushmaster assault rifle, which was used in the Sandy Hook shooting
Mandating registration of all existing assault rifles and high-capacity magazines
Reporting requirements of individuals prohibited from possessing firearms to the database used for firearm purchase background checks
Prohibiting the sale of higher-capacity magazines, those with more than 10 rounds
Prohibiting the purchase or possession of firearms for convicted abusers and those subject to domestic violence restraining/protective orders
But, I will ensure we do more:
Every other day someone dies as a result of gun violence in Connecticut. We must build strong partnerships between our police and first responders and our communities to be proactive in preventing the conditions that lead to violence before it occurs.

As governor, I will tighten our existing gun laws and close existing loopholes. This includes mandating that guns always be stored safely and limiting the number of firearms that may be purchased at once. I also support banning "bump stocks" and tightening the loopholes that allow for weapons to be upgraded to rapid fire.

As governor, I will expand gun buyback programs like the one that has had success in New Haven. In 2017, students in New Haven helped connect national nonprofit Gun by Gun with the New Haven police department and the Yale New Haven Hospital to organize a gun buyback exchange. It yielded 141 weapons this past December, and I plan on actively supporting any future buyback programs shown to reduce the number of weapons in our communities.

As governor, I will preserve and seek to expand funding for efforts like Project Longevity, a program launched in 2012 operating in New Haven, Hartford and Bridgeport that has helped reduce rates of gun violence by intervening before violence occurs. A formal impact evaluation in New Haven of the first 18 months Project Longevity, published by a researchers from Yale University, showed a 21% decrease in total shootings per month. The researchers found a decrease of 53% in gang or group-related shootings per month "directly attributable to" the project.

As governor, I will review and support implementation of policies that have had success in Connecticut and neighboring states, including Trauma-Informed Community Response in which communities, mental and social services and other health services and law enforcement work together to help communities heal from gun violence and understand how to prevent future gun violence. Violence takes its toll on a community in so many ways, we need to focus on healing the whole community and providing the supports that prevent future violence.

As governor, I will be a continuous and vocal advocate for smart, common sense legislation; work with our federal delegation, regional leaders and state-based advocates to be on the right side of history putting the safety of our communities first, and be a consistent, strong voice demanding national change such as ending the federal ban on gun violence research at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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