The Connecticut Legislature adjourned on Wednesday, June 3 with one major piece of pro-hunting legislation being sent to the Governor!

We are happy to report that House Bill 5875, a bill supported by NRA, included a “no-net-loss” amendment, has been sent to Governor Jodi Rell (R).  HB5875 contains critical language requiring that for every acre of public hunting land that is closed for any reason, an acre must be opened.  This ensures that public hunting lands in Connecticut will never decrease. 

We are also pleased to report that the following anti-gun and anti-hunting bills were defeated in committee:

Senate Bill 353, sponsored by State Senator Martin M. Looney (D-11), would have banned the sale of all semi-automatic pistols not equipped with so-called “micro-stamping” technology.

Senate Bill 839 would have transferred operations of the currently independent Board of Firearm Permit Examiners to the Department of Public Safety.  This action, if approved, would have taken away the autonomy of the Board, and would mean that if an applicant was denied a license, he or she would have had to appeal to the very body, the Department of Public Safety, which rejected the application in the first place.

Senate Bill 994, introduced by the Environment Committee, would have effectively prohibited recreational trapping by banning the use of the most common and humane forms of traps, both leghold and conibear-style traps.  If enacted, SB 994 would have had very serious consequences for virtually all wildlife in the state.  Furbearers prey on many of the species of animals that we hunt.  They have their place within the ecosystem, but like with many other animals, their populations must be actively managed in order to maintain a balance.  If species currently managed through regulated trapping in Connecticut are able to expand well beyond their current numbers, hunters and the wildlife on which they depend will lose!  SB994 would have put us one step closer to allowing emotion, not science, to dictate wildlife management practices. 

House Bill 5798, sponsored by State Representative Diana Urban (D-43), posed a real threat to hunters by prohibiting the "unreasonable confinement or tethering of dogs."  HB5798 could have negatively impacted hunters by limiting their ability to kennel, transport, and house dogs bred for the purpose of hunting.

Thank you for contacting members of the Connecticut Legislature this session.  Your calls helped make this session a success.   Also, NRA would like to thank the Coalition of Connecticut Sportsmen for its efforts to pass No-Net-Loss and assistance in defeating the above listed anti-gun legislation. 

Please call Governor Jodi Rell and respectfully urge her to sign HB 5875 into law.  The Governor can be reached by phone at 800-406-1527 or 860-566-4840 (Hartford) or email Governor.Rell@ct.gov.