Connecticut: Three Anti-Gun Bills Die as One Pro-Hunting Bill Moves to the House Floor!

We are proud to report that the deadlines have passed for bills to be reported out of most committees and three anti-gun/anti-hunting bills, SB 353, SB 839 and HB 5798 were defeated, and one pro-hunting bill, HB 5209 is heading to the House Floor. 

The following three bills were defeated in Committee.

Senate Bill 353, a bill 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. It was defeated on Friday, April 3, in the Judiciary Committee.

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 his license, he would have had to appeal to the very body, the Department of Public Safety, which rejected the application in the first place. SB839 was defeated on Monday, March 30, in the Government Administration and Elections Committee.

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. HB 5798 was defeated on Friday, March 20, in the Environment Committee.

While the above anti-gun/anti-hunting bills were defeated in committee, one important pro-hunting bill passed committee and is now on its way to the House Floor. 

House Bill 5209 passed out of the Environment Committee on Wednesday, March 18, and is now heading to the House Floor.  This critical pro-hunting bill would ensure hunters in Connecticut that their public hunting acreage will never decrease.  Also known as "no-net-loss,” HB5209 would require that the state maintain the current level of available public recreational lands, including public hunting lands. If enacted, additional lands would have to be opened to hunting when land currently open to hunting is closed. 

Thank you again to all those members who have made their voices heard to the Environment Committee.  Please be sure to contact your lawmakers and urge them to support HB5209!  Contact information for your State Representative can be found by clicking here.  Please click here to find contact information for your State Senator.