Senate Passes Convertible Gun Bill In Early Morning Vote

by Donald Eng CTNewsJunkie

HARTFORD, CT — A bill banning the sale of pistols that can be converted to full auto fire passed the Senate early Wednesday morning after four hours of debate. The final vote came after 7 a.m., toward the end of a marathon 20-hour session.

The bill passed 22-11 in a mostly party line vote. It had earlier passed the state House 86-64. It now heads to Gov. Ned Lamont, who has named the legislation one of the session’s priorities.

Among other things, the bill bans the sale of handguns that can be converted to fire fully automatically by the installation of a “converter.” The bill further defines a converter as  any device or instrument that, when installed in or attached to the rear of the slide of a semiautomatic pistol, interferes with the trigger mechanism, and in so doing enables the pistol to discharge a number of shots or bullets rapidly or automatically with one continuous pull of the trigger.”

The bill would not affect such guns already owned.

Following the vote, the group Connecticut Against Gun Violence issued a statement calling the passage a critical public safety measure.

“With the final passage of this bill, Connecticut has sent a clear message: the safety of our neighborhoods is not negotiable,” said Earl Bloodworth, CAGV’s executive director. “For too long, we have watched technology outpace our laws while families pay the price in grief and trauma that never truly heals. This bill is more than just a policy change; it is a promise to the mother in New Haven and the student in Hartford or Bridgeport that their lives matter more than a loophole.”