Republicans and Democrats on the Judiciary Committee worked together to broker a compromise on the lost and stolen firearms bill Wednesday.
Rep. Arthur O’Neill, R-Southbury, said the bill will lower the penalty for first-time offenders that fail to report their firearm lost or stolen within 72-hours by allowing them to maintain their pistol permit. In addition the committee increased the penalties for the second and third offense, he said.
He said they also eliminated language regarding “intentional failure to report,” because the Chief States Attorney Kevin Kane told the committee Tuesday that it was almost impossible to prove intent.
Under current laws it’s legal not to report a gun missing. Proponents of the legislation say this is how guns get onto the street. They say someone buys the gun legally and sells it to someone like a felon whose not allowed to have one.
O’Neill said as part of the compromise Democrats agreed to fund the gun trafficking task force and dedicate two prosecutors to handle gun-related crimes.
The bill was referred to the Public Safety Committee for further debate.
Read more about the compromise in the Republican’s press release.