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Malloy Signs New Gun Laws

Jeff Cohen/WNPR

http://cptv.vo.llnwd.net/o2/ypmwebcontent/Jeff%20Cohen/2013_04_04_JC%20130404%20Passage.mp3

Governor Dannel Malloy has signed into law a sweeping package of gun measures that he says should set an example for the nation.  The governor called it a profoundly emotional day.

Malloy was joined by family members of Newtown victims and surrounded by cameras at the state capitol. "We can never undo the senseless tragedy that took place on Dec. 14, or those tragedies that play themselves out on a daily basis in our cities.  But we can take action here in Connecticut and we can make Connecticut towns and cities safer. And this bill does that."
 
Some parts of the law will take effect immediately, including an expansion of the state's ban on assault weapons and the ban on sale or purchase of magazines that store more than 10 rounds.
 
Nicole Hockley lost her son Dylan on Dec. 14. "I can't begin to tell you how much it means to us that our voices have been heard.  We have said from the outset that we want Newtown to be known not for our tragedy but for transformation.  And this law marks the beginning of that turning point."
 
Ron Pinciaro is executive director of Connecticut Against Gun Violence.  He says he's satisfied with what passed, and called it a good day.  That said, next session he'll start pushing again. "Registration of handguns.  I think that's the most important thing in addressing the urban problem."
 
Senator Beth Bye wiped away tears as she left the ceremony. "There's such conflicting emotion.  Today would have been Ana Marquez-Green's seventh birthday."
 
Ana Marquez-Green was a Newtown victim. "There were times I thought we'd never get here and pass a bill that will make a meaningful difference. So to think today that we did that, that the parents were here leading the way and it's signed, and done, it's almost surreal."
 
Meanwhile, opponents of the legislation remain firm that the state's new gun laws would have done nothing to prevent Newtown from happening.
 

Jeff Cohen started in newspapers in 2001 and joined Connecticut Public in 2010, where he worked as a reporter and fill-in host. In 2017, he was named news director. Then, in 2022, he became a senior enterprise reporter.

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