General Assembly Passes Gun Bill in Late Night Session

This article was written by Elissa Bass, Senior Regional Editor:

The General Assembly passed a comprehensive gun package early Thursday morning that Gov. Dannel Malloy will sign at noon today.

According to the Hartford Courant, the law will:

• require universal background checks for purchasers of all firearms
• immediately expand the state's existing ban on assault weapons. The list of banned weapons includes the Bushmaster AR-15 semiautomatic rifle used by Sandy Hook shooter Adam Lanza
• prohibit the sale and purchase of large-capacity ammunition magazines holding more than 10 rounds – such as the 30-round magazines used by Lanza. (In a compromise, owners of those large-capacity magazines would not be required to turn them in, although their use would be restricted and they would have to be registered with the state by Jan. 1, 2014. Likewise, people who already own semiautomatic rifles defined as assault weapons could keep them if they submit to new registration procedures.)
• require an eligibility certificate beginning Oct. 1 for all purchases of ammunition and long guns To obtain certification to buy ammunition, purchasers would have to pass a federal criminal background check.
• create a dangerous weapon offender registry
• expand penalties for illegal gun trafficking