Stay up to date on Connecticut politics. Subscribe to the Capitol Watch newsletter here
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont signed three bills Monday that tighten gun control, including Ethan’s Law, which calls for the safe storage of firearms in households where children are present.
Lamont also signed a ban on “ghost guns,” which can be assembled at home by purchasing parts online, and a ban on storing unlocked guns in unattended vehicles.
The measures are all aimed at promoting gun safety in the state, and are acts Lamont previously applauded following their approval in the state House of Representatives.
“The overwhelming majority of Connecticut residents want us to close the gaping loopholes that allow guns to get into the wrong hands, and any measure that encourages safe gun storage to help keep children, residents, and families safe is an action I will always support,” Lamont said, after the House passed Ethan’s Law and the ban on ghost guns.
Ethan’s Law, which is House Bill 7218, mandates that firearms — both loaded and unloaded — must be safely stored in homes where any minor under the age of 18 is present. If an individual does not comply with these mandates, they may be found guilty of a Class D felony and face jail time. The law is named after Ethan Song, the Guilford teen who accidentally shot and killed himself in January, and was strongly advocated for by his parents.
The bill also expands the age range for firearm safety programs to extend from kindergarten through grade 12, rather than grade eight. Lamont has supported the legislation since it was first introduced. It previously passed the House with a 127 to 16 vote.
This past month state representatives, in another bipartisan effort, passed House Bill 7219, which effectively bans anyone from constructing a firearm without obtaining and engraving a serial number or other identification mark from the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection.
Under the legislation, individuals are also prohibited from manufacturing a firearm made from polymer plastic, transferring the so-called “ghost guns” and aiding in the construction of such a weapon to those not authorized to possess a gun. Anyone who violates the bill’s firearms provisions may be found guilty of a Class C felony.
The final gun safety act placed into effect by Lamont, House Bill 7223, bans the storage of unlocked firearms in unattended automobiles. It was passed by the House 98 to 48, and only applies to pistols and revolvers.
Legislators in favor of the bill previously argued that guns are occasionally left in the glove compartment or front seat of a car — an easy target for those willing to steal the firearm and then commit a crime using the weapon.
Violators of the law would be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor, while second offenders would face a Class D felony charge.
