| |
|
| |
|
|
| |
 |
 |
 |
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.
|
|
|
| |
|
|