Connecticut: 2017 Legislative Session Adjourns

Late Wednesday night, the Connecticut General Assembly adjourned sine die, marking an end to the 2017 legislative session.  This session saw the introduction of a number of anti-gun bills, which your NRA-ILA and the freedom loving people of Connecticut fought very hard against.  The Legislature will return for a special session later this month to discuss the state budget and your NRA-ILA will be vigilantly monitoring these proceedings to ensure there is no attempt to egregiously hike permit fees for law-abiding gun owners in Connecticut.  Below are some of the anti-gun bills which were introduced this session, all of which failed to pass out of committee.

Senate Bill 787 would have implemented Governor Malloy’s budget proposal and immensely increase pistol permit fees. This bill was Governor Malloy’s attempt to place the consequences of his bad governance onto the law-abiding gun owners of Connecticut. 

House Bill 6200 and House Bill 6001 would have allowed police officers to demand that Connecticut handgun permit holders present their permit if the officer had reason to believe they were carrying a handgun.  These bills would have violated a citizen’s freedom from unreasonable search and seizure guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.  Current law already allows police officers to request proof of a permit, but only when they have a “reasonable suspicion” that a crime is being committed, supported by articulable facts that criminal activity is occurring.  

House Bill 6335 and House Bill 6338 would have prohibited the sale and trade of ivory and rhinoceros horn.  Historically, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has always maintained the position that most ivory in the U.S. has been legally imported and that its sale in the U.S. did not materially contribute to the illegal ivory trade.  

Senate Bill 284 and Senate Bill 942 would have banned the possession, importation, sale, or transport of any legally acquired hunting trophies of African “Big Five” species.  Anti-hunting extremists have long targeted legal African big game hunting, while claiming that they were combating illegal poaching.  In reality, these hunts are carried out in a sustainable manner by law-abiding hunters and are an integral part of conservation efforts based on sound science.  In addition, revenue from these sportsmen fund conservation and anti-poaching efforts in many foreign countries.  

Your NRA-ILA would like to thank the numerous NRA members and Second Amendment supporters across Connecticut who testified in committees and maintained contact with their lawmakers during the 2017 session.  Further, your NRA-ILA would like to thank the Connecticut Citizens Defense League for their hard work and vigilant defense of our constitutional rights in Connecticut.