If there were any doubts that the legislature’s bipartisan gun control bill will upset advocates on both sides of the issue, Connecticut Against Gun Violence put the notion to rest Friday with a critique of lawmakers over the terms of a magazine ban they hadn’t publicly endorsed yet.
According to Connecticut Against Gun Violence, legislative leaders negotiating a bipartisan gun control bill are discussing “grandfathering” existing high capacity ammunition magazines. The group sent a letter to lawmakers calling anything short of a complete ban “intolerable.”
CAGV issued a press release Friday citing unnamed sources close to the ongoing negotiations between the Democrats and Republicans over bipartisan legislation on gun control. The group said that leaders have taken the option of banning ownership of existing large capacity magazines off the table.
Ron Pinciaro, the group’s executive director, said that even if lawmakers decided to prohibit the future sale of the magazines, it would be unenforceable if possessing them wasn’t also illegal.
“There are no markings on the magazines, so there is no way for law enforcement to know whether any magazine as been made before or after the ban. This provides an enormous loophole that renders the legislation completely ineffective,” he said.
Leaders have been working to negotiate a bipartisan response to the Dec. 14 Sandy Hook Elementary School murders. Since the beginning of their talks, they have declined to detail the specifics of their discussions. On Friday evening they concluded their second week of negotiations.
Asked about the magazine ban, Senate President Donald Williams said they were “continuing to talk about everything.”
Legislative leaders will continue their talks next week beginning Monday, they said.
“A day at a time, we’re taking it,” House Republican leader Lawrence Cafero said.
