Today, Connecticut lawmakers announced that they'd reached a bi-partisan deal on a proposal designed to implement the nation's toughest gun control regulations. The state already has an obviously ineffective "assault weapons" ban but, unsurprisingly, it failed to stop the Newtown shootings. So, Hartford politicians have decided that the only sensible thing to do is pile more laws on top of it.
If passed, the new legislation would:
Ban new high-capacity ammunition magazines.
Force existing high-capacity magazines to be registered.
Add 100 new weapons to the existing assault-weapons ban.
Create a statewide "dangerous weapon offender registry."
Mandate immediate universal background checks for weapon sales.
Implement universal background checks for private gun sales.
All of that is about what you'd expect. It's pretty much the standard left-wing wishlist, short of an outright ban. If they'd stopped there, they'd probably have had a pretty easy time with it.
....But, they didn't stop there. Things get really dicey with the final provision.
As CBS News put it, the new law calls for a "state-issued eligibility certificate" that "would also be needed to purchase any rifle, shotgun or ammunition under the legislation. To get the certificate, a buyer would need to be fingerprinted, take a firearms training course and undergo a national criminal background check and involuntary commitment or voluntary admission check."
So, if you are a current, law-abiding, gun owner who needs ammo, get ready to be fingerprinted like a common criminal. You'll also need to go through a round of state-mandated education. How, exactly, this doesn't "infringe" on the individual right to keep and bear arms is a complete mystery. If it becomes law, you should expect a court challenge to be filed within minutes.
None of these newly proposed regulations will do anything to prevent another Newtown, but hey, at least your elected officials can get in front of the cameras and pretend they've done something worthwhile.
Good luck, Connecticut.
UPDATE: Here's a video on the situation from Fox TV in Hartford.
