Connecticut officials are welcoming President Barack Obama's sweeping proposals for curbing gun violence following the deadly shooting at Newtown's Sandy Hook Elementary School. WNPR's Jeff Cohen reports. Gov. Dannel Malloy credited the president with taking "the critical first step" in making sure such a tragedy doesn't happen again. Malloy said the president has offered "common sense measures" that "we should all be able to agree on."
He vowed the state would be a national leader in preventing gun violence. Also, Senator Richard Blumental, also a Democrat, praised the proposed measures. "This program is presidential leadership at its best and boldest. The president has put the full moral and political weight of the presidency behind some common sense ideas that will lead to common ground."
Obama supports bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. He also supports universal background checks for those buying guns. But one thing he didn't propose was background checks on people buying ammunition. That's something Blumenthal wants.
"I am going to continue to fight for background checks for ammunition purchases because they are the black hole of gun violence prevention. People can walk into a Wal-Mart and buy unlimited amounts of ammunition, even if they're a convicted felon or a fugitive or under a protective court order for domestic violence because there are no background checks." Blumenthal says the proposal is new, which is why the president may not have included it. But he says he'll continue to push for it in congress.
