Connecticut Forges US' Toughest Gun Laws

Bipartisan plan requires eligibility certificate for rifle, ammo buys
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 2, 2013 1:34 AM CDT
Updated Apr 2, 2013 7:36 AM CDT
Conn. Lawmakers Forge Nation's Toughest Gun Laws
A Firearms Training Unit detective of the Connecticut State Police holds up a Bushmaster AR-15 rifle, the same make and model of gun used by Adam Lanza in the Sandy Hook School shooting.   (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Connecticut lawmakers spurred into action by the Sandy Hook school shooting have agreed on what they say is the nation's strongest gun control bill. The bipartisan agreements includes universal background checks for firearm sales, new state-issued eligibility certificates for the purchase of any rifle, shotgun, or ammunition, and a ban on future sales of high-capacity magazines, the New York Times reports. The package, which also strengthens the state's existing ban on semiautomatic assault rifles, is expected to easily pass the state House and Senate this week, reports the Hartford Courant.

Lawmakers from both parties said that after the school shooting, they decided the issue had moved beyond partisan politics, Reuters reports. "I wake up in the morning and put this green ribbon and pin on my jacket lapel to remember those we’ve lost," says John McKinney, the Republican Senate majority leader, who represents Newtown. "And what I’m proud of is that all of us, Republicans and Democrats, understood that some issues, and this one particularly, should rise above politics." Gun control advocates praised the bill, with some saying they were amazed at how far it went. Over in Nelson, Ga., however, city council passed a law making guns mandatory for heads of household. (More Connecticut stories.)

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