Connecticut legislature nears 24-hour mark for debate on pistol ban
Connecticut lawmakers are engaged in a lengthy, high-stakes debate over Gov. Ned Lamont’s gun control bill aimed at banning “convertible” Glock-style pistols. The bill was approved in the Democratic-controlled House and is now facing strong resistance from Republicans in the upper chamber as the session approaches midnight Wednesday, leaving lawmakers roughly 15 hours to act on this and other measures.
Supporters say the legislation addresses gun violence by restricting pistols that can be modified into automatic weapons using Glock switches,which are already illegal in Connecticut. They argue most residents support making it harder to convert handguns into machine guns.
Republicans argue the bill infringes Second Amendment rights and targets lawful firearms. They also contend the weapons modification is already illegal, so additional restrictions are unnecessary. The proposal would also require background checks for certain unfinished firearm parts (lower frames/receivers) by treating them as firearms to curb “ghost guns,” and it would ban the future sale, importation, distribution, and advertising of convertible pistols.
The Connecticut legislature is engaged in a marathon debate on controversial gun control legislation, triggering an intense Second Amendment discussion in the state.
Discussions on the matter began around 11 a.m. Tuesday, with the debate now pushing toward the 24-hour mark. The bill banning certain Glock-style pistols has already passed in the Democratic House and is now facing intense pushback from Republicans in the upper chamber, where the Democrats hold a 25-11 majority.
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House Bill 5043, introduced by Gov. Ned Lamont (D-CT), centers on banning certain handguns that Democrats oppose because of fears that they can be easily converted from semiautomatic to automatic firearms when a Glock switch is added. Glock switches are already illegal in Connecticut. The bill would ban the sale of so-called convertible pistols in the state. Democrats have argued it is necessary to address gun violence.
“If you say let’s take a common-sense step to make it more difficult to take a pistol and turn it into an illegal machine gun, a vast majority of Connecticut residents support that,” said Democratic state Sen. Derek Slap, who sits on the Public Safety Committee.
Connecticut is already home to some of the strictest gun control laws in the country, after it enacted a series of checks on firearms following the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
Republicans believe the latest piece of legislation infringes on rights guaranteed under the Second Amendment and unnecessarily targets one of the most popular guns in the country. They are seeking to stall the bill, as Connecticut’s legislative session nears its end at midnight Wednesday. That has put lawmakers on a severe time crunch, with roughly 15 hours to pass the Glock bill and several other pieces of legislation before this year’s legislative session ends.
“It’s banning glocks, perfectly lawful firearms, whether there’s a Glock switch or not,” Republican state Sen. Rob Sampson said. “Those are already illegal. Converting the firearm is already illegal, so you don’t need this bill.”
“I think the Republicans in the minority, including myself, have the capacity to speak on the bill all day until midnight, and they have a lot of other things they want to accomplish, so I just don’t see it making it to the top as far as priorities,” he added. “We have a tradition of unlimited debate in Connecticut, so I think there will be a lot of folks who have feelings on this, too.”
The bill primarily targets gun manufacturers such as Glock, pressuring them to redesign their pistols so that they cannot be modified into automatic weapons. Lamont’s bill bans the future sale, importation, distribution, and advertising of “convertible pistols,” and defines a convertible pistol as “any semiautomatic pistol with a cruciform trigger bar that can be readily converted by hand or with a common household tool into a machine gun solely by the installation or attachment of a pistol converter.”
If passed, the bill would also require background checks for those who want to buy unfinished lower frames or receivers, which are gun parts that house the trigger mechanism of a firearm, as the legislation redefines them as firearms in order to target ghost guns.
“I think we’re looking at new forms of gun violence that are causing cities and communities to be less safe and learning what’s working around the country,” Democratic state Sen. Matt Lesser said.
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Republicans pushed back.
“You don’t stop gun violence by putting more laws on the books that law-abiding citizens follow,” Republican state Sen. Paul Cicarella, who sits on the Public Safety Committee, said. “Because the criminals are the ones committing this gun violence.”
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