Connecticut Against Gun Violence (CAGV)

There were 76 homicides by firearms in Connecticut in 2007. Here is a list of victims. Our sympathy goes out to all their loved ones. Atryal Womack, 18........Lumnije Dermaku, 31........Bashkim Emini, 36........Mehrdad Moussavian, 37........William Donald, 36........Leroy Brown, 32........Deanna Pugh, 45........Janice Brown, 49........Kenneth Brown, 53........Martha Brown, 80........Marzena Ladziejewska, 29........Urszula Winiarski, 50........Sergio Jaquez, 20........Javed Akhtar, 32........Edgar Sanchez Jr, 22........Joshua McClelland, 18........Melvin Burke, 42........Juan Marcano, 24........Corey Forrest, 22........Julius Sockwell, 19........Terrence Driffin, 23........Ricardo Beamon, 28........Julian Ellis, 17........Aaron Talley, 33........Tyler Coward, 18........Angel Rovira, 30........Lester Holmes, 26........Asher Glace, 21........Marc Morgan, 18........Maria Garzon Arenas, 40........Delano Gray, 22........Filiberto Meza Morales, 36........Vernell Marshall, 23........Eric Moore, 37........Hector Diaz, 26........Xion Davidson, 16........Kent McLaurin, 19........Tony Simons, 37........Hector Salvania, 33........Ralph Colon, 56........Maurice Allen, 21........Jennifer Magnano, 42........Jepther White, 24........Kirk Taylor, 48........Edgardo Difre, 19........Keron Robinson, 23........Garrett Smith, 38........Sherwin Venable, 41........Miguel Vazquez, 50........Rontiesha Carroll, 20........Jared Silva, 46........Vincent Jones, 24........Jose A. Rivera, 19........Jorge Rivera, 20........Samuel L. Alexander, 59........Jessica Rodriguez, 21........Thomas Jefferson, 40........Gerard Chapdelaine, 39........Lorna Coley, 47........Efrain Rodriguez, 30........Jonathan Arroyo, 25........Steven Williams, 37........Eric Couvertier, 24........Luis Fernandez, 38........Yaritzi Myers, 27........Gregory L. Rowell, 22........Jeremiah Johnson, 32........Trevon Mauldin, 22........Moh'd Al-Sadouni, 26........Oshane Green, 18........Larry Paulk, 51........Thomas Szadkowski, 41 (sources: various news articles and press releases, 1/1/07 - 1/1/08).

CT Against Gun Violence and Other Gun Violence Prevention Groups Urge President Obama to Ban Armor-Piercing Handgun Used in Fort Hood Shooting

In a letter sent to the White House CT Against Violence joined with 26 other national, regional, and state gun violence prevention groups to urge President Obama to use his executive powers to ban the importation of the FN Herstal Five-seveN semiautomatic pistol. The Five-seveN was developed for military and law enforcement use with high-velocity, armor-piercing ammunition, but is now widely available on the civilian market. A Five-seveN was used in the Fort Hood mass shooting earlier this month, which left 13 dead and 34 wounded. The weapon is also preferred by Mexican drug cartels.

The letter states that under federal law, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has authority to prohibit the importation of any firearm or ammunition unless it is "generally recognized as particularly suitable for or readily adaptable to sporting purposes." In the past, this power has been exercised to prohibit the importation of so-called "Saturday Night Special" handguns, "Street Sweeper" shotguns, and many foreign-made assault weapons.

While the letter notes that the Fort Hood shooting raises the need for other changes in federal firearms law, including the need to address gaps in the federal background check system that allow suspected terrorists to legally buy guns and the ready availability of high-capacity magazines, those would require new federal legislation. The President can stop the importation of the Five-seveN, however, without any action by Congress.

Click here to read letter to President Obama.

Legislature Passes SB358

The CT General Assembly passed a new gun safety bill in this session intended to prevent the kind of tragedy whereby an 8-year-old boy from Ashford CT died after accidentally shooting himself while firing an Uzi submachine gun under adult supervision at a Massachusetts gun fair.

The bill, SB 358, An Act Prohibiting the Transfer of Machine Gun to Minors, prohibits any transfer of a machine gun to children under 16 years of age, even temporarily, such as under supervision at a firing range. Violation caries a $1,000 fine, imprisonment for up to 10 years, or both. The House vote was unanimous.

The bill becomes law on October 1, 2009.

VPC tracks killings by Concealed Handgun Permit Holders.

A new on-line resource from Washington DC based Violence Policy Center tallies news reports of killings by concealed handgun permit holders.

The web site, http://www.vpc.org/ccwkillers.htm CCW Killers, is updated monthly to include new fatal shootings and changes in the legal status of concealed handgun permit holders facing criminal charges.


Click here to learn about the Red Flag campaign, sponsored by the CAGV Education Fund. Click here to view Gun Facts.


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