(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced that he is joining a bipartisan list of leaders who have signed on to a Request for Information (RFI) to the gun industry to get a clear sense what companies are doing to improve public safety. Given the large number of firearms bought by public entities, it’s the hope of this group that market forces will help promote and encourage responsible practices within the industry.
“For a generation, we’ve been hearing that it’s not guns that kill people, it’s people that kill people,” said Governor Malloy. “If that’s the case, then the gun industry has an obligation to tell us what they’re doing to keep guns out of the hands of people who shouldn’t have them.”
“Time and again, we have seen the horrific results of inaction,” continued the Governor. “It’s time that states and municipalities use the power of the purse to move the market in ways that will improve public safety.”
In addition to the Governor, other elected leaders in the state who have signed on to the RFI include Newtown First Selectman Patricia Llodra, Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch, Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling, and Fairfield First Selectman Mike Tetreau.
“Now that Connecticut’s laws require every sale and purchase of firearms to be subject to a background check verified by the State Police, we anticipate that we will be better able to trace the origin of firearms that ended up in the hands of criminals and irresponsible gun owners,” said Dr. Dora Schriro, Commissioner of the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection. “We plan to reach out to responsible firearms manufacturers to analyze this information and work with us to stop these illegal transfers.”
The RFI is asking for basic information, including a company’s distribution practices and technologies to improve gun safety.
For instance, the RFI asks whether a company evaluates retailers who have multiple instances where a weapon sold at their establishment is used in a crime. It asks if a company is willing to establish a repurchase program to reduce the number of private sales. Lastly, it asks whether the company would be willing to work with public officials on a network of retailers who maintain higher standards, such as mandatory training for employees to detect “straw purchases.”
The RFI also seeks information on what companies are doing to embrace smart gun technologies that would make the weapon inoperable in the wrong hands and also make ballistic tracing by law enforcement easier.
For more information on the RFI, visit donotstandidlyby.org/what-gun-manufacturers-can-do/
Tonight at 7:30 p.m., Governor Malloy will participate in a roundtable discussion on the issue with a group of community leaders, including New Haven Mayor Toni Harp and Bridgeport Police Chief Joseph Gaudett. It will take place at Saint Gabriel School on 1 Tudor Road in Milford.
The event is being organized by CONECT (Congregations Organized for a New Connecticut), a broad-based community organization made up of 27 churches, synagogues, and mosques from New Haven and Fairfield Counties, representing more than 15,000 people from different races, ethnic groups, faith backgrounds, and both cities and suburbs, that have joined together to take action on issues of mutual concern for the common good. It is an affiliate of the Metro Industrial Areas Foundation.
“Gun violence is a daily threat in some of our communities and threatens the sanctity and civility of life for all of us everywhere,” said Pastor Bernadette Hickman-Maynard, Co-Pastor of Bethel AME Church in Bridgeport and leader in CONECT. “We are excited to have Governor Malloy join in the ‘Do Not Stand Idly By’ effort. We applaud his leadership as the first governor in the country to do so.”
Father James Manship, pastor of Saint Rose of Lima Catholic Parish in New Haven and co-chair of CONECT, said, “CONECT has enjoyed a good working relationship with Governor Malloy on varied issues over the last several years, from public safety on our roads to increasing access to state colleges and universities. With this new and creative strategy, we are glad to add gun safety to that list today.”